Cornish Tea

For the last week or so, I have been quaffing Cornish Tea (Smugglers Brew, to be precise), which was given to me by someone on their return from the duchy. The rather informal instructions advise the following procedure:

Grab your favourite mug and lay one plump bag of our luscious, lazy leaves down gently at the bottom... SSSH!... quietly does it... just when it's looking comfortable WHACK some freshly boiled water straight on to wake the little blighters up!

The tone reminded me of one of those Sunday evening services in a university town which is being led by a student:

“Hey guys, grab your Bibles”.

Anyway, having whacked some boiled water inside my favourite mug wherein the plump teabag lay, the leaves were indeed woken up as they infused the liquid with their colour and flavour. Cold water would only have kept them dormant. Like our bodies, they need heat.

Our spirits need heat too; not summoning the very fire of God, against which one of our deacons warns, but the warmth of His fellowship. Writes Solomon:

Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? (Ecclesiastes 4:11)

These words often make an appearance at Christian wedding ceremonies, and their author certainly knew a thing or two about sharing a bed. The warmth of the one comforts the other, and enables rest and comfort. Whether we be single or married, divorced or courting, the warmth of fellowship with Jesus Christ comforts our spirits. The more of it we have, the less like a corpse we are and the more awakened we become.

A D