Jesus made the first beer run

Sometimes while making small talk at a party I let it slip that I want to be a minister. Some people start apologizing for drinking, apparently not noticing that I myself am a little tipsy. I just say that having a drink is not a sin. In fact, it is well known that Jesus turned water into wine. What is less well known is that this was not mere divine showboating, but was in fact an early version of the mid-party, desperate run to the liquor store.

In John chapter 2, Jesus finds himself at a wedding in the town of Cana. His mother, Mary, is there along with the disciples and everything is going fine; until Mary notices that the booze is gone. So she says to Jesus "they have no more wine." This is the ancient equivalent of my mom asking me if I'm sober enough to go get more Kahlua. Every party has a sober person who somehow gets put in charge of keeping everybody sauced up.

Jesus obliges though, and six jars, each holding 20 to 30 gallons of water, are transformed into jars of wine. That's about 150 gallons of wine, enough to fill 10 kegs. Not only does Jesus provide wine, but scripture tells us that it's damn good. In fact, the host of the banquet (who doesn't know the wine is from Jesus) says to the groom "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheap wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now." The lesson of this story is that Jesus loves a party and will do what it takes to keep it going.

While we're on the subject, I should say that party does NOT refer to political parties. Sometimes we make Jesus boring. This is wrong but pretty harmless. Sometimes we make Jesus a partisan, though. This is spiritual death. While parties and politics divide human beings, Christ came to unite everyone in love. Kind of like how you feel at that peak time of a party when you're perfectly tipsy and you just want to hug everyone and you're making friends left and right.

The spirit of partying is the spirit of this blog and of the Christian faith. As a Christian, I live to celebrate the good news that the creator and ruler of the universe, a God whose beauty transcends knowledge and experience, whose glory is greater than glory itself, is a friend who loves me. That's pretty exciting. In fact, I'll drink to that.

The Lord of the Dance

Today's recipe is inspired by weddings. It is very easy to make and very fun to drink. It's perfect for lively and festive occasions.

The Reverse Mimosa

Most mimosas are based on enhancing orange juice with champagne/sparkling wine. My reverse mimosa instead seeks to enhance the wine with a fruit liqueur.

Ingredients: 1- Champagne or Sparkling white wine (must be chilled). 2- Fruit liqueur (Should be chilled)

Personally, I would use a medium-sweet sparkling wine so as to allow the sweetness of the liqueur to come through without being too saccharine (look for bottles labeled "extra-dry" or "extra-sec"). Open the bottle by exposing the cork, draping a cloth over it to stop it from flying out, and carefully twisting the cork. In fancy bars, it is uncouth to hear a pop; only a hiss is acceptable (this is stupid though).

I recommend a pomegranate liqueur made by Pama, or Chambord raspberry, but these are expensive. In any case, your liqueur should be around 17-30 percent alcohol by volume, not too sweet but not a flavored hard liquor.

Fill a champagne flute about 3/4 full of cold Champagne/Sparkling wine. Now measure out about one shot of your liqueur. Pour the liqueur in slowly and from a low height, making sure to watch the wine's beautiful color transformation (a little bit like Jesus transforming the water). Garnish by floating a frozen strawberry or melon ball. Sip slowly and with a smile.

God be with you!