Priests and prophets stagger from beer, bet you never thought that was in the Bible? Not exactly a passage that gets preached on a lot on Sunday mornings! Let's be clear that Isaiah does not exactly give a rousing endorsement of combining beer with your religion. I do think it needs to be clarified that some of Martin Luther's famous Table Talks with his theology students was done at the tavern, where I once heard that Luther had a stein with the 10 Commandments on it...it has to be true because I heard that from a Lutheran!
Having just come off the Super Bowl, I saw lots of ads for beer. Of course, now everyone from the White House to your neighbor's basements tries to create it's own micro-brew. And while I live in a state that glorifies beer to the point of naming our baseball team after the act of brewing beer, it is a complicated relationship at best.
While the image of the priest not handling his liquor well is one thing, it is the next verse that really cuts close. People ask, "who is he trying to teach?" I wonder on Sunday morning if people wonder if I am talking to them, really talking to them? Who am I trying to teach? What am I trying to teach? And while I am completely sober, that does not mean I don't play the part of the fool. Looking foolish is a bit of a past time for me. I am reminded of what Mark Twain once quipped, 'Better to keep your month shut and let people think you are a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.'
It is an occupational hazard that I open my mouth and I know the truth of Twain's quote. But Isaiah reminds me that God is the One who measures justice and God's righteousness (not mine) is the plumb line. We live in a world awash in words. In previous generations there was basically newspapers and gossip. Now, there is t.v., radio, newspapers, blogs, and gossip (some things don't change).
I invite you to continue to listen to the words around you. Continue to listen for that still speaking voice of God. And may some of the words you hear be in harmony with God's wisdom of justice and righteousness.
Blessings and peace!
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