Granny’s Soup

Yesterday, Christmas Day, we went to church, sung carols, remembered the reason for the season… We came home and enjoyed food, presents and family. There was a lot of talking and laughter… an excellent day!!

There was also rubbish to be disposed of, wrapping paper thrown out, packaging discarded, empty bottles put for recycling…

And today, Boxing Day, tradition has it that the family come back for ‘Granny’s Soup’. Rachel takes the carcase from the turkey, yesterday’s left over vegetables, and with secret ingredients and her culinary magic she creates the legend that is ‘Granny’s Soup’

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, in his Christmas sermon, talks about recent experiences:

‘At the beginning of Advent, with a small group of colleagues, we stood in a churchyard in Bucha, in Ukraine, by a mass grave found after Bucha’s liberation in the spring…

What of those in this country who will be cold and hungry today, as the cost of living crisis continues to cause such immense anxiety and hardship? I met many the day before yesterday in a food bank at All Saints Church…

Having described darkness in the world he continues:

But even where the world forgetfully turns a blind eye to injustice and suffering, pays no attention to a war, God is present through Jesus in the world. God does not give up on a darkness-loving world…

All over this country, all over the world, there is a rebellion… Acts of service in love are the weapons of this rebellion by those who have not given up on others – imitating the love of God who gives up on no one. They are rebels who choose light in the darkness and life in the face of death, and love amongst the indifferent…

This is the lesson of Granny’s Soup. That from bones, leftovers and things that would be normally ignored or thrown away, something wholesome and nourishing can be created… that brings people together and can be enjoyed by all.