christmascin
Picture of Spunky
Spunky
Spunky lives in Queensland, Australia. She loves travel and aims to visit as many church branches and wards in the world as possible.

Visiting Teaching Message December 2014: The Divine Mission of Jesus Christ: Prince of Peace

Click for French Translation/Traduction en français

In what ways does the Savior bring peace to your life?

ww2-warbonds-christmas-adThis is the question posed at the end of the formal December 2014 Visiting Teaching message. Most often the end questions don’t seem to apply to me or the women I visit teach, but I appreciate the idea of inquiry, and the admonition to “seek to know what to share” that is included in the precursory section of each Visiting Teaching message. So I read them, and think about them even if I end up not using them. But…. I thought about that query…. and I thought about Christmas…. and I thought about women through the ages.

I also have a thing for history. I love it. Drawn to the Egyptians as a child, I grew curious about the World Wars as a teen as I wondered about George Santayana’s statement “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” I grew to believing Santayana, so began a life-long love in seeking the wisdom, hindsight and experiences of those gone before me. Indeed, it surprises no one who knows me that I listen to a collection of dated audio recordings, including my Christmas favourite, Bing Crosby’s 1944 Live Christmas Broadcast.

There is something nostalgically sad, yet hopefully longing and strangely beautiful  to me about Christmas in wartime. I fell in love with Elder Quentin L. Cook’s mother when I learned he had been named after the radio announcer that unknowingly accompanied her through her labour, and birth of her son. In this, was perfectly fitting in my mind that this month’s message would start with a quote from Elder Cook:

 

“The Savior is the source of true peace,” said Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “Even with the trials of life, because of the Savior’s Atonement and His grace, righteous living will be rewarded with personal peace.”

True peace. Personal peace. The thought of this swirled in my mind, and I contemplated the times I spent and spend doing research reading newspaper archives as a searched for propaganda related to the wars of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The research itself is draining; there is something macabre in studying war, and on more than one occasion, I found myself tearing up. As a means of coping, both with the mundane and the morbid, I found myself instinctively drawn to the parts of the newspapers that included recipes. I found everything from the delicious -to the squeamish- to the mysterious—based on ingredients I had heard of, or not. Tomato jam, watermelon cream, stewed lentils (from 1881!) and bachelor’s buttons re-directed my thoughts. I thought of the women who made these recipes, especially in wartime, when they survived on very limited funds, when they were missing sons, fathers and husbands, when they waited for letters in the mail that sometimes took months, when they volunteered countess hours for various relief groups, when they received dreaded news.
My recipe searches brought me personal peace, and I wondered what my foremothers did in times past to invite personal peace into their lives. And someplace in all of this, I understood it was Christ—Christ who brings peace to all of us. He is everywhere—He is with the enlisted man embarking for battle, He is with the single mother searching for employment, He is with the person who feels prompted to randomly text or email a friend, He is with the friend who needed a message of love at that moment and He was with me as I sought reprieve and perseverance in long hours of research.In this thought of peace and foremothers, I sought inspiration from the brilliant World War II-era General Relief Society president, Belle Spafford:

 

The peace which the message of the Master brings to mankind is the only endearing peace which the forces of evil cannot destroy. It is an inner peace, an inner state of tranquility. It is freedom from fear, agitating passions, discordant, and conflicting emotions. It is the peace referred to by the ancient prophet, Isiah when he said: “And the work of righteousness shall be peace and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever.” (Isiah 32:17)

-Belle Spafford, December 1940 Relief Society Magazine (This beautiful https://exponentii.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/IMG_5173-scaled-1.jpgial is located here.)

 

He brings peace: true peace, personal peace. Often we are the vessels that bring peace, always we are the recipients, no matter in the world whence we live. From the message:

 

Jesus Christ said: “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (my emphasis added, John 16:33).

 

This month’s message is simple. But it has a focus that is beautiful in a way that I had not fully comprehended in Christmases past. Having been inspired by the posts of spiritual strength (here and here), practical wisdom (here and here), and rhythmical words from the Exponent Christmas Series, I will likely bake cookies and deliver them with the scriptures usually associated with Christmas. But I pray that I might also invite, and bring a feeling of peace, a feeling of love, and a feeling of Christ.

 

Luke 2:14: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

 

How can you better share and bring peace?

What can help you to feel personal peace this Christmas?

 

And for the potluck Christmas parties I will inevitably attend, I’ll be bringing Cinnamon Pie (my own creation based on several recipes found in 1900-1940 era newspapers, here, here, here, here, here, and here (I have a thing for cinnamon).  My entire family (even the kiddies!) loves this pie.
 
Spunky’s Cinnamon Pie
2 tablespoons ground cinnamonchristmascin
1 cup sugar
1 cup honey
5 eggs
2 tablespoons cream cheese
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
3/4 cup water

1 prepared graham cracker crust (you can also use a standard single flour pie crust- that is more of the era that inspired this recipe, and also tastes delicious). 10 inch standard, or 8 inch deep dish work well.

Cream sugar, honey, cinnamon and cream cheese. Add eggs and mix till combined. Add flour and mix. By hand, stir in milk and water. The mixture will be a little lumpy, and very liquid. Add to the prepared pie crust. Bake at 375F, 190C for 45 minutes. Check for doneness. The centre will not be perfectly set, but it should not be liquid. If it is too liquid, bake for another 10-15 minutes until set. Best served cool, but also delicious served warm. Top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of shaved dark chocolate for added pizazz.

De quelles façons le Sauveur apporte-t-il la paix dans votre vie ?

Voici la question posée à la fin du message des visites d’enseignement pour le mois de décembre 2014. Souvent ces questions ne semble pas NoteCardPariss’appliquer ni à moi ni aux sœurs à qui je rends visite, mais j’aime l’admonition de « chercher à savoir ce que vous devez transmettre » qui est incluse au début de chaque message. Donc je lis les questions et j’y réfléchis, même si je finis par ne pas les poser pendant la visite.

J’aime beaucoup l’histoire. Enfant, j’étais fascinée par les Egyptiens et adolescente par les guerres mondiales après avoir lu cette citation par George Santayana : Ceux qui ne se souviennent pas du passé sont condamnés à le répéter. Ainsi a commencé un long amour de la recherche de la sagesse, le recul et les expériences de ceux qui sont venus avant moi. En effet, personne qui me connait n’est surpris que j’écoute des vieux enregistrements, dont mon préféré pour Noël : l’émission de Noël 1944 par Bing Crosby (Bing Crosby’s 1944 Live Christmas Broadcast.)

Il y a quelque chose de nostalgique et de triste, mais aussi de belle dans l’idée de Noël en temps de guerre. Je suis tombée amoureuse de la mère de l’Elder Quentin L. Cook quand j’ai appris qu’il a été nommé pour l’animateur à la radio qui l’avait accompagnée pendant le travail et l’accouchement de son fils. Pour moi c’était donc parfait que ce message a commencé avec une citation de lui :

Quentin L. Cook, du Collège des douze apôtres, a dit : « Le Sauveur est la source de la vraie paix. Même dans les épreuves de la vie, l’expiation du Sauveur et sa grâce permettent aux gens qui mènent une vie juste d’avoir la paix personnelle pour récompense. »

De la vraie paix. De la paix personnelles. J’ai pensé aux moments que j’ai passé en lisant des archives des journaux en cherchant de la propagande de guerre. C’est un sujet plutôt macabre et pour compenser, j’ai cherché également les recettes qui se trouvaient dans ces journaux. J’ai trouvé des choses qui m’étaient étranges : confiture à la tomate, crème à la pastèque, lentilles mijotées et de boutons de bacheliers. J’ai pensé aux femmes qui faisaient ces recette, surtout en temps de guerre quand elle vivaient avec peu d’argent, quand elles pensaient à leurs fils, leurs maris et leurs pères.
Ma recherche de recette m’a apporté de la paix personnelle et je me suis demandé ce que mères faisaient pour inviter de la paix personnelle dans leur vie. J’ai compris que c’était le Christ ; c’est lui qui apporte de la paix à nous tous. Il est partout : il est avec le soldat qui part à la guerre, Il est avec la mère célibataire qui cherche un emploi, Il est avec la personne qui se sent poussé à envoyer un mail ou un sms à un ami. Il est avec l’ami qui avait besoin du message, et il était avec moi. J’ai trouvé de l’inspiration de la Président Générale de la Société de Secours à l’époque de la Seconde Guerre Mondiale, Belle Spafford :

L »a paix qu’apporte le message du Maitre à l’humanité est la seule paix durable que les forces du mal ne peuvent pas détruire. C’est une paix intérieure, un état de tranquillité. C’est la libération de la peur, des passions agitées, et des émotions en désaccord et en conflit. C’est la paix dont parlait le prophète ancien, Esaïe, quand il a dit : ‘L’œuvre de la justice sera la paix, Et le fruit de la justice le repos et la sécurité pour toujours.’ (Esaïe 32:17) »

-Belle Spafford, December 1940 Relief Society Magazine

Il apporte de la paix, de la vraie paix, la paix personnelle. Souvent nous sommes les vaisseaux qui apportons la paix, et nous en sommes toujours les récipients. Dans le message il dit :

Jésus Christ a dit, « Je vous ai dit ces choses, afin que vous ayez la paix en moi. Vous aurez des tribulations dans le monde; mais prenez courage, j’ai vaincu le monde » (Jean 16 :33).

Le message de ce mois-ci est simple, mais beau d’une manière que je n’avais pas compris dans le passé. Ayant été inspirée par des billets sur le blog dans la série du Noël, je vais surement faire des cookies et les donner avec les Ecritures habituellement associées à Noël. Mais je prie que je pourrai aussi inviter et amener la paix et l’amour du Christ.

Luc 2 :14 Gloire à Dieu dans les lieux très hauts, Et paix sur la terre parmi les hommes qu’il agrée!

Jean 14 :27 Je vous laisse la paix, je vous donne ma paix. Je ne vous donne pas comme le monde donne. Que votre cœur ne se trouble point, et ne s’alarme point.

Comment pouvez-vous mieux partager et répandre la paix? Comment pouvez-vous ressentir de la paix personnellement ce Noël?

Et pour les fêtes de Noël auxquelles j’assisterai, j’amènerai ma tarte à la cannelle, une recette que j’ai créée à partir de plusieurs recettes trouvées dans des journaux datant des années 1900 aux années 1940. Toute ma famille aime cette tarte. Recette en anglais :

Spunky’s Cinnamon Pie
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 cup sugar

1 cup honey
5 eggs
2 tablespoons cream cheese
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
3/4 cup water

1 prepared graham cracker crust (you can also use a standard single flour pie crust- that is more of the era that inspired this recipe, and also tastes delicious). 10 inch standard, or 8 inch deep dish work well.

Cream sugar, honey, cinnamon and cream cheese. Add eggs and mix till combined. Add flour and mix. By hand, stir in milk and water. The mixture will be a little lumpy, and very liquid. Add to the prepared pie crust. Bake at 375F, 190C for 45 minutes. Check for doneness. The centre will not be perfectly set, but it should not be liquid. If it is too liquid, bake for another 10-15 minutes until set. Best served cool, but also delicious served warm. Top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of shaved dark chocolate for added pizazz.

Read more posts in this blog series:

Spunky lives in Queensland, Australia. She loves travel and aims to visit as many church branches and wards in the world as possible.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Our Comment Policy

  • No ads or plugs.
  • No four-letter words that wouldn’t be allowed on television.
  • No mudslinging: Stating disagreement is fine — even strong disagreement, but no personal attacks or name calling. No personal insults.
  • Try to stick with your personal experiences, ideas, and interpretations. This is not the place to question another’s personal righteousness, to call people to repentance, or to disrespectfully refute people’s personal religious beliefs.
  • No sockpuppetry. You may not post a variety of comments under different monikers.

Note: Comments that include hyperlinks will be held in the moderation queue for approval (to filter out obvious spam). Comments with email addresses may also be held in the moderation queue.

Write for Us

We want to hear your perspective! Write for Exponent II Blog by submitting a post here.

Support Mormon Feminism

Our blog content is always free, but our hosting fees are not. Please support us.

related Blog posts

If we cannot talk honestly about the truth of birth, whether Jesus’ or any other baby’s, and if we continue to erase and dismiss the lived experience of women and center the lives and bodies of men, how can we ever view Mary, or any woman, as fully human?
I vaguely knew what Advent was. When I was a child my family had a fun little Advent calendar. My own children always looked forward to the chocolate Advent calendars their Grandma gave them each year. I knew that Advent was the countdown to Christmas. As I googled I learned that Advent didn’t start on December 1st. It started the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day. I learned that Catholics often light four candles during Advent. One on each Sunday.

Never miss A blog post

Sign up and be the first to be alerted when new blog posts go live!

Loading

* We will never sell your email address, and you can unsubscribe at any time (not that you’ll want to).​