4^th week after Pentecost: Abby.

Wine to gladden our hearts.

(Psalm 104:15)

Today you turn twenty-one. Why is that such a big birthday? Well, because you’ve reached the age whereby it is legal to drink alcohol. I wish I could share your first drink with you; or, at least, your first legal drink. A Psalm comes to mind (Ps 104):

God makes plants for us to cultivate—

                bringing forth food from the earth:

wine to gladden our hearts,

                and bread to sustain us.

Bread to sustain us and wine to gladden our hearts. The Psalm acknowledges that wine has an effect on us. It has a way of lifting our hearts. So, Papa’s first advice is never to drink beyond the point of gladness. That would be an abuse of God’s good gift. My second advice, is never to drink alone. Like all God’s gifts, it’s best when shared with people we love—like when your parents, aunts and uncles, and Papa and Grammy share a glass of wine on the deck at sunset.

Bread and Wine… what else does that remind you of? It’s the Table our Lord desirers to share with us. He never drinks alone. It’s the meal of grace and wonder, of joy and fellowship. May every glass be something like That Glass Jesus shares with us.