Drinking Spiritualized: In Two Parts

In Part I: Smoking Spiritualized, I looked at an old poem that a group of pastors would say annually together, as they reminded themselves of the law and the gospel--the two great divisions of Holy Scripture. In this Part II, I will give you my own poem on tobacco's twin vice and virtue: alcohol. May you learn to see the world around you and the Scripture God has given us about faith and life in Christ rightly. I thought Samuel Adams would be a good pen name for this: A Poem by “Samuel Adams”

Part One: The Law

THIS mug looks so innocent and pure

As in flows that golden liquor

So bright and sheen

So fresh and clean

Thus drink, and savor, with all of its flavor

Mead, stout, lager, and ale.

That taste, ‘tis sweet from the savory cup

I’ll drink it down. You fill it up

One, two, three, four

Pour just one more

Thus drink, and savor, with all of its flavor

Mead, stout, lager, and ale.

Mouth of babble, the mind congealed

Excess, drunkenness, the heart revealed

The foam does rise

Sin multiplies

Thus drink, and savor, with all of its flavor

Mead, stout, lager, and ale.

Dirty the mug like the heart is shone

When empty the glass sits alone

It’s ugly here

Revealed by beer

Thus drink, and savor, with all of its flavor

Mead, stout, lager, and ale.

Beer is a mocker, a brawler too

Betraying a heart of dark gloom

Drunk in our mind

Stupor we find

Thus drink, and savor, with all of its flavor

Mead, stout, lager, and ale.

Part Two: The Gospel

GOLDEN it is, like something from heav’n

This beer made from grain and leaven

Streets made of gold

Can I behold?

Thus drink, and savor, with all of its flavor

Mead, stout, lager, and ale.

Grain: first a seed, a promise below?

The Seed will deal a deadly blow

To death, evil

And the devil

Thus drink, and savor, with all of its flavor

Mead, stout, lager, and ale.

The foam rises up, God’s bubb’ling wrath

For us Christ took our bloody bath

By faith believe

And then receive

Thus drink, and savor, with all of its flavor

Mead, stout, lager, and ale.

That cup is sweet, makes merry the heart

Like Christ’s cross that gives a new start

Beauty resides

Clean, purified.

Thus drink, and savor, with all of its flavor

Mead, stout, lager, and ale.

It is for freedom Christ set us free

Enjoy good gifts from wheat or bee

Let no man judge

To sin won’t budge

Thus drink, and savor, with all of its flavor

Mead, stout, lager, and ale.