Christmas Cookies by Carroll Makemson
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down… (Psalm 146:8 NIV)
Christmas and cookies are a perfect match! As Cookie Monster tells us, they both begin with “c,” but that’s not all. Cookies are full of memories, just like Christmas. In fact, cookies evoke memories even if you don’t have one in your hand or mouth. Think for a moment about the cookies your mother, father, or grandparent make or made. Voila, memories! I can only imagine the delicious recipes that would show up in a Second Baptist Christmas favorite cookie recipe file.
Every holiday season Mary, our mother, worked hard to make date nut pinwheels. I am sure dates and pecans were not in her food budget, and I know the process was laborious. Mixing, chopping, rolling, cooking, refrigerating, and finally baking resulted in cookies that none of her children really liked. And that didn’t matter.
The truth is these cookies were not for us. They were a labor of love baked to share with lonely friends, neighbors who had come on hard times, seniors who could no longer bake, people recovering from illness, and others who were bowed down by trouble and tragedy.
Psalm 146 reminds us that God watches over strangers, orphans, widows, the hungry, the oppressed, and those who are bowed down. Quite simply, God’s work is our work as we are God’s hands and feet in this realm. The “watching over” is our call. I reread Psalm 146, and I didn’t find the word “cookie,” but I know that my mother’s cookies were an offering of God’s love for God’s people as they emanated hope, nourished the soul, and demonstrated faith in action. In our busyness of this week, let’s read and absorb God’s call in Psalm 146 to be aware of the needs of others.
An important caveat: God has gifted us in different ways, and store-bought cookies are full of hope and love, too! Merry Christmas!
Carroll Moore Makemson, Mary’s daughter