Advent I: On Waiting
a reflection, a prayer, and a recipe to start your week
Two years ago, I had the great honor of collaborating with We Choose Welcome to create an Advent series on hospitality.
We Choose Welcome is an organization helping Christian women learn how to better advocate for policies in support of immigrants and refugees in the United States.
I spent a day with Zala, an Afghani refugee living in Raleigh, learning to cook a huge spread and about how Zala practices welcome in her own life. The importance of hospitality to Zala, as well as to her husband and children, was evident from the moment I stepped into their home. There is no one I would rather learn from as I consider how to open my home even more.
We are distributing the Advent guide again this year, especially aware that our immigrant and refugee neighbors will be in need of even great advocacy and support in the coming years. It’s filled with Scriptural reflections, prayers, and discussion prompts, as well as a weekly recipe from Zala herself!
Throughout this season of Advent, I will use my Substack to share the podcast episodes I created to accompany the guide, as well as the prayers and recipes you will find in the guide.
I hope you enjoy journeying into a deeper appreciation of hospitality with me this Advent season.
PS. For those who are local-ish to the Durham area: I’m hosting an all day Advent retreat on Saturday, December 14. We’ll be making Stollen and Christopsomo while reflecting on all that bread has to teach us about both faithful waiting and the incarnation. Learn more here.
This first week’s episode is a reflection on Elizabeth and Zechariah and the way their lives model hospitality in the midst of unmet longing and endless waiting.
Oh God who waited in Mary’s womb,
who waited patiently for death
and for three day’s in the tomb,
God who waits patiently
for us to turn back to you:
Though a thousand years
is but a breath to you,
You know our finitude.
You grant us season of waiting
to remember our dependence.
As the widow offered Elijah bread
while waiting for the nourishment of rain,
teach us to offer hospitality too
in the midst of our own unknown.
In our giving, may we see Your love.
Amen.
Zala’s Bread
from Bread is Home, a We Choose Welcome X Edible Theology Advent Guide
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, King Arthur recommended
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1—1 1/2 cups water, room temperature
1. In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt, and yeast.
2. Form a well in the center of the flour and add 1 cup of water. Mix the flour together with the water until all of the flour is hydrated, adding more water 2 tablespoons at a time as needed.
3. Knead the dough in the bowl until it is completely smooth, about ten minutes.
4. Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and let rise in a warm spot for an hour to an hour and a half, until doubled in size.
5. Once doubled, pour the dough onto the counter and form into a tight round. To round, pull the dough towards you so that both sides running parallel to your body tuck under the dough, creating tension across the surface. Rotate the dough 90° and repeat, then rotate 45° and repeat until the corners are all rounded. Cover the dough with a towel and let rest for another 15-20 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Oil a baking tray with vegetable oil. Pick up the dough and slowly stretch it out from the center, like stretching a pizza. Once the round is doubled in size, stretch it into a triangle the length and width of your baking tray. Place the dough on the tray.
7. Wet your hands then press the dough so that it is dimpled all the way across. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until browned. Once finished, remove from the tray to cool, then slice into squares to serve.
Looking for a Christmas gift for the bread lovers in your life?
Give the gift of Bake & Pray.
The Bake & Pray Christmas bundle includes a signed copy of Bake & Pray, an 11 x 14 print of the Liturgy for Baking Bread, and access to the Bake & Pray video companion.
The print is available exclusively through this bundle. Quantities are limited so place your order today!
Looking forward to this!