Most Friday mornings there is a freshly baked loaf of homemade bread on our kitchen counter. The house smells of its baking and when you slice it, the top is crackly. If you come by, I’ll offer you a piece spread with butter while it’s still warm. There’s something of comfort and joy in the sharing of love and a loaf of bread over a hot cup of coffee or chocolate and good conversation on a cold winter morning.
An older friend from church shared her recipe and sourdough starter with me. My early attempts at the care and feeding of the starter necessitated a creative re-start, but the recipe is still hers with a few tweaks of my own. The baking of that bread has provided comfort and joy in so many ways over the past twenty-five plus years. I have learned that love and a loaf of bread can open doors, warm hearts, and give joy.
My son took trumpet lessons in sixth grade. His music teacher’s wife became seriously ill. His teacher made it clear that they wanted no visitors. I wanted so much to do something, anything, to let them know we cared and that we were praying for them. I decided to make a loaf of bread.
When I took it by their house, no one answered the doorbell. I left it on the porch. As I walked to the car, the teacher came to the door and I said, “I brought you some bread.” He took it, nodded sternly, and closed the door.
A few days later, my phone rang. “My wife enjoyed your bread. It’s the only thing she can eat. Will you bring us some more?” “Of course!” And I did, once every week, until she passed. A small comfort for her, great joy for me. All in a simple act of love and a loaf of bread.
We used to have a gruff elderly neighbor, who cared for her mother in her home. She was lonely. The kids and I visited her now and then and Kent did odd jobs for her, changed light bulbs, did small repairs. One day, I took her a loaf of bread. Soon, she reached out. “My mother doesn’t eat much. She loves your bread. Would you mind bringing us more?” “Of course!” Love and a loaf of bread opened another door. Comfort and joy.
That bread has been donated to band bake sales, fed hungry teenagers, and ministered to friends and neighbors on chemotherapy countless times through the years. It’s provided comfort, and joy, and love. It was on the table at our now-grown son’s wedding rehearsal dinner and it was all that I could offer when our neighbors experienced a devastating loss. I had no words. Just a hug, my love, and a loaf of warm bread. It’s become my way of caring, reaching out, showing kindness.
Bread is as old as the grains from which it’s made. It fills our stomachs, takes away our hunger pangs, sustains life. It’s one of the simplest foods we have as humans. It’s universal, part of culture, history, even broken as a symbol of peace. It can open doors when given in love. But, we cannot live on bread alone. We humans need more. We need the love part of the equation.
We find it so easy to allow distance to grow between us. We misunderstand, misjudge, and mistreat each other. We fail to forgive. Even in our best relationships we are quick to jump to the worst conclusion; we fail to give the benefit of the doubt. We pull back, isolate ourselves, defend our vulnerable hearts, build walls. Thinking the worst of each other comes way too easy.
Our neighbors might as well live around the globe as right down the street. We come and go and never stop to talk. Even in our families we lose touch. We get so caught up in our own busy lives that we don’t take a few minutes to reach out, catch up, invite each other into our worlds. We don’t bother to care. That love part takes work.
But, it doesn’t take great skill and talent, it doesn’t even take the ability to bake bread to reach out to someone. All it takes is making the effort, taking the chance, being willing. And it doesn’t have to be only during the holiday season.
I love the lyrics to the song Nothing More by The Alternate Routes.
To be humble, to be kind.
It is the giving of the peace in your mind.
To a stranger, to a friend
To give in such a way that has no end.
We are Love
We are One
We are how we treat each other when the day is done.
We are Peace
We are War
We are how we treat each other and nothing more.
I love baking bread. I love that I have something I can give that hopefully puts a bright spot in someone’s life. I love that I have a tangible means of showing love to others.
My goal is to treat people in such a way that when I celebrate Christ every Christmastime, and every day in between, they can see through me to my love of Him. He is love. He is the bread of life. He is the reason for this holiday season.
Here at Christmas, I wish you Comfort. I wish you Joy. I wish you Peace. And in the midst of it all, I wish you The Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, Light of the world.
May your year be full of blessings!
Merry Christmas!
Nothing More by The Alternate Routes, lyrics © Secret Road Music Publishing, Songwriters: Eric Donnelly/Timothy C. Warren
Are We There Yet? 
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