The Word Became Flesh

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14  

We recently celebrated Christmas…and this scripture was read during Advent in many churches and homes. The Word became flesh. Jesus is the Word…and He came to earth as a human being. Flesh. He was just an innocent little baby…who grew up to be a carpenter, a rabbi, a teacher, a healer, a savior and a friend. You may have other friends who are full of grace, truth and seem glorious—but they are still human and make mistakes, they sin. But Jesus was perfect. Perfectly glorious. Perfectly grace. Perfectly truth. Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:48. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2. Perfect is one of those things that just seems unattainable—but we have a good example in Jesus. 

RSVP: Respond to Jesus today by being willing to have Him transform your mind—renewing it to think the way He does. Perfectly. Perfectly acceptable to our Heavenly Father. 

Prayer – Dear Jesus, as we begin this New Year, take away my regrets and sins of the past year(s). Renew my mind, refresh my heart to see and hear things the way that You do. 

Friday’s Feast at the Lord’s Table

My husband and our son-in-law are originally from Nebraska, home of the Big Red Football team…and runzas. Wonderful little meat pockets. I recently whipped up a batch of runzas and they were such a hit with family. The recipe below appeared in the Food Magazine, October 2013 issue, and I have adapted it for our family. Enjoy.

Nebraska Runzas

For the dough:

1 1/4-ounce packet active dry yeast

3 tablespoons sugar, plus a pinch

4 large eggs

3¾ cups bread flour, plus extra for kneading and rolling

12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) salted butter, softened, plus more for the bowl

2 teaspoons fine sea salt

For the filling:

1 pound 85 to 90 percent lean ground beef

Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large sweet onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme (or 1½ teaspoons dried)

1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary (or 1½ teaspoons dried)

8 ounces baby spinach or 2 cups finely chopped cabbage

Make the dough: Combine 3/4 cup warm water (approximately 110 degrees F), the yeast and a pinch of sugar in a large mixing bowl and let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add 3 eggs, butter, 3 tablespoons sugar, and the salt whisk to combine. Add half of the bread flour and beat with a wooden spoon for about 3 minutes. Add the remaining the remaining flour and mix well. The dough will be a little sticky. Let rest 15 minutes. Knead the dough to develop the gluten until it feels tight and smooth, about 5 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly buttered bowl, cover and let it rise for 1 hour at room temperature. Then chill in the refrigerator, 1 to 2 hours or overnight. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide it into 8 or 16 even portions, depending on the size of runzas you want to make. Roll each one into a ball and leave on the counter, covered loosely, to warm up, about 30 minutes.

Make the filling: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef, season with ¾ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper and cook, breaking up the beef, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer it to a bowl. Heat the olive oil in the skilled and cook the onion over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until light golden brown, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme and rosemary and cook 3 minutes. Add the mixture to the bowl containing the beef. Without cleaning the skillet, add another 1 tablespoon olive oil. Saute the spinach or cabbage over medium high heat until wilted and the excess liquid has evaporated, about 1 minute. (You may just cook the spinach or cabbage in the microwave briefly.) Chop, or snip the spinach with scissors, then add it to the beef mixture and set aside to cool. (The filling can be done a day ahead of time. Refrigerate until ready to use.)

Roll out the dough: Flatten a dough ball on a heavily floured surface and roll out into a 3-by-5-inch rectangle, or smaller if using 16 portions of dough. Fill the runzas: Spoon ½ cup (1/4 cup for smaller runzas) of the beef filling into the center of the dough rectangle and wrap the flaps over it, pinching to close. Flip the bundle over in your hands, gently forming the runza into a fat football shape. Set the runza seam-side down on a parchment lined baking sheet (or you can oil the sheet). Repeat with the remaining filling and dough balls. Let the runzas rise about an inch, uncovered, about 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Whisk the remaining egg and 2 tablespoons water to make an egg wash and brush it thinly over the tops of the runzas. Bake until golden brown, 25 minutes. Serve hot. 

For a variation on the filling try minced steak, chopped mushrooms and Swiss, cheddar or Monterey jack cheeses.  

 

© 2014 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.