The Spirituality of Wine

   Gisela Kreglinger wrote in her book, The Spirituality of Wine, that wine was one of the best gifts that God has given us. It is full of mystery and a sign of life. “Wine is a gift from God and enhances our festive play before God.” Joy and gladness should not be underestimated and present in our day to day life. Wine can do wonders in our lives if we allow ourselves to embrace this wonderful gift from God. We are called to celebrate and gather with bread, wine, and dancing. We are to create a space and environment of festivity, conviviality, and celebration. “Wine stimulated the guests, deepened the fellowship, and transform a meal into a celebration.”

   Drinking wine was an important part of social life. It was meant to make people merry, but not to be abused. For a person to regularly consume wine was normal, for a person to have an excessive drinking habit was frowned upon. The Benedict monks always had wine to drink and serve to their guests. The wine was a transformational gift for hospitality to be enjoyed by all. Calvin said that wine reveals what a remarkable extravagant and generous God we have. While the monks worked to preserve and create wonderful wines, along came a man by the name of Thomas Welch. He was known as the "counter apostle." We worked against the rhythm of God's creation to create a grape juice substance without the beauty of the alcohol.

The last and probably most profound point Kreglinger made in her book was how wine brings people together and opens us up to each other. I know this was talked about a bit in the introduction, but you really cannot stress enough how much beauty is in wine. Wine takes attentive patience and much time on our part. There are beautiful things in a glass of wine. There are layers of tastes and smells in a glass of wine. "Drinking wine at it's best is like a prayer. We respond to God by engaging his gifts and allowing the wine to instill a sense of wonder, nor just for the wine but even more for the generous giver of such a lavish gift. Wine calls us to worship." We are intoxicated by wine just as we are intoxicated by the worship of our God. Gentle intoxication increases our joy in God.

God gave us a delightful drink to enjoy. This drink enlightens us, it stimulates deep conversations and allows us to be joyful in our Lord. He also gave us this drink as a means of medicine. We should all be grateful to have this wonderful drink, wine.

Cheers!

Chloe Elizabeth