....I expect the resurrection from the dead and life of the world to come. Amen.
We say this phrase daily. We are taught to believe that one day, when God so chooses, our earthly bodies, no matter how long dead, no matter what state it is in, visible or invisible due to degeneration, will rise from the dead, become glorified in state and be reunited with our spirit, and will live forever in the new kingdom. To deny this teaching would be heresy. It was exactly this heresy which was being committed in the fifth century. Yet Our God, in His infinite wisdom and love, foresaw that his beloved children would cease to fully understand and accept this truth at that time in history and provided.
One day in the fifth century, on Mount Eschlon near the city of Ephesus a man was walking around his property when he came upon some strange stone masonry blocking the entrance of a cave. Deciding it was not useful to him there, he had the masonry torn down. Little did he know that within that cave, there were seven young men in hiding. These men were fugitives. They were hiding from their emperor who determined they should be put to death for their loyalty to Christ. Finding themselves very hungry and desperate, one of them decided to dress as a beggar and sneak into town to buy the group some food. But when he did, the entire town was astonished. The coin the young man used to pay for the bread he wanted to buy, was over 200 years old. The shop keeper questioned the man as to where he obtained the coin and called in authorities to help him understand who this man was and where he came from. Iamblicus, the young man, revealed to them that he was, indeed amazed that when he entered his home city, he noticed that the churches, which had been previously abandoned and neglected, were now open. He saw open signs of Christianity, and heard people speaking openly of Jesus, although he knew it had been forbidden by the emperor. He was indeed a confused young man. The authorities convinced him to escort them to the cave, where they saw the other six young men and heard the same story from them...he was not insane.
The young men explained that they were hiding from the Emperor Decius, an emperor during the third century era of persecution, who accused the men, who were all soldiers, of the crime of Christianity. As God would have it orchestrated, the city administrator who was listening to the story was none other than the Bishop of Ephesus, who began to recognize that God was surely at work. At the entrance of the cave, they found a sealed metal box, inside of which was a plaque, stating the names of each of the young Christians, the date of the masonry and the reason for it. It seems someone had seen the men enter the cave and reported it to Decius, who ordered the construction. Two of the men assigned to guard the masonry were secret Christians and decided to mark the site as it was surely the scene of true martyrdom. The truth was now becoming very apparent to the Bishop. These men had been asleep for two hundred years, yet here they were, bodies and minds intact, undistinguishable from those who had been born hundreds of years later. The resurrection of the body was truly possible!
The people of the town rejoiced at the goodness of God that he would correct this heresy and reveal the truth to them in such a remarkable way. Later on that day, the young men, by divine inspiration, would bid their new friends goodbye, lay down again in their cave, and ask that the masonry be restored and the gravesite be marked. They then joyfully and peacefully fell asleep in the Lord once again, awaiting the day when they would arise for all time.
This is one of my children's favorite stories and we mark it every year by making a family favorite. The children love to pick out the seven ingredients of these little commemorative pies, and to tuck them all in, safe and sound with their little biscuit blankets before sealing them in their cave ( the oven!) for 200 years....just kidding! It only takes 45 minutes!
Seven Sleepers Pot Pies:
Begin by deciding on seven ingredients to go inside your pies, one for each of the seven sleepers, and cut them into bite sized pieces. Our favorites are:
Carrots Mushrooms
Parsnips Pearl onions, halved
Potatoes Red bell pepper
Sweet potato Or Eggplant
Green peas Celery
Corn kernels White beans
Onions Tomatoes
In a deep skillet, make your favorite gravy. We begin by making a roux, 1/2 stick of butter (or 1/4 c oil) and 1/4 c flour, whisked till melted and smooth and lightly toasted. To this we add a quart of our favorite stock, ( chicken, veggie, beef, etc. depending on the ingredient list you choose). At this point you can add your favorite seasonings, salt and pepper, sage, oregano, a splash of wine or worchestershire sauce, etc. Bring this to a good boil to thicken the gravy and then add the vegetables, cooking only slightly to soften.
Once your mixture is hot, spoon it into each individual baking dish and cover with biscuit dough. You can either use a prepared dough, or make your own!
Biscuit topping
2 1/2 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 stick cold butter
3/4 cup buttermilk, or milk with a splash of lemon juice or vinegar
Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl or food processor. Cut in cold butter till mixture resembles a coarse meal, then add milk and stir just enough to form a rollable dough. Roll out to desired thickness and cut into shapes to cover your pies. My children love to cut shapes like fall leaves or hearts with cookie cutters and layer them over each pie before baking, being sure to leave vents for steam. You can brush the tops with butter if you like and bake each at 350 degrees for about 30-45 minutes, depending on the size of your pies, until hot and golden brown.
Enjoy!
What a great story..and a yummy recipe!!
ReplyDeleteThank you Dessi!
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