Category: Wine Before Breakfast

In what is perhaps the most remarkable turn of a phrase in the letters of Paul, the apostle tells us in Romans 8.22 that “the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now ….” This is a creation longing for redemption, longing to be set free from all that binds it.

Perhaps only the women in our community can begin to understand what Paul is talking about here, and even there maybe only the women who have given birth. I can tell you as a very concerned observer that there is an intensity in the groaning of labor like nothing else that I have ever witnessed. Groaning in travail was the way the older versions of the Bible put it.

But this is a travail, a work, a pain, born of hope. The smile on a woman’s face upon delivering her baby and holding that child to her breast is also one of the sweetest things that I have ever had the privilege to see.

All of creation is longing for that smile.
All of creation looks for the day of resurrection.
All of creation is waiting.
All of creation is in Advent.

Read more Wine Before Breakfast – Advent Waiting and “Groaning in Travail”

The man who began his letter by identifying himself as a slave …
‘Paul, a slave of Jesus Christ’ …
and who has at times in his epistle called his readers to be …
‘slaves of justice’ …
comes to the heart of his correspondence by writing …
‘For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,
but you have received a spirit of adoption …’

Slaves of Christ, even slaves of justice, but for those very reasons, not captivated by a spirit of slavery.

Obviously the apostle is playing with this (and many other) metaphors in this letter.

Read more Wine Before Breakfast – On slaves, bastards, adopted children and Jamie Howison

There have been a number of amazing musical moments in my life.

Moments when the joy fills the room, even as the artist leads us into deep places of pain.

Often enough, those moments happen on Tuesday mornings.
There is something about the Wine Before Breakfast bandhood that finds a way to reach deep into our souls; something that gives us voices to sing – even at 7.22 in the morning!

In my life the WBB band stands in a rich tradition of artists whose music they will often bring into our worship. Artists that I have had the good fortune to enjoy performing live:
Leonard Cohen, Bruce Cockburn, Josh Gritter, EmmyLou Harris, Daniel Lanois, Van Morrison, U2 and Bob Dylan.

And it is a Dylan concert that this week’s music will conjure up for me.

It was the late 70’s and Dylan had ‘got religion.’ In fact, the show that he was touring was nothing less than a gospel revival! And there he was on the stage of Massey Hall singing:

Read more Wine Before Breakfast – “Gotta Serve Somebody” and Getting Wet

There was something sassy about how she delivered the lines. If you were there, you would know exactly what I mean. And only our own beloved Deb Whalen could actually pull off those lines in church:

“Everybody knows that you love me baby
Everybody knows that you really do
Everybody knows that you’ve been faithful
Ah give or take a night or two
Everybody knows you’ve been discreet
But there were so many people you just had to meet
Without your clothes
And everybody knows”

Read more Wine Before Breakfast – Sin, Grace and What “Everybody Knows”

It seemed over the top.

No, not my sermon last week! I’m talking about Paul.
OK, maybe the sermon was a little heavy too.

But Paul was really laying it on, wasn’t he.

“Those who practice such things deserve to die.”

And, of course the “such things” that he was talking about included everything from sexual predation to covetousness, envy, strife, rebellion towards parents, and foolishness.

For these things, he said, we deserve to die.

Read more Wine Before Breakfast – Sinners Only Invited

(an email that became a pastoral letter)

They’ve come to be known as the “clobber texts.”
You know the one’s I’m talking about.

Those six texts – count them, there are six! ‑ that purportedly are about homosexuality.

Six texts in the whole Bible.

I don’t know, but somehow the more than 2000 texts in the Bible that address poverty and justice just seem to outweigh these six texts.

Read more Wine Before Breakfast – “Clobber Texts”

“Paul, a slave of Jesus the Messiah.”

Seven words to open a magisterial letter and the author has already given notice.
He has, in these mere seven words set the agenda for his most extensive letter of subversion.

Seven words and the hierachically oppressive structures of Rome are thrown on their heads.
Paul … a slave.
Not Paul, a citizen of Rome.
Not Paul, claiming to have the legitimacy that is afforded by the empire.
Not Paul, enjoying his status as a citizen, a free man.
No, Paul … a slave.
Read more Wine Before Breakfast – ‘Seven Words’

You know that I think a lot about “home.”

Some folks think that next to “empire,” home is pretty much all I do think about.
Or at least that I’m likely to find either home or empire (or more likely both) under every verse of the Bible.

Guilty as charged.

But I am not sentimental about home.
I know all about broken homes,
homes of violence,
homes of exclusion,
homes of betrayal,
homes that are far from safe and far from sweet.
Read more Wine Before Breakfast – Coming Home in the Empire