Volume 31

According to Chinese legend, a servant of Emperor Shen Nung was boiling water under a tree when some leaves fell into the pot, turning the liquid dark brown. Intrigued, the Emperor tasted it, gave his royal blessing and introduced it to his kingdom in 2737 B.C. Much later, tea became China’s national drink when author Lu Yu wrote a three-volume collection outlining everything about team from cultivation to serving.

Though Buddhist monks took the beverage to Japan, it didn’t catch on until A.D. 1191 when a religious leader named Yeisai wrote another book about tea and supposedly used the drink to cure an ailing warlord. Later, both the Dutch and Portuguese opened trade routes to the Far East. At first, tea was rare and extremely expensive but, as more was imported, the price fell and the aristocratic pleasure became one enjoyed by all.

The New World was first exposed to tea sometime around 1650 when the Dutch introduced it in New Amsterdam, which later became New York. Surprisingly, it was only about this time that tea became popular in England, where it was first served in coffeehouses. Quick to see the drink’s potential, King Charles II imposed a tax on tea, banned imports from Holland, and gave the British East India Company a monopoly. By 1770, tea was everywhere in the country.

But outrage over new taxes on tea spilled over in December of 1773 when radical colonists boarded ships in Boston Harbour and threw overboard an entire load of tea, worth today’s equivalent of $1 million. The Boston Tea Party touched off the American Revolution. A more commercial revolution took place in 1904 at the St. Louis World’s Fair. Vendor Richard Blechynden had few takers for his India tea because of hot weather, so he served it over ice, touching off a new sensation. Four years later, New York Tea merchant Thomas Sullivan sent potential customers samples of tea in small silk pouches. Response was overwhelming but stores were disappointed when the tea arrived in bulk. When Sullivan switched from silk to gauze, the tea bag was born. Today, Emperor Shen Nung’s happy accident is the world’s most consumed beverage, after water.

It seems to me faith is sometimes like tea. It comes to us through serendipity, often when we least expect it. Something changes our routine, assumptions or securities and we must either go back to default and start over, or try something new. It could be adversity, the birth of a child, or fulfilling our dreams, only to find they weren’t what we really wanted in the first place. “Taste and see that the Lord is good,” the Psalmist implores. “Oh, the joys of those who trust in him.” (Psalm 34:8)

Thankfully, we have a Book that explains everything, from the cultivation of faith, to service. Faith cures the ailments of the heart and, though it initially costs everything we have, once we make a commitment to Christ and import from him the increasing measure of trust we need, the more we’re able to pay the price and enjoy a God-given gift available to all people. “Let the Lord’s people show him reverence,” David adds, “for those who honour him will have all they need.” (v.9)

There will always be those anxious to exploit our faith, and there’s a time and place to resist; to stand up for what we know is right and fight for our spiritual freedom. Revolutions are fought one life at a time, especially those that seek to radically alter values and behaviours. So take confidence in the assurance “the Lord hears his people when they call to him for help... [He’s] close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those who are crushed in spirit.”(17,18)

Our role in all of that is to find ways of making our faith refreshing in a world that’s parched but preoccupied with the scorching effects of anger, bitterness and impatience. If we want others to embrace our faith, we must also present it in ways that make it accessible and easy to use. Do that, and an effective personal witness will be in the bag.

By Rick Gamble. Published in Cross Current, the weekly newsletter of the followers of Christ congregation in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. Reprint at will in not-for-profit publications. To subscribe to this free weekly article, send a note to Rick at sgamble@bfree.on.ca