Green Tea

Tea is a Poor Relative of Coffee

Ed, my old neighbor from Saskatchewan, called me last week, and when I answered I had Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata playing near the phone on my desk. Ed thought that he had the wrong number. He demanded to know why I wasn’t listening to country music. “I still listen to country music, but I like a little classical music now and then,” I informed Ed.  My old neighbor could only sigh deeply and ask what other nonsense I had been up to lately.

I told Ed we had been out walking a couple of hours that morning going through second-hand stores, antique shops, thrift stores and pawn shops in our downtown. I told him it was like going to yard sales in Melville. The classical music had cost me fifty cents for the CD. I told him we had stopped at a tea shop and bakery and had tea and a lemon square. Ed wanted to know why we hadn’t gone to Tim Horton’s and had a coffee and donut. I knew I would hear him say, “Tea is a poor relative of coffee, a miserable disappointment, only to drink when blindfolded and held for ransom.” Precisely his words uttered.   

Everyone has their preferences when it comes to what they like to drink. Some of us need a cup of coffee or two to wake up in the morning. Some folks will not drink any coffee or tea at all. Some individuals have milk to drink every day while others seldom if ever drink a glass of milk. I once knew a fellow who never drank water as he said that it would rust the pipes inside a person, so he drank beer instead. I also knew of a lady who drank so much, Pepsi, each day that she took valium at night to sleep. Many people do drink at least some water, and more than just plain water each day.

At the time of Jesus, there were two beverages to drink water or wine. One source I read claimed that wine drank on a daily basis was three parts water to two parts wine. Undiluted wine or fermented wine was used for special occasions, such as, at the Seder Meal at Passover, and other religious observances and weddings. Jesus’s first miracle occurred at a marriage in Cana.

The mother of Jesus was in attendance as were Jesus and his disciples. Weddings then seemed to last at least two days and most commonly a week or longer. Mary came to Jesus telling him that they had run out of wine. Jesus said something like, “It’s not my problem, it isn’t my time for a miracle.” His mother seemed to ignore Jesus’ response and told the servants to do whatever Jesus asked them to do. Jesus had the six stone water jars each holding twenty or thirty gallons filled with water. Then he told the servants to take some of the water to the master of the feast. He complimented the bridegroom on serving such good wine. Only the servants and Jesus’ disciples were aware of Jesus turning water into wine. God typically works his generous miracles anonymously to help those in need. Daily, he graciously provides for our needs in hidden ways.

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