August 17, 2025

“Sour Grapes”

‘Sour Grapes” A sermon based on Isaiah 5:1-7; Hebrews 11:29-12:2; and Luke 12:49-56 delivered by the Rev. Alison Andrea Young on Sunday, August 17, 2004 at the First Congregational UCC of Onekama, Michigan.

“‘My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. . .. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit.,” (Isaiah 5:1-3) Along with the olive and fig trees, the grapevine is and was one of the most characteristic plants of Palestine. This is why vineyards, vines, and grapes have made their way into the biblical witness by way of illustration through countless examples, both in the Hebrew and the Christian scriptures. Who can forget Jesus’ description of himself and his role in this world when he said, ”I am the vine and you are the branches . . .” in John 15:5. . . .