A Liturgy for Drinking Beer
This liturgy for drinking beer is from my forthcoming book, Cheers & Amen: Thank God for Good Beer. Look for it from Lion Press soon!
A Liturgy for Drinking Beer
It would be enough, Lord,
for your gifts of malt and mash
to simply quench our thirst and nourish us —
but you have filled our glasses
with pleasures we do not deserve:
of carbonation
and color
and flavor
and alcohol.
Your gifts, O God, are gratuitous.
ALL: We praise you, Lord, for these, thy gifts.
You have given us this beer
to gladden our hearts,
as a taste of your goodness,
and as a foretaste of the Bridegroom’s feast
in the tavern at the end of the world.
We drink with thanksgiving.
We drink for your glory.
We drink because in and through this beer,
we taste and see that you are good.
ALL: We praise you, Lord, for these, thy gifts.
Keep us always sober, Lord.
In our drinking, keep us from sin.
Let the only excess here today
be our immoderate joy
and laughter
and good cheer
in the pleasure of Christian fellowship.
ALL: We praise you, Lord, for these, thy gifts.
And so we raise our glasses
to the God of yeast and malt,
to the beer God, the gift-giving God,
the one true and living God,
and together we toast:
[ALL RAISE THEIR GLASSES AND SAY TOGETHER]
To the God of rain and harvest!
To the God of glass and grain!
To the God of ale and lager!
All glory be to Christ the King!
Amen.
[ALL DRINK]
From Cheers & Amen: Thank God for Good Beer by Josh Bishop (forthcoming from Lion Press)
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Wouldn't this be a litany?