What a wonderful experience to be in wine country. I am here
at Kleine Zalze wine Estate in Stellenbosch to officiate at the wedding of
Corinne Hans and Envor Swart.
As I walked through the vineyard this morning the words of
John 15 called out to me louder than the cry of the Guinea fowl. “I am the Vine
you are the branches – remain in me”
I have grown maize, timber, vegetables, soya’s and even
flowers and ornamental trees, and none of them conjured up in me emotions of
love and nurture, as did the vines this morning. Walking among my dairy cows
didn’t even match.
Each block labelled for the product that it would produce, “ Blanc de Nior , Pinot Nior, Merlot, Chiraz” the crop is destined to be
something – people will celebrate with it, enjoy it, delight in it, friends
will drink together and fellowship will be had, true some will abuse it, but
that is life isn’t it.
“Remain in me” as I looked at the root stocks sturdy and
seasoned and the new shoots seeking their own wayward path, if not woven into
the trellis of the vine they would amount to nothing.
“The father is the wine dresser” – I could just picture him
going down the lines lovingly weaving each tender shoot back into the vine
where it could bear fruit.
At one point I could see a dam in the valley – like the sea
of Galilee..
A walk of biblical proportions!
How blessed are we to have the scriptures rooted in the
everyday things of life. As Jesus said “Behold I am with you even to the end of
the age.”
I praise God for that and for the experiences of life that
draw us nearer to him.
No comments:
Post a Comment