The ‘rumour of God’ wafts by in the sight and smell of the hot cross bun fresh out of the oven. Once, baking these spicy sweet buns was restricted to only on Good Friday in England:
Good Friday comes this month, the old woman runs,
With one a penny, two a penny, hot cross buns. (1733)
Of course now they beat the New Year in – spotted as early as Boxing Day!
“When you smell a fresh batch of these buns, you’re sharing an experience people enjoyed centuries ago. Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Poles, Romans, Saxons, medieval monks and 18th-century street sellers all had their versions of spiced, crossed bread. Each group gave the buns its own meaning, from honouring gods to celebrating Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection.” (from Pagan loaves, Christian bread, a secular treat: a brief history of hot cross buns). Yet as the author of this article writes, “they [still] remain a symbol of Easter in Australia and around the world".
And so, I wait with anticipation for Sunday, to gather with others to celebrate that in Christ, God has overcome the last enemy – death. In the visible breaking of the bread, in the sight and smell of God’s love for all in that spicy sweet treat, I hope to taste and see indeed that the Lord is good!
Blessings
Rev Ceri
