As my friends in the Southern realm of these United States are telling me, they’re enjoying 75 degree days, replete with sunshine, blue skies, and – can you believe it – sun screen!
The opposite side of that coin, however, is life here, that is, in the frozen tundra of Wisconsin, where snow boots are required even to take out the trash! There’s a good reason why the innermost circle of hell in Dante’s Inferno is an icy lake!
But alas, it’s not all gloom and doom, although I may be suffering from one of society’s newer ailments, Seasonal Affective Disorder (which gives us a perky little acronym – SAD).
But, dear ones, I’m not really sad, for I’ve got ‘real’ gravy on my table, both literally and metaphorically, that’s to say, idiomatically.
Gravy, as you know, is not only a nifty and essential part of good cookery, but, idiomatically speaking, it’s synonymous with modern parlance for an ‘advantage or profit’. You’ve heard ‘gravy’ used to denote gains of all sorts, especially when it comes to monetary gain (i.e., the ‘gravy train’ and ‘it’s all gravy’).
But here’s what I mean: ‘real’ gravy – not the cubes, the sludge, the powder, nor the packet – is setting on my table right now. And since gravy idiomatically means ‘advantage or profit’, I also have – as do all Christians – an advantage, a true and enduring profit: namely, our heavenly inheritance as sons and daughters of the Most High.
Summed up, our advantage is the Kingdom of God, period. And don’t be fooled by imitations, dear ones; accept only the real thing, the true and genuine Kingdom of God.
The Kingdom of God, thanks to the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus, isn’t some wishful platitude or silly hope in the future. The Kingdom of God is here in the now, and later in the ‘not yet’, by which I mean we are ‘inaugurated in the person and ministry of Jesus’ right now through faith. Yet we eagerly await (i.e., the ‘not yet’) the final consummation, when, as the great Advent hymn reminds us:
Lo! he comes, with clouds descending,
once for our salvation slain;
thousand thousand saints attending
swell the triumph of his train:
Alleluia! alleluia! alleluia!
Christ the Lord returns to reign.
This is akin to St. Paul writing, ‘For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known’. The Kingdom of God, Jesus’ essential message, is profoundly wonderful news on a snowy February afternoon in Southeast Wisconsin. I hope the joy emanating from being part of God’s Kingdom will make its way to your own abode, wherever that may be!
I should, however, remind you that the modern gravy idiom usually connotes an easy gain. But, dear ones, there was certainly nothing easy, at least from the heavenly perspective, about what we gain in Christ, for ‘…first before He went up to joy, He suffered for our sake’.
I just need to be clear: I’m not suggesting that redemption was easy. Good Friday on Golgotha reveals the divine love of God’s own self-giving – ‘the immortal for the mortal, the incorruptible for the corruptible, the guiltless for the guilty’. I’m thinking specifically of The Epistle to Diognetus:
O sweet exchange, O the incomprehensible work of God, O the unexpected blessings, that the sinfulness of many should be hidden in one righteous person, while the righteousness of one should justify many sinners!
Finally, I can’t leave you without a little chat concerning – of all things – gravy! So here’s a link to a piece by Delia Smith, a British expert in cookery (and a devout Christian to boot!).
She offers the best explanation I’ve ever seen surrounding gravy, which, unfortunately, most people associate with thick truck stop sludge. Pay particular attention to the end of Delia’s piece, where she has some wonderful enhancements based on the meat with which you’re working. Her article can be found at http://www.deliaonline.com/how-to-cook/sauces-and-dressings/how-to-make-gravy.html
As a quick aside, you should know that Delia’s books are worth the money; you can buy all her works on Amazon, especially Amazon’s U.K. variant, www.amazon.co.uk . Her Advent and Christmas cookbooks would make great stocking stuffers for the cooking Christian. I’ve just ordered Delia’s Winter Cookbook: 150 Winter Recipes.
And just because I can’t help myself, here’s my own take on the classic. I still think you should read Delia’s piece first. Then, of course, you can modify my recipe to suit your fancy.
Charleston’s Real Gravy
*This recipe assumes a whole chicken has been perfectly roasted in the oven, has been set aside to re-distribute, ½ of the fat has been poured off, and the cooking juices remain in the roasting pan.
Ingredients:
Salt
Pepper
1 cup Chicken Broth
1 tsp. Veal Demi-Glace (Williams-Sonoma brand only!)
2 TBSP all-purpose flour
1 TBSP dry red wine
1 tsp. thyme sprigs
Instructions:
Pour all ingredients, except the flour, into a small sauté pan. Scrape the sides of the roasting pan to get the best gravy results. Cook over medium-high heat until mixture is reduced by ½. Add flour, reduce heat to simmer, stir until creamy, and serve.
I pour this mixture over each portion of the freshly carved chicken, and deliver the rest to the table in a traditional boat for dipping.
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