A (Very) Short History of Christmas Cookies

by Kurt Maerschel

My home land of Germany has a rich tradition of Christmas cookie baking. I have enjoyed the many varieties my entire life, but until recently I was not aware of the rich traditions and symbolism which underlie some of the most famous German cookie creations. I thought my newly acquired knowledge might be fun to share while we are all looking forward to celebrate Christmas this year. Enjoy!

Spekulatius (Speculaas)

The name “Spekulatius” is derived from Latin means “bishop.” But it is not any bishop these cookies remind us of. It is St. Nicholas of Myrna, also known today as Santa Claus.

St. Nicholas was a bishop in the early Christian church during the third and fourth century in Asia Minor. He was famous for his good works and generosity. His life is celebrated in Europe on the day of his death which is December 6th. Traditionally, Spekulatius cookies are consumed around this time of the year. The motifs on the cookies depict scenes which are meant to remind us of the various legends that surround this early church father. The “windmill,” for example, is there to remind us of St. Nicholas’ miracle of multiplying the grains so everyone had enough to eat. In Germany St. Nicholas comes on December 6th and leaves presents in children’s boots which are put in front of the door that night. I guess after that he is getting ready to bring presents to the Americans. In Germany the “Christ Child” will be responsible for bringing presents on Christmas Eve – no presents in the morning of Christmas day.

Zimtstern (Cinnamon Star)

The Zimtstern is a cookie which contains as a main ingredient cinnamon. Cinnamon was regarded in the past as a spice which came from the East -- the Orient. This exotic spice would have come from India through the Middle East to the ports of the Mediterranean and would have been weighed up into gold. Cinnamon was considered to be extremely valuable. The Zimtstern reminds us of the star of Bethlehem which pointed the way for the wise men to find Jesus in the manger. The spice tells us that Christ was born in the East, in a far and exotic place. The white frosting represents the impressive brightness of the star itself and also reminds us that Christ is the light of the world.

Lebkuchen (Gingerbread)

The Lebkuchen can trace its roots back to the Egyptians and the Romans, but it was not until the Middle Ages in Germany that the Lebkuchen received its shape and taste as we know it today. The name is a combination of the words Leb (to be explained later) and kuchen (cake). It is not exactly known what the “Leb” is referring to, but it is speculated that it refers to honey – one of the main ingredients- or to “leben” meaning living or life. The cookie was served in medieval hospitals as a medicine. Since it is high in calories it might have helped to support people fighting a disease. At Christmas we remember Christ in the Lebkuchen as he brought eternal life to the world and is the master healer.

Dominosteine (Domino Stones)

Dominosteine are a three layered cookie. The layers are to remind us of the three wise men who visited Jesus in the manger and brought him gifts. While we don’t really know how many wise men there were since the Bible does not tell us about the size of the group, it has been a Christian tradition since the sixth century which assumes that there are three wise men – often also referred to as Kings. You can see the layers have three different colors as the Three Kings have traditionally been depicted: one white, one brown and one black king. The three reces stand for the three known continents at that time – Asia, Europe and Africa. Three Kings bowing down before Jesus and bringing gifts reminds us that Christ brought salvation to all of the world (three known continents). The designation of the wise men as kings should signify that Jesus Christ is ruler above all.

I hope you enjoyed this short “cookie lesson;” if you are curious to taste some you can buy them at Aldi supermarket or at Kuby’s Sausage house at Snyder Plaza close to SMU.

If you have questions about cookies or if you need recipes, please feel free to talk to me in person, by email or by phone: kurt@kpumc.org or 972-835-1909.

Those with the Advent Virus Become Mothers of God

by Ken Kelley

I don’t have any idea who wrote the email that follows or know anything about their theological credentials, but they cleverly describe some of the ways God with us changes our lives If we allow God to live in us and work through us.

“Be on the alert for symptoms of inner Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. The hearts of a great many have already been exposed to this virus, and it is possible that people everywhere could come down with it in epidemic proportions. This could pose a serious threat to what has, up to now, been a fairly stable condition of conflict in the world.

Some signs and symptoms of The Advent Virus:

• A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than on fears based on past experiences.

• An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.

• A loss of interest in judging other people.

• A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.

• A loss of interest in conflict.

• A loss of the ability to worry. (This is a very serious symptom.)

• Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation.

• Contented feelings of connectedness with God, other people, and nature.

• Frequent attacks of smiling.

• An increased susceptibility to the love extended by God and other people as well as the uncontrollable urge to extend it.

Please send this warning out to all your friends. This virus can and has affected many systems. Some systems have been completely cleaned out because of it.”

We can all catch this virus, and our actions could make it very contagious. God sent this plague intending for us to spread it to all the earth. Many of those we encounter have received vaccinations to limit the spread of this life-giving malady, but the antidote to these vaccinations miraculously appeared in the womb of a woman named Mary over 2000 years ago.

In interpreting the ensuing events, Meister Eckhart, a theologian of the 13th and 14th centuries, wrote,

“What good is it to me that Mary gave birth to the son of God fourteen hundred years ago, and I do not also give birth to the Son of God in my time and in my culture? We are all meant to be mothers of God. God is always needing to be born.”

Meister Eckhart continues by asking these questions:

“I believe in God, but do I believe in God-in-me? “
“I believe in God in heaven, but do I believe in God-on-earth?” “I believe in God out there, but do I believe in God-with-us?”

Modern writers have often paraphrased Eckhart by stating,
“What good is it that Christ was born 2,000 years ago if he is not born now in your heart?’

I, like Eckhart, will close with his prayer,
"Lord, be born in my heart. Come alive in me this Christmas! Amen."

I, like Eckhart, will close with his prayer,
"Lord, be born in my heart. Come alive in me this Christmas! Amen."

Christmas on Mars

Last week, NASA successfully landed a probe on the surface of Mars. I know it would have been easy to miss in the flood of White-House-scandal-news, but this was BIG NEWS. This was potentially game-changing, reality-altering news.

Think about it — one day, there will likely be humans on Mars, first to explore it, then possibly to live on it! That’s a pretty astounding thought. For a species which evolved on one planet to eventually find itself inhabiting a completely different planet that is, on average, 140 million miles away is mind-boggling.

I’m a strange person, though, and one of the first thoughts that occurred to me was, “Imagine what it would be like to celebrate Christmas on Mars …” 

And then it hit me like a ton of Mars bricks — What would we SING at Christmas? 

That’s a serious question! Have you noticed how many Christmas carols would need significant revision were we to sing them on Mars?

Exhibit A is the Yuletide favorite, “Joy to the World.” Notice that the joy is for the WORLD, not for other assorted planets. But if you’re celebrating somewhere NOT not on this world, what would you sing? You can’t sing, “Let earth receive her king” lest Mars feel left out of all the joy.

Exhibit B comes from our own Charles Wesley’s pen. He wrote, “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” which includes the line, “Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled.” Wouldn’t you feel a little left out of all the peace and mercy if you were on Mars? 

Then there’s Exhibit C, the song, “Angels From the Realm of Glory,” which opens with the words, “Angels from the realms of glory, Wing your flight o’er all the earth; Ye who sang creation’s story; Now proclaim Messiah’s birth.” So are the angels going to make the flight out to Mars to sing the story there, too? 

Why are all the good Christmas carols so EARTH-centric?

Advent songs aren’t any better. Charles Wesley’s hymn, “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus,” sings of Jesus, “Hope of all the earth thou art.” And one of the verses of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” which we typically use as a song to sing during the lighting of the Advent candle, includes the line, “Fill the whole world with heaven’s peace.”

This also raises some interesting theological questions, though. For example, did Jesus come to save ONLY the people of earth? Would intelligent life on other planets require their own Jesus-figure? Or is Jesus a truly universal being?

What if life evolved differently on another planet? Would their “intelligent life forms” also be born with “original sin”?  Would the song, “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear” be true for their world, too? “Yet with the woes of sin and strife / The world has suffered long; Beneath the angel-strain have rolled / Two thousand years of wrong.”

I don’t have any really good answers to any of these questions, mind you. I’ll wait until the seminaries start opening degree programs in Interplanetary Theology, but until then, I’m still very concerned about the lack of quality Christmas carols to sing in space.

Well, at least Santa Claus visits all the planets … right? I mean, that’s true, isn’t it? Wait … WHAT???!!!