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On Drinking
Feb. 23rd, 2010 07:07 amThis post may not make a lot of sense to those of you who didn't grow up near here or someplace like it. Keep in mind that I live smack dab in the middle of the Bible Belt, so while this may seem an archaic issue to, um, sane people, it is still very much a topic of discussion and intrigue in these here parts. In fact, that may be all some of you need to skip right on by this post (you're welcome).
Disclaimer: I am not denying the real tragedy that alcoholism is for the person who suffers from it as well as the people who suffer around said person. I am also not denying the many verses which encourage general moderation (in many thing, actually, not just alcohol consumption).
But I don't understand the offense some people (and by people, I mean Christians...oh, the joys of church shopping) take with drinking. I just don't get it. It is so very clearly not a blanket "wrong" to me.
Wine especially has a very important place in the history and life of the church -
( John 2:1-11 )
First of all, I love the intensity of Jesus. He doesn't do anything halfway. He didn't just attend the party. He didn't even show up with merely a tasteful bottle of chianti. He brought the keg. Six pots, 20-30 gallons apiece, filled to the brim with wine was the outcome here. And he didn't do it at the beginning of the feast, either. He waited until after all the wine planned for the event was gone. So not only were the guests probably pretty hammered by now, but they had gotten there a lot more quickly than the host had anticipated.
Yet Jesus's response to them was not, "I'm gonna need you people to settle down and behave properly so that you are good enough to hang out with me." His response was exactly the opposite - to amp up the party. It was as if he was saying, "Rejoice! For while the hour has not yet come for my big purpose, I am here. I am the one you've been waiting for. Death - your days are numbered. Sin - your power to separate God from humanity is rapidly coming to an end. For good. Forever. So, honored guests, celebrate! Because this is the just the beginning; you haven't seen anything yet."
I've heard a lot of screwy ways that people have tried to explain away this story so that it fits their prohibitionist mindset. But I just can't see it any way other than this - all things under heaven are intended for good, to the glory of God. To call drinking, even sometimes past the point of sobriety when the situation warrants it, a sin is to call Jesus an enabler.
I often wonder if the big problem in the western church isn't its hypocrisy or complacency (although both are certainly present) but simply that it's forgotten how to celebrate. We've forgotten that Jesus came not to bring us a new set of rules but that we would have life and have it more abundantly. That in dying, Jesus defeated any power that sin ever had to disrupt our relationship with God. We've become so afraid of messing up (or worse, of someone thinking we've messed up when we really haven't) that we are paralyzed into merely existing and have become quite boring in the process. And for what? So that we can appear righteous to other people? We are so concerned with settling for the appearance of righteousness when God, the only person whose judgment even matters, already sees us that way, thanks to Jesus.
In fact, at the risk of being irresponsible, I'll take it a step further. Say that we do sin - and I'm not talking about someone else telling us we're wrong or trying to make us fit their mold - really sin, like know-it-in-your-gut sin. Say we really muck things up. So what? Is Jesus too weak to handle it? Jesus has already taken care of it, or he didn't do a very good job at the cross. I don't know about the rest of the church, but I'm not willing to make that latter statement. I'm going to believe the first - that the muck and all its power are dead. And dead things have no rights, nor are they anything to be feared (no such thing as zombie sin - Jesus is very thorough). Just admit the wrongdoing, particularly to the people it affected, and go on. Go on living. And live passionately, not timidly trying to earn back God's favor or love. You already have it. There is no probation in this kingdom. Live with the joy of the forgiven.
And call me. We'll go out for a drink to celebrate.
Disclaimer: I am not denying the real tragedy that alcoholism is for the person who suffers from it as well as the people who suffer around said person. I am also not denying the many verses which encourage general moderation (in many thing, actually, not just alcohol consumption).
But I don't understand the offense some people (and by people, I mean Christians...oh, the joys of church shopping) take with drinking. I just don't get it. It is so very clearly not a blanket "wrong" to me.
Wine especially has a very important place in the history and life of the church -
( John 2:1-11 )
First of all, I love the intensity of Jesus. He doesn't do anything halfway. He didn't just attend the party. He didn't even show up with merely a tasteful bottle of chianti. He brought the keg. Six pots, 20-30 gallons apiece, filled to the brim with wine was the outcome here. And he didn't do it at the beginning of the feast, either. He waited until after all the wine planned for the event was gone. So not only were the guests probably pretty hammered by now, but they had gotten there a lot more quickly than the host had anticipated.
Yet Jesus's response to them was not, "I'm gonna need you people to settle down and behave properly so that you are good enough to hang out with me." His response was exactly the opposite - to amp up the party. It was as if he was saying, "Rejoice! For while the hour has not yet come for my big purpose, I am here. I am the one you've been waiting for. Death - your days are numbered. Sin - your power to separate God from humanity is rapidly coming to an end. For good. Forever. So, honored guests, celebrate! Because this is the just the beginning; you haven't seen anything yet."
I've heard a lot of screwy ways that people have tried to explain away this story so that it fits their prohibitionist mindset. But I just can't see it any way other than this - all things under heaven are intended for good, to the glory of God. To call drinking, even sometimes past the point of sobriety when the situation warrants it, a sin is to call Jesus an enabler.
I often wonder if the big problem in the western church isn't its hypocrisy or complacency (although both are certainly present) but simply that it's forgotten how to celebrate. We've forgotten that Jesus came not to bring us a new set of rules but that we would have life and have it more abundantly. That in dying, Jesus defeated any power that sin ever had to disrupt our relationship with God. We've become so afraid of messing up (or worse, of someone thinking we've messed up when we really haven't) that we are paralyzed into merely existing and have become quite boring in the process. And for what? So that we can appear righteous to other people? We are so concerned with settling for the appearance of righteousness when God, the only person whose judgment even matters, already sees us that way, thanks to Jesus.
In fact, at the risk of being irresponsible, I'll take it a step further. Say that we do sin - and I'm not talking about someone else telling us we're wrong or trying to make us fit their mold - really sin, like know-it-in-your-gut sin. Say we really muck things up. So what? Is Jesus too weak to handle it? Jesus has already taken care of it, or he didn't do a very good job at the cross. I don't know about the rest of the church, but I'm not willing to make that latter statement. I'm going to believe the first - that the muck and all its power are dead. And dead things have no rights, nor are they anything to be feared (no such thing as zombie sin - Jesus is very thorough). Just admit the wrongdoing, particularly to the people it affected, and go on. Go on living. And live passionately, not timidly trying to earn back God's favor or love. You already have it. There is no probation in this kingdom. Live with the joy of the forgiven.
And call me. We'll go out for a drink to celebrate.
