Last year I brined the turkey this year I decided to go with the butter under the skin approach.  All the butter oozes into the breast while it is cooking, keeping it moist, while the herbs give it some flavour.

I don't know if you can see that clearly or not with the photo, but you can really see the herb butter through the skin and where there is more butter and not as much - there is a big bulge making it more obvious where there is a ton of butter.

Isn't that a bit like God working in us? 
In Hebrews 13:21, it talks about God at work in us, as well as Philippians 2:13.  Looking at that butter under the skin, I was reminded of this.  When people see us, if we are a Christian, they should see God shining through.  Our bodies are the skin but when we are walking with God it's the Holy Spirit that is shining through.  The herbs being the flavour - the fruit of the Spirit - clearly evident in our life.

When I said to Anthony I was going to get the camera to take a picture of the turkey, he just looked at me and thought I was mad.  "Why would you want to take a picture of that, it's so unappetising looking?"  He didn't realise the parallel I was thinking about for this blog entry.  It's because it was unappetising looking I also wanted to post the picture. 

As so often when we are going through a hard time we don't want anyone to see us, and want to work it all out with God then share "hey folks, God taught me this through that hard situation."   When in fact God wants us when we are at out most vulnerable, our 'unappetising' looking to share with Christians and non Christians alike.  Why?
2 Corinthians 12:10 explains it.  When we are weak, that's when God shines through us the most.  People can see God at work in our lives the most when we go through the hardest times, when our 'skin' is the most see through, so don't hide it.

Let others see your vulnerabilities, where you are the weakest.   Is it patience, or understanding?  Whatever it is, like the big bulge of butter, God might have been working in one area shining through, but now it's time to get into the part of your life that needs His help.  Like the butter he will permeate through that thing you find difficult and others will see the difference as well.

So whatever it is, if it's going through hardships,  a hidden or hard part of your life, let the herb butter of God melt in you - oozing down every part of your life.  Not just one area; be vulnerable and let others in so they can witness the power of God as they see Him working in your life.

Don't be a skin deep Christian.
Let God work in all areas of your life, yes like the turkey it can get messy but after it's done - the difference is amazing.  Just remember that your life like the turkey still needs basting, let God continue to baste you.

Doesn’t everything taste better if it’s homemade?  Or should I say if it’s done well, as there are things I’m not good at - Christmas cake being one of them.  My sister makes a great Christmas cake and shame I’m not back in the old country this year to taste it.

I love Christmas puddings so I make my own which are much better than bought.  Not because of my cooking but I don’t think you can go wrong in making them thankfully!

I didn’t know all the history of the pudding and thought it was interesting that in the “food and cooking in Victorian England” it gives some background.

It says that in medieval England the Roman Catholic church made a decree that the "pudding should be made on the 25th Sunday after Trinity, that it be prepared with 13 ingredients to represent Christ and the 12 apostles, and that every family member stir it in turn from east to west to honour the Magi and their supposed journey in that direction"

Thankfully I didn’t live back then with religious rules (although today there are loads of them as well) or even in the 1600s as the puritans banned it for having too rich ingredients!  My pudding has more ingredients in it than the decree of the RC church and I make it when I have the time.

But I love stories and associations like that as it helps us in that moment of doing something to turn our thoughts to God.  As well as having something simple like that to give us another opportunity to share with others about God and here the Christmas story and the good news of Jesus who He was and why he came.

I knew about the tradition of every family member having to stir the pudding when it’s being made but thought it was more superstition with making a wish.  So let us make known the reason behind it and may we instead of making a wish, we could say a prayer to God.   Not forgetting to say thank you to Him for humbling himself not only in taking on human form and being born in a manager but willing to lay aside his majesty, his right, for a time.

The day you make it is also known as ‘stir-up Sunday’.  Apparently cooks would go to church and be reminded for the rest of the day that it was about time to make it, through word association, because that Sunday in the common book of prayer – one of the prayers was “Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people; that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may of thee be plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”   (this section taken from wiki)

It’s also superstition that when making the pudding, different items were put in the pudding.  Thimble was for spinsterhood, ring for marriage, a coin for wealth.  How awful that was, as if you were a child or easily led, you could end up believing that!   I don’t know what we could put in instead that could further telling of God or the Christmas story to others, but wouldn’t that be a good idea?  ie for one item, maybe a coin (well wrapped in foil) to represent the gold the wise men brought. 

I think the long steaming time of a pudding can represent the tough situations we go through on earth.  It feels long and sometimes it’s hard to see it in light of eternity and why we have to go through it.  Just as we have to constantly top up the water when we steam a pudding and make sure it doesn’t go dry, when we go through the hard times in life we have to be constantly filled with the Holy Spirit.  He is then with us through it all, permeating through us just like the steam in cooking.

When ready to serve, you turn the warm pudding onto a plate and put holly on it, the berries representing Jesus blood on the cross and the crown of thorns.  It is put on the top of the pudding – Jesus being the head of the church and us as individuals.  It’s by his blood and trusting in Him we are healed.

All the different ingredients, all our different gifts come together and form one church and the ingredients complement each other no one being better than the other but all harmoniously working together under God.  When we allow God to fill us and we follow His will and do the ministry/work He wants us to do, this is what happens. 

Finally when you taste the pudding, the time it takes to make it and go through all the steaming - it’s worth it.  Just like when we reach heaven for eternity we will realise that it was all worth it.  The steaming and the maturing of the pudding caused the true flavour to be produced just like in us. Romans 5:3-5.