I'm religious but not spiritual. ;-)

I have had an unliturgical life for the last couple of weeks.  I had every intention of hosting a St. Nicholas Day party again this year but I didn't even put candy in anyone's shoes.  I had a high-minded idea that I could bake a St. Lucia's Day braid for my work's bake-sale that happened to coincide with her feast day but decided on banana bread instead.  Alas, the bananas are now in my freezer and all the bake-sale got from me was a donation.

I mock my friends (tongue in cheek) telling them that they have bought in to the media Christmas hype while I dutifully honor the Advent season.  About the farthest my duty extends is changing my Facebook profile picture to reflect the changing Advent wreathe from week to week.  Now that's spirituality.

My words seem idle and my prayer seems stale and I blame this on... lack of community.  I've missed church for the last couple of weeks and I miss the 'jump-start' and rejuvenation that I get from that.  Not to mention that it is a mortal sin.  :-)

Haha okay forget the mortal sin part... I was just trying to keep you on your toes.  But the lack of community part... I hope you don't forget that and I'll try not to either.  What burdens are not easier when shared?  "For where 2 or 3 are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

Many of my friends, many bumper stickers, and many of my friends that read bumper stickers all claim that they are 'spiritual but not religious.'  I think I've finally found a cliché that I don't fall in to!  Imagine me, not necessarily a walking stereotype for once.  I don't know where my spirituality would be without organized religion.  The last couple of weeks are of evidence of that.

Don't they say when you fall off the horse you get right back on?  Well this vegetarian is going to take that advice.  There's always next year to make a Jesse tree.  In the mean time I'm going to focus on the final week of Advent and look forward to those cowboy boots that I'm almost sure are going to end up under my tree this year.

O Come O Come Emmanuel.

St. Andrew's Day - Living Liturgically

Apparently the Episcopal Church in the United States has a special relationship with Scotland.  After the Revolutionary War was over the "Church of England" in the United States couldn't really carry on being the "Church of England."  I'm not trying to provide a valid history lesson or anything.  If you'd like more information I'm sure you could 'google it.'  But long story short - these Anglicans in the U.S. needed a Bishop and the recent war with England meant that an English Bishop probably wouldn't be consecrating an American Bishop any time soon.

The Anglicans (Episcopalians) in the United States elected Samuel Seabury to be their first Bishop.  Since he couldn't be consecrated in England he was consecrated by Scottish Bishops.  This started a special relationship or affinity for Scotland I am told.  Even the coat of arms and flag of the Episcopal Church reflects this.  The St. George Cross (St. George is the patron saint of England) makes up the main part of the shield but the St. Andrew Cross (St. Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland) is put in the upper left hand corner.

Anyway... on to the baking.  Since yesterday was St. Andrew's day I decided that a good Episcopalian might decide to make St. Andrew Day scones to mark the occasion.  Am I a good Episcopalian?  The jury is out on that but I can assure you that the scones were really tasty.

First I preheated the oven at 400 degrees.

 

Then I did some mixing. I cut 1/3 cup of butter with 1 3/4 cup flour, 3 tbsp. sugar, 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder, and 1/4 tsp. salt.  I then beat an egg and mixed that in too.

 

Once it was done mixing I gathered it up into a ball and kneaded it about 15 times.  Then I rolled it out and made and cut circles into the rolled out dough.  (I used a water glass.)

You can see that the recipe made about 9 scones.  I sliced X's on all of the scones.  The St. Andrew cross is an X because the old legend is that he was crucified on an X shaped cross.  I always heard growing up that this was because he didn't feel worthy to be crucified on a T shaped cross like Jesus.  Fact or fiction?  Who knows but the scones turned out great.

The scones tasted good but it was really my dad's homemade red raspberry jam that sealed the deal.  Delicious.  I don't necessarily feel more Episcopalian but it kept me thinking about my Christian experience and it was fun to share some scones with friends at work today.