I rarely share my dreams on my blog…but I felt this one needed to be shared.
I stepped onto a two-story porch, which spanned the entire house. It was wide enough to be home to numerous rocking chairs and still allow walking room. The blue-gray boards matched the railings, and the trim around the windows of the white sided inn. I walked through the doorway into a gathering/dinning area that was in the process of being prepared for an event. The room was full of light streaming in from the windows. There were tables, as many as four or five, that were dressed in white tablecloths embroidered with floral patterns in light pastel colors. Some boasted fine china and crystal, which were mismatched in color and in style but gave an air of celebratory whimsy that was as elegant as it was unexpected. Centerpieces consisted of holiday greenery, holly with red berries and spruce branches, with a simple white pillar candle standing in encased in a glass hurricane. There were two tables near the front of the room, nearest the fireplace, that remained undressed. There was a woman hard at work smoothing out the table linens in preparation for the evening celebration.
Upon seeing me enter, she quickly came to make me feel welcome. She explained that there was to be a wine tasting before dinner, but that were rules as to how much wine of which each table could partake. Another woman appeared from the kitchen area and offered to give me a tour of the house. She dismissed the first woman to return to her duties preparing the tables. Once we were out of earshot the woman giving the tour told me that each table could have as much wine as they wanted. She told me not to pay attention to the first woman’s rules. “This is a winery. How else can we bring people in and show them our hospitality than to allow them to drink the wine?” This woman appeared to be the public relations person, while the other one seemed to manage the place. There was definite tension between them. I was uncomfortable, feeling a bit pulled between them and not sure which one to follow. The tour continued down some narrow stairs into the basement. I was to see the winery and the room where the winemaker tested and stored the wine. Once in the basement it was cool, and there was a door in the floor, which she opened and we went down a few more stairs. Then there was a piece of wood in the wall that slid back so you could see into the room where the wine was stored, it was like an observation area. She opened it so that I could look inside.
I saw barrels and barrels as well as some kind of vats that held the wine that was in process in a large room. Then the winemaker peeked his face above the barrel on which we was working. He looked toward the window as if he knew we were there watching him. His eyes met mine and he smiled. I KNEW those eyes and that smile. They were the eyes of the Lord, and I felt myself begin to melt into his gentle heart. Just as I did, the woman said we had to move along and closed the observation window. Before it closed, I got one more glimpse of the winemaker with disappointment on his face and longing in his eyes. There was sadness as the window clicked shut. I asked to go inside, to see the room, and the woman told me we had other things to do. It was too much trouble to climb all the way down there into the wine making room. Besides, it is the winemaker’s job not ours and we must not disturb his work. I awoke then from my dream on Christmas night, with glorious anticipation yet also filled with disappointment.
I was immediately struck with the meaning of the dream. (It is rare, but sometimes happens.) The inn was representing the church at large. It is a place for people to rest, to receive nourishment, to fellowship together. It is inviting and welcoming. Looking at the room it is obvious a celebration is to take place. The table is set, and although not every table is ready, there is general excitement and a feeling of festivity. It is beautiful as the light streams in and the tables are prepared. However, once inside the room there is confusion. One woman has a list of rules in order to partake of the wine. The other has no rules at all. Within the body of Christ there are denominations and factions. Each feels strongly about their way and that creates conflict, which makes outsiders feel uncomfortable and unsure. In scripture, wine represents the Holy Spirit and the flow of his life within us. These two perceptions of how to handle “tasting” of the wine cause division within the church. Some want to control it all, others say there is no control needed. Do what you want. The appearance, the setting, and the tables themselves are of utmost importance. There must be a form. There must be a way to handle the tasting that is beneficial to all. At least that is what we think. Each judges the other and in the conflict, we forget the whole point.
Yet as the battle rages within the walls of the inn, there is the winemaker. A representation of Jesus. The one who creates the life. The one who nurtures it and develops it. His face lights up when we turn to look at what he is doing. He longs to teach us all that he knows about how to sustain life. But instead, he works in the basement on his own. He longs for us to step in and be with him in his work, however the party is upstairs and we don’t have the time, or deem that the effort it takes is worth it. We slide the window closed on his beautiful face and gentle eyes that call to us. It is Christmas and there is still no room for him in the Inn.
He wants us to taste, just have a taste of his life flowing through us. It is why he grafts us in to his vine in the first place. The care he takes in his craft of creating life, of blending, resting, letting it breathe…it is a fine art. He is the master craftsman. This Christmas… this New Year… put aside the trappings, the judgments, the differences. Open the window and look at what he is doing. Better yet, go into the room with him. Stay with him and allow him to show you his work in your life. See the flow of his Spirit and the life that he brings. Watch and see what he will do this year…taste.
Ps. 34:8- Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.