“He has risen, just as He said.”
~ Matthew 28:26 ~
Have you given much thought to yeast? Just a little bit of yeast can have a great impact on a large batch when making breads. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. (2 Corinthians 5:6) Scripture often refers to yeast as sin. Yeast is actually a fungi. Fungi will draw its nutrition from many things including decaying organic matter.
When we think of the last supper we remember Jesus breaking unleavened bread with the disciples. Bread that hadn’t risen. Bread without yeast. This Passover meal was a reminder of when Moses freed the Jews from slavery in Egypt. They escaped so quickly they didn’t have time to let their bread rise, and therefore ate unleavened bread. This celebration foreshadowed what was to come.
We are encouraged to eat the unleavened bread and drink the wine as a remembrance of Christ’s suffering on the cross. Scriptures remind us to partake in the “Last Supper” as we do show the Lord’s death until He comes (1 Corinthians 11:23). Partaking of the unleavened bread and wine is traditional for most Good Friday services.
But it doesn’t end there…
We serve a RISEN Savior!
Three days later Christ rose from the dead! Sin no longer had a death grip on mankind. Through the sacrifice of the perfect Lamb of God, all can partake in His eternal glory.
While unleavened bread reminds us of His suffering and death, it does not signify a Risen Savior! A Savior that overcame sin and death!
When I bake with yeast, I find a unique transformation occurs in my mixture. I start with a bowl ¼ full of ingredients then I add the yeast. While the yeast appears to be the smallest and least significant part of my mixture it starts to have the greatest impact. After I add yeast, things start to transform. As I wait, the dough starts to rise. I can punch down the dough, but the dough will continue to rise. Soon what started out as a ¼ of a bowl of ingredients, rises to a full bowl of dough.
When I make dough it reminds me of my Risen Savior–the Savior who overcame sin through death on the cross. The people thought they had ridden themselves of Jesus by burying Him in the ground. They rolled the stone in front of the tomb to seal away this man who preached a gospel they did not want to hear.
Little did they know that God’s perfect plan was only beginning to unfold! Little did they know that His death was just what was required! Little did they know that three days later He would rise from the dead!
The risen Christ has spread His gospel so much further than the living Jesus did. The gospel of the Risen Christ has spanned the entire world–generation after generation.
It is very important to partake in the memory of the last supper–the feast of the unleavened bread. The memory of God’s own sinless son, beaten, bruised and crucified for our sins. Christ orders us to do this in remembrance of Him.
But each time you use yeast, take time to remember the Risen Savior! The Savior who overcame sin! The Savior who hid in the earth for just a little while – THEN ROSE – changing your life and mine for eternity!
Bonnie’s Easy Easter Cinna-Bons
Bake 350 F 20 – 25 min.
Buns
2 packs of Instant Quick Rise Yeast
½ cup warm water
6 eggs
1 ½ cups sugar
2 c milk
1 tsp salt
1 cup butter
Flour (approx 8 cups)
Topping
1/3 cup butter
½ cup sugar (white or brown)
2 T cinnamon
Scald milk and set aside to cool. Melt butter. In a large bowl, add melted butter, sugar, salt and beaten eggs. Stir scalded milk, water and yeast into egg mixture. Gradually add flour and stir until kneaded into a soft ball that no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. Place clean tea town over bowl and let rise in a warm humid place until it doubles in size (approx. ¾ hour). Roll dough out.
Melt butter and brush onto the dough. Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon as desired. Roll into tube shape and cut off 1 inch slices of tube to form buns.
Place buns on baking pan 1½ inches apart. Cover with tea towel and let rise again. Approx. ½ hour.
Bake for 20 – 25 minutes in 350 F oven
Drizzle with icing sugar (optional)
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