大象传媒

A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Kate Wharton

Good morning.

I absolutely love baking. I like all types of cooking, but I particularly enjoy baking cakes. During the pandemic I also enjoyed learning to bake bread, although I鈥檝e still never quite jumped onto the sourdough bandwagon. Because I live on my own, it鈥檚 a bit dangerous to do too much baking at home, so I jump at every opportunity to bake for other people and events. One thing that means is that our church meetings often have a very good selection of cakes available.

I was taught to bake by my grandma when I was very young. I鈥檇 go and stay with my grandparents for a week from time to time, and one of my favourite things to do was to bake with my grandma. She鈥檇 had two sons, and gender expectations being what they were at that time, it hadn鈥檛 occurred to her to teach them to bake, but she enjoyed teaching me, and I enjoyed learning. There鈥檚 something about baking that feels to me like a very spiritual practice. Maybe it鈥檚 the time needed to mix and stir and knead, and then wait.

Maybe it鈥檚 the fact that regular practice means you get better at it. Maybe it鈥檚 because it鈥檚 a wonderful way of bringing people together, sharing something, enjoying it with others. Maybe it鈥檚 because even though it can be familiar, it鈥檚 also a little bit different each time. Maybe it鈥檚 because something wonderful can be created.

Loving Lord Jesus, help us to encounter you in the ordinary things of life, to see and feel and know you day by day.

Amen.