Garlic Blessings

Tomatoes and oregano make it Italian; wine and tarragon make it French. Sour cream makes it Russian; lemon and cinnamon make it Greek. Soy sauce makes it Chinese; garlic makes it good. -Alice May Brock

I’m not a good cook, but I am a fan of garlic, and that alone can improve my meager stirrings. I think I first started using fresh garlic when one of my co-workers taught me to put garlic slices in the steak before it is grilled. I liked it so much that the next thing you know I’m roasting cloves of garlic and serving steak as a side dish! Who doesn’t have to take their entrée home in a “To Go” box from Olive Garden because they couldn’t stop eating the garlic bread with the salad? The one priority item our older son recommends to send in care packages to deployed soldiers? Garlic salt! It helps makes MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) more tolerable. Garlic is also used for countless medical remedies, in part because it has allicin, which has the property to destroy germs which are not killed by penicillin. And if you haven’t yet been convinced of the integrity of garlic, according to X. Marcel Boulestin (1878-1943) “It is not really an exaggeration to say that peace and happiness begin, geographically, where garlic is used in cooking.”

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, You are the source of all of our needs. You season our lives with mercy, justice, righteousness, and love. You heal our souls in areas that medicine cannot be applied. You provide shalom in your presence and without exaggeration we are changed. We call to you by different names, and by different means, but at the center you are the Truth. You create a world with palatable possibilities. With sound doctrine in place, we are encouraged to try new combinations, new flavorings, if we keep our basic stock infused by your Spirit, being true to your Word, true to your vision, true to your will. You are the source that makes our lives meaningful and good. Let us feast. Amen.