The making of the Revd Margaret Young’s Christmas Pudding became a sermon delivered from a table at the front of church on Stir-Up Sunday, the 24th November this year.
The last Sunday before Advent in the church calendar, dedicated to Christ the King, is also known as ‘Stir-up Sunday’, when the Collect prayer begins: “Stir up, O Lord, the wills of your faithful people...”
By tradition it’s the day on which people ‘stir up the ingredients to make their Christmas puddings!
As she stirred, Margaret explained that Christmas pudding traditionally has 13 ingredients to signify Jesus and His disciples:
- bread to represent the body of Christ
- raisins and sultanas, from grapes, for the wine, reminding us of the blood of Christ
- apples prompt us to think of Adam and Eve and how human we are
- mixed peel, the orange skin, tells us that we need to clothe the naked
- spices are a reminder of Christ’s body being embalmed in spices and herbs
- brandy is used both in the mixture and poured over the pudding and ignited, the fire signifying Jesus’ love and power
- a coin is often put into the pudding as a token of good luck
- a sprig of holly on top of the pudding symbolises Christ’s Crown of Thorns.