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Part 3 — Vineyard encounters
As one of the high bidders at a recent auction, I attended a wine tasting and gourmet dinner. After pouring a glass of pinot noir for each person, our host read aloud some background about the wine, written by the winemaker. Her son had died unexpectedly right in the middle of harvest season.
“In the days that followed,” she wrote, “I was caught up in the swirling emotions of loss, yet found comfort in the pace of the vintage and the focused attention required. This wine expresses a mother’s love in the form of liquid art ... Don’t be surprised if your encounter with this wine leaves you feeling comforted and warmly loved.”
As we lifted our glasses in a toast, I was reminded of the Hebrew blessing, “Blessed are you O Lord our God, king of the universe, creator of the fruit of the vine.”
I was touched as I pictured the winemaker tending to her heart’s grief even as she tended to the work of harvesting grapes. Life goes on when tragedy strikes. Nowhere is this more true, perhaps, than on the farm, or in the orchard or vineyard. The wheat is ripe for harvest; the fruit hangs heavy on the trees; the grapes reach their peak sweetness. And they will not wait. There is a time to plant, and a time to harvest, according to Ecclesiastes 3; there is a time to mourn, and a time to dance. Each of these activities culminates in the vineyard, one of God’s holy places in Scripture.
Along with the olive and fig trees, the grapevine is one of the most characteristic plants of Palestine. Scripture is full of references to vineyards and to wine. Jesus turns water into wine at the wedding at Cana (John 2:1–11). This inaugural miracle of Jesus shows his divinity and allows the wedding host to save face, but it also calls to mind the words of the psalmist, praising God for creating “plants for people to use... and wine to gladden the human heart” (Psalm 104:14–15).
Order the entire article and study guide. |
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Landscapes of Faith
 By MaryAnn McKibben Dana
This 10-part series looks at the settings of various biblical stories to see how these places enrich the tales they contain. Wilderness, valley, the seashore — these are not just arbitrary backdrops for the stories of our faith. These places stimulate our imaginations in profound ways. We might even consider them archetypes, symbols that resonate with their own deep power.
How would the transfiguration of Jesus have been different in a boat rather than on a mountaintop, for example? Or what does it mean for biblical history to culminate in a city? What difference does the setting make to the story? And how do we understand God’s presence within the different landscapes of our own lives?
See the series outline and order the 10-part series with accompanying discussion guides.
MaryAnn McKibben Dana is pastor of Idylwood Presbyterian Church in Falls Church, Va.
Learn about past Bible Explorations series.
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