"Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” Mark 14:25
Before everything, there was water
the Spirit hovered
Before the foundation of the world
the Lamb was slain
Then God spoke and the Word became flesh
Earth-Maker entered the world as Miracle-Worker
The Son dreamed of that day
Perfection in sovereignty aligning the bridegroom’s invitation,
an impatient mother, and a wedding planner’s oversight
Complexity of circumstance, simple materials
A dilemma with empty vessels
and water
The Master-Planner must have laughed
This was just like the beginning
Obedient servants produced His result
The finest wine made from the oldest substance
from the ancient, all things new
The moment was savored, the work begun
at a wedding
Sadness followed celebration
Three years of walking, teaching, working
brought Him to an upper room
Water and wine again present.
with them He serves and saves
The cup, His new covenant and chosen symbol
of Holy blood poured out
He drank once and said He waits
A few more hours found Him in a garden
The man of sorrows wept alone
Sweating blood He accepts another cup,
for which He must be slain
Vengeful wrath for all our sins and filthy rags of righteousness
Through beatings, trial, floggings, nails, and bitter gall
He finished it
The Father turns away
They knew this from the beginning
He died once, and now He waits
In the meantime we walk this earth
Laughing, weeping, talking, waiting
We wonder
Faithful servants, broken, now made whole
What is He doing with our souls?
Joy-filled, the Father smiles
This is just like the beginning
Cleansing, pouring, pruning, bearing fruit
We engage the Father-Spirit-Son
submitting to the work He has begun
Pain and joy flow like the weather
refining, sweet, complex arrays of flavor
Await a bridegroom’s touch for all to savor
He drank once as we remember in communion
But He waits to drink again of sacrifice.
It’s our life Spirit-filled that we give
to one Beloved
Who transforms that cup to wine that is all His
The consummation of His work He will remember
as He drinks deeply of our love and death in life
The moment savored, eternity begun
This is our wedding
Before everything, there was water
the Spirit hovered
At the end of all things, you will see
It is just like the beginning
in the substance of your soul
He is making wine
“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“when the plowman shall overtake the reaper
and the treader of grapes him who sows the seed;
the mountains shall drip sweet wine,
and all the hills shall flow with it.
I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel,
and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them;
they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine,
and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit.
I will plant them on their land,
and they shall never again be uprooted
out of the land that I have given them,”
says the Lord your God." Amos 9:13-15