Lutefisk and Jesus

Each year our church compiles a booklet of devotionals from the members. Here is my submission...
Lutefisk and Jesus

Cookies, Sun buckles, lefsa, meatballs, gravy, potatoes, corn casserole, pickles, olives, and homemade wine, are all traditional Christmas Eve staples at the Maasjo Christmas. The most important staple food of all was, and still is, the delicious lutefisk. We are Norwegian and proud of it. My greatest memories of Christmas Eve’s past are of my Grandma Martha in her peach polka-dotted apron, cheesecloth, a sticky pile of lutefisk, and everyone laughing and complaining about the stench of that wonderful fish. As most good Scandinavian Lutheran’s know, an over abundance of food is an essential part of any gathering. Food is how we show our caring and love for our guests.
Comparing Lutefisk and Jesus may seem like a bit of a stretch but in my world, the two have a grand association. We all know God sent Jesus to forgive our sins, we are sinful beings and God knew that we needed a savior. Jesus is a symbol of love and forgiveness. I am not saying that Lutefisk is a savior or that I believe Lutefisk is a true symbol of love; it is after all, stinky cod. It is the one blessed, and stinky, item that I remember bringing us together on Christmas Eve.
Like most families, the Maasjo’s are a bit quirky. We have all flavors of people in our family. We do not all claim to be best friends and at times probably are wondering why God blessed us some of us so much with the gift of willful obstinacy. We have a stubborn gene that seems to carry on from generation to generation. In spite of that gene, we all seemed to crowd around the tables on Christmas Eve and eat out our lutefisk together. Everyone had to try it, some with butter, some with cream, and some liked it with no flavoring at all. It is fun to see the new tasters as they let the fish slide down their throats, and trust me, it does slide. Some love it and some hate it. There really is no in-between when it comes to lutefisk. Either you are in or you are out. Kind of like our relationship with Jesus. A wise woman once told me to refer to Revelation 3:15-16. This text tells us that God does not like the in-betweeners of the world. We are either in or out just like eating lutefisk.
The Maasjo Christmas Eve celebrations were, and still are, about family. Coming together and spending time being thankful for the blessings in our lives, each other. Grandma Martha and Grandpa Clifford have passed on and it is wonderful reminiscing about them and our lutefisk fiascos. Grandma Martha loved our time together and she, like me, loved midnight service at St. Petri. I relished hearing the stories of getting to our little country church in a sleigh and the horses waiting outside. I miss my Grandma and her peach polka-dotted apron. However, her memory lives on in the lutefisk we eat each year. The best part of Christmas Eve was spending time together celebrating and eating lutefisk together as a family.

God, thank you for the great soul food, lutefisk and all it represents for my family and me. Thank you for allowing us to celebrate your son’s birth in our own and special way. Thank you for blessing us with the extraordinary gift of family, Amen.