Zechariah 9:9 (NIV)
Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
Shout, Daughter
Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
righteous and
victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the
foal of a donkey.
As we get ready for Christmas in my household by making
Christmas goodies for family and friends I think back to the many goodies my
dad would make each year. To this day I
use many of those recipes. As I was
thinking about all the goodies one of them that came to mind was the fruitcake,
I thought about how many people seem to roll their eyes at or complain about the
fruitcake. As you read on maybe your idea of the fruitcake will change for the
better like it did for me.
Attached to a fruitcake was the following note.
'The humble fruitcake is a dessert that, like the
followers of our savior Jesus Christ, is often despised despite its sweet
nature. It is unfortunate, however, that so many feel this way, because in
reality, a fruitcake is very similar to any of the human beings on God's green
earth.
The brown cake is our flesh, which was originally wrought
by god's hands from the dust. Though it is sometimes bitter, it is moist and
thick, symbolizing the labor and blood of human existence.
The nuts are little crunchy bits of sin that exist in all
of us, since, like the fruitcake, we are made with sin inside of us, and only a
higher power can take it out of us - provided we (or the fruitcake) let Him.
The bright fruits represent the joys of life that God
gives us to uplift us, like flowers, babies, and puppies. The red cherries are
especially important, because they represent the blood Jesus Christ shed to
free us from sin.
The entire fruitcake is baked until it has a firm crust,
similar to our skin, but possibly more similar to the shield that many place
between themselves and God. As we do with the fruitcake, God needs to cut off a
slice of us before the meaty insides and beautiful, tasty fruits are exposed to
Him. Some people are baked too long, and as a result are impervious to God's
love, so their tough skin and blinded minds eventually lead them to eternal
suffering in hell, just as many an overdone fruitcakes are subjected to the
trash can, garbage disposal or family dog.
So, next time you see or receive a fruitcake, don't cast
it aside with scorn - where would we be if God had done that to us? Instead,
enjoy the fruitcake, share it with your friends and family, and remember what
it represents - not only us, but the Lord Jesus Christ, whose birth is not only
the sole, undisputed reason for Christmas, but also the reason that we have
fruitcakes today.'
As I finished reading the note a tear trickled down my
cheek. We find ourselves rushing through Christmas like it is a chore; we have
forgotten the real meaning behind it all. We need to let the Christmas joy
began to bloom in our hearts. Let us
never look at a fruitcake or Christmas is the same way again
Dear Lord, we pray that we would not get to busy that it
takes away from the true meaning of Christmas. Help us remember all that You
did for us that first Christmas day. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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