Lessons in the vineyard

The sign reads, “Open at noon.” Yet, there I was one day last week, a few minutes before high noon, along with others lined up to buy some of the most luscious, spherical orbs of delight at Millers Orchard. Scuppernongs, man, that’s what it’s all about at this slice of the calendar. Neither peaches nor peanuts can satisfy. But scuppernongs can. And Harold and Sara Miller’s are some of the best (their country grove is located across from the congested soccer fields east of Fayetteville on Georgia 54).

Now, maybe you hail from the west or north or even southern north called South Florida. Maybe you don’t know the exquisite burst of a palatial rush when you pop the golden orb in your mouth. There’s really no way to describe it. You just have to experience it on your own.

Scuppernongs, you see, are true natives to the southeastern United States and are a variety of a grape called muscadine which Mr. Miller also cultivates and sells. I first tasted the muscadine, but then someone introduced me to the scuppernong and it’s been a love affair ever since. I can’t keep some in my refrigerator and when I want to bless someone special, I give them a handful of my scuppernongs.

I have been buying the same baskets of fruit at Mr. Millers for several years and at the same price. Don’t know how he resists the temptation to go up on price when the large supermarkets don’t hesitate for a moment. Maybe it has something to do with why he keeps at the business of tending to his vineyard. It’s nearly a year-long commitment except for that period that the vines shut down and it’s necessary to prune.

But to visit Mr. Miller (not to take away a mite from Sara’s part) is to get away from the rush of the day and step back into a more relaxed time and place. From months working along the vineyard trails, Mr. Miller soaks up the wisdom of the vines and if you have the time and not too many customers are panting for their fix, he will parcel out some wisdom you may need for the day or perhaps even for the season of your life.

Vineyards, truly God’s plantings, have much to teach us. But we don’t have the time to spend; so, there is Mr. Miller; he does it for us. Ask him what you will and he will dispense the wisdom of the vineyard.

Jesus used the symbolism of the vineyard to share insights into the relationships between God the Father, God the Son, and the followers of Jesus. Read about it in John 15.