Dressing

Let's talk dressing.

No, I'm not talking about how you make clothing choices. Definitely, I don't mean the stuff you put on salad.

It's almost Thanksgiving and that means football, turkey and D-R-E-S-S-I-N-G.

We're talking cornbread. Cornbread dressing.

I was born in Jackson, Tennessee, and would lay my country credentials down against almost anybody. I can tell you that the best southern tradition of them all, bar none, is to be found in a pan of good ol' cornbread dressing. Made with love, of course. And just the right hint of sage.

If you're not a native of the south, I'm sure that wherever you're from has some fine traditions and particular culinary delights of its own. But for me, nothing tastes like "home" and "comfort" and "family" like a crispy-around-the-edges but smushy-in-the-middle pile of dressing.

I guess that's because my love of dressing was developed at my grandmama's table. There, dressing would make an appearance from time-to-time throughout the year, but we could count on its presence at every Holiday gathering.

Grandmama's dressing that I grew up with didn't have any shortcuts. It still doesn't. This is not Stovetop "Stuffing" (whatever that is) that we're talking about here. My finely tuned tastebuds can detect the slightest hint of any less than authentic ingredients.

Good, southern, cornbread dressing is many things all at once, and it doesn't get that way easily. Substantial (too many plates full will leave you not wanting to eat dressing or anything else for a long while) yet light and delicate, it is a masterpiece of balance, equal in boldness and restraint.

OK, I'll admit this is starting to sound a bit like a snooty wine review, but what can I say? I'm an enthusiast. Laverne Spitzer's (grandmama's) cornbread dressing is what the angels eat in heaven. That's all there is to it.

Her dressing is a labor-intensive investment. It requires the baking of biscuits, itself an artform that cannot be reduced to a simple recipe. Those biscuits, crumbled and combined with her world-reknowned cornbread, glued together with eggs and broth, seasoned with the mysterious essence of a grandmother's love and then baked to a golden goodness results in the finished product. Perfection.

I'm not the only one who loves the stuff. Tonight we gather for SOTH's annual Thanksgiving meal and over 150 of you have signed up. Who knows how many we'll have when all is said and done? I know that Tim Potate's dressing may give Laverne's a run for its money (no pressure, Tim), but I wonder if that's the only reason everyone seems so excited about the meal that is to come.

You see, as wonderful as it is, I think there's another reason I love my grandmother's dressing so much. It makes me think of her. I can hear the music of her voice as she calls out a greeting to each new child, or grandchild, or great-grandchild who walks through the door to spend time with "Pop" and her. I can see her hands at work in the kitchen, or the garden or at the sewing machine. It's amazing how the smell of sage or a little bit of cornmeal and flour can turn me into a child again and remind me of what it means to be loved without reservation.

That's why everybody's coming to dinner. Not to remember their grandmothers (I really need to give mine a call), but to remember that they're part of something so much bigger than themselves. God wants every one of us to find relationships of depth and substance and faith. He calls us to be a family, and to gather together and break bread. Tonight, the turkey and dressing will flow --- and so will the grace and love. My family, like yours, is far from flawless. The same is true of our church. And that's a good thing, for our flaws remind us of the amazing work that God does.

He takes the plain little bits of flour and meal we have to offer and builds them into something incredible. Every time I've witnessed the gathering of my parents and sister, my aunts and uncles and cousins (and 2nd cousins and 3rd cousins), we have circled around a table set full to overflowing by my grandparents' love for us all. In the middle, the "big ol'" pan of dressing is always waiting. No matter what my cousins might think, I know she makes it just for me.

Tonight, it's southern communion at Shepherd of the Hills: Sweet tea and cornbread dressing.

Grace and Peace,
Adam


LIFE AT SOTH:

Well, in case you still didn't know it, don't forget that dinner is tonight at the church, 6:30 pm, and everybody's welcome. $4 per person with a $20 max per family.

No Dressing, but Lots of Fish and Chips: Holly and I are preparing to travel to England with a group of UM clergy from the North Georgia Conference. Bishop Davis will lead a group of newly ordained clergy to many historic sites from the life of John Wesley, founder of the United Methodist movement. We'll leave after church on Sunday afternoon, November 27th and return on December 6th. Look for daily updates on the SOTHBLOG during the trip!

Hanging of the Greens Service: Next Sunday, November 27th will be our special service of Advent preparation called "Hanging of the Greens." Thanks to Deena Canup and or Worship Team for their preparation and creativity for what will be a special time together. One service only that Sunday.