The finest of wines without a glass is nothing but a mess. And the most skillfully etched glass without wine is nothing but a decoration.
We see theology as a fine wine glass. Masterfully created, etched in such a way that the wine breathes as it is poured. The glass is beautiful on its own, but empty - nothing but a decoration. The wine is our experience. Aged perfectly it will send our heads spinning and tastebuds dancing. The wine is wonderful on its own, but without a glass to pour it in, it makes a mess.
Many would say "i just drink from the bottle" and while it may be funny, in this example, drinking from the bottle prohibits others from tasting of the experience themselves. An experintialholic does no good to anyone when the experience isn't shared with others.
Trying to drink the wine without the glass to bring out its beauty, aroma and flavor dishonors the wine, it cheapens it to a quick means of getting drunk. Refusing to pour the wine into the glass because we don't want the glass to get dirty dishonors the glass, it degrades it to a mere dust gathering decoration.
So it is with theology and experience. Experience must be framed by theology, and theology must contain experience if both are to be honored rightly for what they are. Theology without experience is dry, and a mere decoration, a waste. Experience without theology is a mess, and once poured all over the floor, near impossible to put back in the glass.
Our Father is not the wine, he's the wine maker. Any wine maker would feel immense personal loss to watch their beloved wine be irresponsibly poured out on the floor because someone didn't want to use a glass. Jesus is the master etcher. His work of art is a glass that enables the experience the Father wants to pour out on us be its most beautiful and delicious. The Father's experiential wine pairs with everything, and it is drunk responsibly through theology perfected by the Son.
Jesus is what the Father has to say, and His revelation of Abba is the final answer to the question of theology. Drink daily, but drink responsibly and honor what you are drinking for what it is, a masterful creation by the universe's best vintner.
Caleb Miller leads Father's House Ministries in Fort Collins, CO. His book,
The Divine Reversal : Recovering the Vision of Jesus Christ as the Last Adam, is available HERE.
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