I’ve spent my fair share of time in vineyards and wineries; each one is different. In the big business of winemaking, there are so many beautiful facilities, funded by big-monied interests eager to promote a high value experience with their gleaming tasting rooms and temples to the finer things in life. But I have always preferred visiting the wineries willing to show an altogether different side of winemaking, the side that is messy with dirt and leaves and spilled grape juice.
This Sunday, we’ll confront the words of Isaiah 5, where the human-divine relationship is described in wine-making terms. Actually, Isaiah focuses on the first part of winemaking, the grape-growing. God has invested heavily into a wine-making operation and has high expectations. But as is usually the case when humanity gets involved, the results are wildly disappointing.
Fast forward to Isaiah 11, and it’s like our winemaking God’s is saying, “Alright, let’s try this again.” Picture a new shoot poking through the dirt, the divine phoenix rising from the ashes of a failed grapevine. It’s messy, it’s unexpected, and it’s divine agriculture.
Isaiah 5 reminds us of the times we’ve all planted dreams, relationships, or efforts, only to watch them go haywire. But Isaiah 11? That’s the messy and miraculous part – the divine intervention that says, “I’m not giving up on you, my beautiful hot mess of a vineyard.”
God isn’t some high-and-mighty vineyard owner, hoping to impress you with a manicured lawn and a pristine tasting room; God’s the scrappy gardener, digging in the dirt, getting soil under the divine fingernails. And when the first attempt at a righteous harvest falls flat, God doesn’t throw in the trowel. No, God plants a new shoot, because grace is all about the messy, unexpected regrowth.
So, here we are, navigating the glorious chaos of life. We’ve got our own wild grapes, our messy moments, and God’s here saying, “Let’s turn this into something beautiful.” It’s like divine compost – all the stuff we thought was waste, God’s turning into fertile ground for the next big thing.
May God’s peace find you today. -Pastor Peter
Let us pray… Winemaking God, we give thanks that you dig in the dirt, prune the vines, and spill the juice of our lives, trusting that we will return fruit worthy of your expectations. May your faith in us inspire a praiseworthy response. Amen.