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Minister’s Chat
In recent weeks I have become a “Soup Queen”. For those of you who know me it is a miracle. Sue in the kitchen is not uncommon but to cook from scratch, cutting and dicing and measuring “heaven forbid” that is unheard of! Homemade soup is a comfort food, when the days are too cold or too dull soup picks up ones spirits and warms us from top to bottom. A steaming bowl with a few soda crackers helps the winter blues for those of us who spend it in snowy Muskoka. Here’s one of my favorite soup recipes and “Sue proof!”
Pumpkin Curry Soup
½ tsp. olive oil
1 c. mashed pumpkin
1 tsp chopped fresh garlic
¾ tsp. each cumin, turmeric OR 1 ½ tsp curry
½ tsp. chopped cilantro
1 c. finely chopped red onion
1 tbsp. honey
½ tsp. ginger
½ c. chicken stock
¾ c. milk
1 lrg. sweet potato, peeled and chopped
Cook garlic and onion in hot oil in a saucepan until softened (about 5 minutes). Add chicken stock, sweet potato, pumpkin, cumin, turmeric or curry powder, cilantro, honey and ginger. Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender. Place in a processor or blender and blend until smooth. (Can be refrigerated up to 4 days). To serve, heat soup and slowly add milk.
With the season of soup brings the season of Lent in the church year. Lent is the 40 days (not counting six Sundays), which falls between Ash Wednesday (Feb. 6) and Holy Saturday (March 22). Sundays are not counted in the 40 days of Lent because every Sunday is considered a “little Easter”. In the early church, Lent was a time of final preparation for people who were seeking to be baptized. During this time of preparation, the church community adopted a 40 day discipline of fasting, almsgiving and prayer. Prayer was for healing souls, fasting for healing bodies, and almsgiving for sharing – which heals community. People reflected on their own life and then at dawn on Easter morning, as the rising sun announced the resurrection of Jesus, the church community expressed their common faith and a commitment by renewing their baptismal promises. Lent becomes the time to look truthfully at ourselves and makes changes.
Even to this day many individuals give up something for Lent; sweets, chocolate, T.V. etc, as part of their spiritual journey and reflect on questions such as: what am I being asked to learn? Where is this journey going to lead? What will I have to give up? Whom am I invited to become? During Lent, we too reflect on our lives and search for meaning.
May this season of journey on cross-country skis, snow shoes, or walking the beach be a time of reflection and enjoyment with a bowl of homemade soup!
Blessing
Rev. Sue
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