So, I found myself wondering tonight WHY I am complaining about being behind and overwhelmed, when, clearly, I am doing what I WANT to do, not necessarily what I NEED to do. I have to admit, I did balance getting a few things knocked off of the old "to do" list (like my Mexico report ... well, the fun part, not the financial report) before I commenced doing stuff I want.
I finished Scouting the Divine last night. Again, I was pleasantly delighted with it (did I just say that??). And her final place of scouting the divine, or looking for God in the ordinary was at a vintner's ... yep, vocab word for the day, that's a winemaker for all of you novices out there. And, on my little photography foray into the botans on Friday ... I just happened to photograph a nice little grape vine. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm ...
Obviously the vineyard imagery is HUGE in scripture. One of my favorite references is to the HUMONGOUS grapes in the Promised Land that had to be carried by two men. But there are so many other much more meaningful portrayals ... such as the wine offered at the Passover meal that now is used in our remembrance. And the first of Jesus' miracles, turning the water into wine ... which, by the way, have you ever noticed that in John, it was noted as a "sign" rather than a "miracle?"
Some things I didn't know:
1. Winemaking is a long term investment. Yeh, yeh, I read and watch TV, I know that aging is part of the winemaking process. But, did you know that it takes four years to get the first crop of grapes that can be fermented ... and another two to ferment them? So, you can take winemaking off of your "get rich quick" list cause we're talking AT LEAST eight years from planting to that first bottle. One of the observations was of the Proverbs 31 woman who considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard (v. 16). Kristof, the vintner, would say that speaks highly of her ability to plan ahead ... because it's going to be a long time before it adds value to her family.
2. Even the vines need a sabbath. Ex. 23:11 says, "but during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused. Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what they leave. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove." Although it is a hard principle for vintners to follow, its rewards are tangible. "The trick is maintaining a balance of fertility in the vines." Not unlike our own need for sabbath ... our fruit also suffers when we ignore the need for respite.
3. Wineskins. Wine was fermented in animal skins, probably from goats. As the wine fermented, it produced gases that expanded the skins. With time, the stretched skins dried and became brittle. If fresh wine was not added to the brittle skins they would expand and burst, losing both the wine and the wineskin. The idea of wineskins is used in the New Testament as a warning against placing the new truth in the old framework. When we do, it ruins them both. But we also need a soft housing for our faith as it grows so that it can change as God works... without being bound by rigid boundaries.
4. Pruning. Mr. Vintner says that the one who prunes is the master of the vineyard. SOOOO much decision making goes into where to prune. He says that its the little cuts that really matter. And they have to be strategic. Same thing in our lives. It's not the big chops God makes in our lives, its the strategic little cuts that make the biggest difference in our fruitfulness ... it's a habit here, a relationship there, time management, plans ...
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:5
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