Easter Wine

This weekend much of the world declares holidays around Easter. In the Christian calendar there is simply no higher, resplendent day of the year than Easter Sunday. Many North Americans, uncomfortable with rumours of resurrection and God-rescue, prefer rituals ofspring with bunnies and chocolates. Author, Anne Lamott, tells of how one Sunday School kid pulled the two ideas together by drawing “a picture of the Easter Bunny outside the tomb: everlasting life, and a basket full of chocolates. Now you’re talking.”
From a wine lover’s point of view, it’s noteworthy that Jesus’ public work and death are book-ended by wine. In the village of Cana Jesus performs his first public miracle when he agrees to his mother’s request to rescue a young married couple from the humiliation of running out of wine for all the collected community and guests. Water becomes very, very good wine. And lots of it…..equivalent to about 800 bottles of wine! Plenty for the days-long celebration. Then, three years later, the night before his death, Jesus with his closest friends, highlights wine as symbolic of something God-grand. Evil’s strongest grip –death- is about to lose its finality as Jesus submits to a humiliating death to in turn conquer it with his resurrection.
Easter Sunday calls for a good bottle of wine…….and maybe a chocolate egg or two.
Enjoy.
Doug Reichel