Do you know the official state beverage of Maine? Well, you probably do now because of the photo above. Did you know that states have an official beverage? It’s true. Thirty of our 50 states have an official beverage, ranging from milk (North Carolina) to whiskey (Alabama).
I had never heard of Moxie prior to the retreat in Maine we attended last month. The leaders of the retreat thought we ought to experience Moxie since it is a local favorite. The taste is like a combination of root beer and cream soda or, as one participant called it, “watered down molasses with a little kick.” You sort of have to acquire a taste for it.
What I liked best about Moxie was its slogan, “Distinctively different!” They even got a trademark for that slogan so no one else can claim it.
That’s too bad. I think that would be a great slogan for Christians to use – “Distinctively different.” There should be something about followers of Christ that sets us apart from the rest of the world. Peter says this about his fellow Christians, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people…” (1 Peter 2:9) People who do not have a relationship with Jesus ought to wonder when they see us, “There is something different about those folks.”
When I was working on my Doctor of Ministry degree at Eastern Seminary in Philadelphia, I tried to teach some southern slang to my peers from the north. One of my favorites was the phrase “fumeer.” You know, as in, “I don’t where she’s from but she ain’t fumeer.”
The writer of 1 Peter refers to his fellow Christians as “foreigners and exiles.” The terms suggest we “ain’t fumeer.” “We are citizens of heaven.” (Philippians 3:20) Our lives should reflect our homeland and the Savior who reigns there.
I brought a can of Moxie home. “Yontsum?”
By Dr. Jim Baldwin