The liturgical feasts and fasts of autumn are almost upon us, and the upcoming feast of St. Michael, the Archangel is one of my favorites of the entire year. With vivid imagery of good versus evil and the dramatic contrast of angels and dragons, St. Michael’s Day is especially engaging to children. Opportunities like these are a wonderful way to form life-long Christian memories in the context of joyful family life. As I prepared for the upcoming feast, I looked back in our family photos and found some pictures taken a few years ago. The first one shows a chalk drawing of St. Michael and the dragon that I did on the blackboard in our dining room.
Inspired by a similar one online, I made my drawing after the children had gone to bed on the eve of the feast. I still remember their delight upon discovering it the next morning. I remember that day so well. At breakfast, we talked about the archangels who serve God. Later that morning, we made Harvest Bread shaped like little dragons and did so by telling a traditonal story which I tweaked slightly to be more reflective of our Christian faith.
Here is a picture of Haleigh showing her dragon bread creation.
Kevin also made one, and small dragon loaves were made for Momma and Daddy, too.
My children found this most delightful, yet my training as a Catechist always causes me to balk at reading embellished, entertaining religious stories. I do this very, very rarely and I always make sure to explain that a story like this one is not sacred scripture. It is merely a nice story to help us celebrate the holiday.
Here is the story and recipe that we used:
The Harvest Loaf
Preparation:
- Pre-measure the ingredients before you begin the story and have the following ready in separate bowls for the children to add at the appropriate times:
4 cups whole wheat flour (or use 2C. white and 2C. whole wheat)
3 oz. warm water mixed with 2 t. yeast
(allow this to soak for 8 minutes before adding to the flour)
8 oz. Water mixed with 2 T. honey and 2 T. warm butter
1 ½ t. salt mixed with 1 t. white sugar
A small dish of raisins
One egg yolk (save the white for brushing on the bread before baking)
Small dish of sesame seeds
A little extra flour for the bread board
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Place the flour into a large mixing bowl and tell the story while mixing the bread dough.
STORY (with my own revisions):
Once there was a fair and beautiful land. (Mold the landscape in the flour.)
It was difficult to say whether the hills were fairer than the valleys, or whether the plains were more beautiful than the forests. And the people who lived there were happy and busy and their faces shone as they worked. The whole land glowed with a bright light, but a time came when darkness fell upon the land, for through its valleys writhed a mighty dragon, foaming and lashing its tail. (Pour in the yeast mixture and the honey mixture.)
It was not long before he laid everything to waste and disappeared to his cave, leaving the country barren and frozen hard with ice. (Sprinkle on salt and sugar.)
All the people were frozen too. Now God looked down from the heavens to this sad and frozen land, and His heart was full of compassion for His people. He called the Archangel Michael to help. Michael did as God asked him and stretched forth his right hand; he plucked a handful of stars from the heavens and flung them down to the earth. (Throw in the raisins.)
With his left hand he gathered sunshine from the sky and sent that, too, on a journey to the earth. (Add the egg yolk.)
When the stars reached the earth they became lumps of iron, and entered deep into the earth. When the sunshine reached the earth the ice was melted and people once more felt the blood warming their limbs. Then the people began to work. (Begin mixing the dough with your hands.)
The farmers ploughed the lands and sowed seeds. (Sprinkle in the seeds)
The iron in the earth gave strength to the crop as it grew, and soon the grain was ripening on tall, straight stems. When autumn came, God sent Archangel Michel with a message for the farmers:
“Harvest the good grain, grind it into flour. Mix a dough and knead it well. Bake it in the oven. Place it in the middle of your table and share it with family and friends, for this will be the Harvest Loaf. Each slice that is cut in friendship will warm your hearts, and each slice that is eaten will give strength and power to overcome the dragon.”
After mixing and kneading, allow the dough to rise in a bowl covered with plastic until it doubles in size (1-1 1/2 hours).
Shape the dough into a dragon shape using slivered almonds for scales and raisins for eyes.
You can make one large loaf or give each child a little ball of dough to make smaller dragons.
Brush the egg white over the loaf before you put it in the oven.
Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes for one large loaf, 15 minutes or less for smaller individual loaves.
Now you are ready to share a cozy supper of Harvest Soup and Dragon Bread!
A Prayer
Here's a beautiful collect from The Book of Common Prayer:
Saint Michael and All Angels September 29
O Everlasting God, who hast ordained and constituted
the ministries of angels and men in a wonderful order:
Mercifully grant that, as thy holy angels always serve and worship thee in heaven,
so by thy appointment they may help and defend us on earth;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit,
one God,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
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