
And the angel said to them, “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
—Luke 2: 10-11
To some, fruitcake is a Christmas favorite. To others, fruitcake is something to be avoided at all costs. If you are a connoisseur of fruitcake, you know that there seems to be as many fruitcake recipes as there are fruitcake bakers. (If you are not a connoisseur – just take my word for it.) Fruit cake is an odd food item. Is it a dessert? Or is it a snack? Is it cake or bread? It contains nuts like walnuts or pecans or Brazil nuts, dried fruits like raisins or dates, and candied fruits like cherries or pineapple. The chunky, chewy morsels are either surrounded by a dense cake or bound by just enough dough to glue the ingredients together. Stored correctly, they can be kept for months. Loaves or rings of fruit cake are often gifted. And yet, fruit cake is the root of many jokes. It isn’t one of the mainstream Christmas goodies like fudge, divinity, Christmas cookies, or gingerbread. It is different.
It is not always easy for us to embrace differences, but I think that Jesus calls us to do so. We are tasked with ministering to and interacting with all people, sharing the love of God through our words and our actions. We are called to embrace the diversity around us. In the words of a great poet:
“We need more fruitcakes in this world and less bakers
We need people that care…
There’s a little bit of fruitcake left in every one of us.”
—“Fruitcakes,” Songwriters: Jimmy Buffett, Amy Lee Schwartzberg
Though sometimes difficult, we are also called to celebrate our own individual quirks and differences. We can acknowledge that sometimes we are a mainstream gingerbread and sometimes our actions put us in the center of the fruitcake category. We need to relish our “fruitcakeness.”
The angel that appeared to the shepherds on the night of Jesus’ birth brought a message of Good News. A Savior had been born, a Savior that was sent not just to one group of people, but one who came to all people. Starting with His birth, Jesus interacted with people who were out of the mainstream (maybe some New Testament fruitcakes): shepherds, foreign kings, fishermen, tax collectors, women, sinners, etc. During His ministry, it seemed natural for Him to reach out to diverse groups, sharing the Good News, offering salvation to those who believed. He ministered to the mainstream (the gingerbreads) and to those who were not mainstream (the fruitcakes). He delivered a message of salvation for all. During the Christmas season we celebrate that our Savior has come for all people, including us when we are at our most “fruitcake-y.”
Dear God: We thank you for the diversity around us. Help us to appreciate our individual differences and quirks. Thank you for the birth of Jesus our Savior who brought salvation to all people. Amen
Susan Lambert