Nauruz, Turkish, and Cream of Wheat Pie

This is a long story with a point, cream of wheat pie. The story begins on our second weekend in Almaty. One of the English students, Marjan, tipped me off that Saturday was Nauruz, an important Kazakh holiday celebrating Spring and the new year. We were eager to see some Kazakh culture and she agreed to meet us early Saturday morning and take us to the square. English church begins at 2 in the afternoon on Saturday, so morning was a good time for us. We met her at the bus stop, pushed our way onboard, and almost an hour later we there, wandering through crowds of people selling balloons and icecream, taking pictures next to displays, and having a great time.

Marjan had promised me that we would get a chance to taste nauruz kuji, a traditional soup eaten on Nauruz. We were glad to find a woman selling a vegetarian variety. The soup was dished up cold and had a very shocking sour, and tingly flavor, as if it had soda water in it. It turns out the secret ingredient is kurut, dried salted yogurt. I laughed and laughed as I watched David consider his large bowl full of kurut soup. He is not a fan of the stuff.
In the end it all disappeared and there were no ill effects. We verified a number of times that it did not contain alcohol. It would have been scandal if I had arrived to preach that afternoon drunk on Nauruz Kuji.


After our exciting cultural experience
we joined the crowds gathering to watch the show. There was dancing and singing. As you can see from the pictures, we weren't in the front of the crowd but David still managed to get few shots. A couple joining the crowd recognized Marjan and stopped to talk. They weren't using Russian and I began to recognize a few words. Soon Marjan introduced us to her Turkish teacher and his wife. While Marjan and her teacher talked I began trying to communicate with his wife and to our delight we were able to understand each other enough to determine that we were both fine and neither of us had children, etc. Before they left, David and I had an invitation to come to their apartment for dinner the next Saturday evening. That is how it all began.



On Saturday evening Marjan met us at the center where we have church and we went together to her teacher's apartment. They had been warned that we are vegetarians so there was a lovely bean dish waiting for us, carrot salad, dolmas, cake, etc. it was a wonderful meal! Between Kazakh, Uighur, Turkish, and English we all managed to communicate and there was lots of laughter. I found out that the wife teaches Turkish to some women in her home and I was asked if I wouldn't like to learn some Turkish (it's a very useful language after all). I said I would and it was agreed that once a week on Tuesdays I would come and learn Turkish and help my teacher with her English. So that's how I happened to be in the home of a conservative Muslim family from Turkey two weeks later when she served me Cream of Wheat Pie and how I got this recipe which I am now sharing with you. The pictures are from my own interpretation of the recipe which David and I happily enjoyed for breakfast.



CREAM OF WHEAT PIE

boil milk and sugar to taste (sorry, I don't do measurements. Just make it sweet)
a pinch of salt is optional
Vanilla, cinnamon, raisins and walnuts, etc. are also optional.

Slowly add Cream of Wheat and stir with a wisk until the milk is the consistency of pudding.

crush some graham crackers, vanilla wafers, or English biscuits, into the bottom of a round casserole dish and pour half of the cream of wheat over them. Layer whole biscuits on top and add the rest of the cream of wheat. Finish off with more biscuits on top.

Refrigerate until cool then slice and enjoy with vanilla ice cream.

Notes on this week's gospel reading

Some of the best and most helpful preaching advice I ever received was to use the lectionary. The Lectionary is a collection of texts to be read each Sunday as part of a liturgical church service. It is, unfortunately, an unfamiliar thing to most Adventists but it is an immensely powerful tool. I used to waste most of the week agonizing over what I was going to preach about and the end result while perhaps theologically correct, was not always biblical in the purest sense of the word. I was afraid that I would not be able to preach "canned" texts that had not somehow "spoken to me" but I decided in India that I should discpline myself to try it. The first sermon was very hard because the text demanded facts not just feelings and impressions. I struggled long over the text. In the end, the results were very rewarding and I was hooked. Now, instead of agonizing over a topic, I simply look up the texts for the week on Monday and have the rest of the week to read the texts and meditate on them. The texts become my guide so that the sermon that rises from them is truely birthed in scripture. With the lectionary to guide me sermon preparation is exiting, challenging, surprising, but not agonizing. I really wish every young preacher could discover what a rich resource is available in the many versions of the Christian lectionary.


This last week the gospel reading was the story of the two men who meet Jesus on the road to Emmaus. It was a fitting text that tied in nicely to the first lesson of the new Adventist Sabbath School Quarterly. I thought I would post my notes for anyone who might be interested. Some of my notes have come from the wonderful lectionary commentary at montreal.anglican.org



Our lessons this quarter are about Jesus, a fitting theme for Christians. The first lesson opens with the question “Who is Jesus” and offers a number of different modern and ancient answers to this question. I was very pleased to discover that on this third week of Easter the Christian community will be pondering a story from the gospel of Luke about two men who were asking that very same question. “Who is Jesus?” We will be paying special attention to how the answer to their question comes.

Our story is found in Luke chapter 24. Jesus is dead, or so everyone thinks. The believers are together partially because of their shared grief and partially out of fear that now that their leader is dead those who killed Jesus will come looking for them. To complicate things even more some women who have been so helpful in the past by providing food and domestic comforts seem to have been mentally affected by the grief. They are claiming to have seen angels. Everyone is disappointed, afraid, guilty for deserting Jesus or denying him, and concerned about the mental health of the women. Two believers, Cleopas and a friend, decide that it is time to go home.

13 And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs.
Two of them, probably followers of Jesus but not apostles. Eusubius the Christian historian tells us that Cleopas was a relative of Jesus. His companion is unnamed. Seven miles from Jerusalem to Emmaus

14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened. 15 And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. 16 But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.
Why if they are followers of Jesus do they not recognize him? His appearance seems to have changed after his resurrection. John tells us that Mary did not recognize Jesus when she met him at the tomb. She thinks that he is the gardener until he calls her by name. Later the disciples go fishing and Jesus begins talking to them from the shore. They do not recognize him until he tells them where to find the fish. Sometimes God does not appear the way we expect him. In fact, I suspect that this is often the case. He is the mighty lion and the gentle lamb. He is the conquering king of Daniel and the suffering servant of Isaiah. He is patient but demands immediate obedience. He is forgiving and avenging. He is humble and jealous. He is unpredictable and yet completely trustworthy. He will break every definition you pin to him and yet he is always good.

17 And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?

Why are you speaking so sadly? It is the greatest day of victory the universe has ever known. It is resurrection day. Goodness has conquered finally and completely, the kingdom of God has come in power. Small battles may continue on the outer frontiers of the realm but the battle has been won. Jesus, the conquering general, the hero of all the universe, the darling of heaven should be celebrating his brilliant victory with his admiring angels and loving father. You know what it feels like when you do something really well. You can’t wait to share the moment with the people you love. There will be hugs and kisses and tears and precious words like “good job,” and “I’m so proud of you.” Instead, Jesus has chosen to walk down a dusty road with two sad men who have completely misinterpreted the score.


18 And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days? 19 And he said unto them, What things?
Jesus knows better than they what has happened in Jerusalem but he waits to hear how they have understood it.

And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people:

Jesus the risen Lord stands before them but they only know Jesus the man and prophet. They do not know who Jesus is so they cannot recognize him. They do not know Jesus the risen Lord.


20 And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him. 21 But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel:

There was certainly a time perhaps when they would have said Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah that the prophets spoke about, maybe even a divine being. But that time is past. The Messiah would not have been killed outside the city like a thief. Surely God would not have allowed that. The Messiah is to restore everything and sit on the throne of David. Maybe they are afraid of what this stranger will think of them putting their faith in a man who was so easily killed like a common criminal. We hoped he would at least save Israel from Roman oppression they mumble sheepishly.

and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.

And there is one other thing… There is one cause for hope but it’s too farfetched to be true. It’s a crazy story and the only witnesses are women.


22 Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre; 23 And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive.

They do not believe the women. Everyone knows that women are emotional and therefore untrustworthy. Maybe they are afraid of looking like fools again.


24 And certain of them which were with us (i.e. men) went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not.

The men did not see anything.


25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:

a flattering way to be addressed. Jesus has such a knack for beginning conversations. If this stranger laughed at them for pouring out their hearts to him they expected it to be for their belief, not their unbelief.


26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
They did not say Christ or Messiah. They said the one who would save Israel, given the political mileu at that time the one who would save Israel was most likely meant to be understood as the one who would save Israel from Rome rather than the one who would save Israel from their sins. Jesus cuts right to the chase and starts telling them about the Christ.


27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

The Scriptures are about Jesus. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees “you search the scriptures thinking that you will find eternal life in them but they point to me and you will not come to me to receive life.” If we read the Bible we will find Jesus on every page the hope of salvation, the teachings of wisdom, the example of humble living, the victory over sin and evil, self sacrificing redemption, the hope of final restoration. It’s all there and it’s all about Jesus. If we want to know who Jesus the first step is to read the Bible and understand it.


28 And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further. 29 But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry (MenO) with them.
Rev 3:20 Jesus does not invite himself over, he waits for an invitation. The second step to knowing Jesus is to invite him in.


30 And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.
It is only after we spend intimate MenO abiding time with Jesus, after we have had the inner intimate experience with him that we can know and recognize him. We may know all the stories, we may listen to people talk about him, we may know all of the Bible verses about him but to know him for ourselves we must abide with him. How do you explain the mingling and intimacy of two souls? It is an experience too big for words and so it is best described through symbols. It is the vine and branches experience Jesus speaks about in the Gospel of John. It is the bread and wine experience of Jesus and his disciples in the upper room. It is in the quiet place of the heart, alone with the Divine that we learn to call Jesus Lord. We learn to recognize his voice so that like Mary at the tomb we know who it is when he calls our name. This is the third step that leads us into a true knowledge of Jesus, intimate relationship

32 And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?

To know Jesus we must understand the Scriptures, we must take the step of faith and invite Jesus into our private places, and then we must spend time with him. Once we know who Jesus is there is one more step, it's more of a natural consequence. We share.

33 And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem,
When they finally see and recognize Jesus for who he is they are so excited about knowing the Risen Lord that they risk walking the dangerous 7 miles between Jerusalem and Emmaus in the dark just to share their new knowledge with others. There are theives on that road but they can’t even wait till morning.

and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them, 34 Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.
None of the Gospels record this meeting. I wish they did. It must have been something. I want to ask Peter about it someday. We don’t know if Jesus appeared to Peter alone or to others who were with him. What we do know is that while the disciples had not believed the report of the women, they do believe Peter.


35 And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread.

The fourth step in meeting Jesus is sharing. When we really see Jesus we find that knowing him is such good news we have to share it. We are in love and when someone is in love, everybody knows.


36 ¶ And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

The story goes on and on so that it is difficult to find a place to stop but this is as far as we will go together today. It’s the neverending story of Jesus that John confessed would fill the whole world with books if it were written down. We are all a part of that story, everyone who has ever met Jesus and invited him into their home knows their part in the story and loves to tell it. There are many others who have also met Jesus but let him walk on and so never knew. On that great story telling day when Jesus said the hidden things would be revealed they may hear their own story and be surprised to learn who they were walking with.