It’s an old joke:
A priest is stopped by a cop for speeding. As the cop comes closer he smells alcohol on the priest's breath and then sees an empty wine bottle on the floor of the car. The Cop says, "Sir, have you been drinking?" "Just water," says the priest." The cop says, "Then why do I smell wine?"
The priest looks at the bottle and says, "Good Lord! He's done it again! He has turned
water into wine again.”
Turning water into wine in order to save the priest from being arrested for drunk driving may be just a joke, but turning water into wine at the wedding feast of Cana is no joke, the writer of The Gospel of John documents.
This coming Sunday, our Gospel reading is the story of the marriage feast at Cana, which is narrated only in The Gospel of John. This story must have made a deep impression on John - probably because it happened only a few days after he and four other disciples had decided to follow Christ.
It is interesting to note that as the wine ran out, Jesus was reluctant to step forward and it was the intervention of Mary, his mother, which saved the day and the wedding. I love her words to the servants “Do whatever he tells you.” I wonder if we can still find meaning in those words today?
At this wedding John witnessed the “first miracle” worked by Jesus. John refers to this miracle as a “sign,” and it is the first in John’s series of seven signs by which Jesus manifested his power in his public ministry.
If you are interested in the seven signs, they are as follows:
Throughout the Bible, marriage has been used as a symbol of the Covenant relationship between God and God’s chosen people. Historically, God has been depicted as the faithful Groom and humanity is God’s beloved bride.
Having opened the blog with a joke today, I feel it fitting that we end with one:
Second graders were reading about the wedding feast of Cana and miracle of Jesus
turning water into wine. After explaining the story, the teacher asked the kids, “what did you learn from this story?” Only one hand went up. The teacher asked, “So, Tommy tell me. what did you learn?” “I learned that I should invite Jesus and Mary for my wedding.”
We may laugh, but perhaps we all need to invite Jesus and Mary not only to our weddings, but to our homes in our day to day lives.
Think of it this way; when the “good wine” in life runs out, there is no one better to replenish it with more and better wine than Jesus himself. After all, living in faith should be an occasion for joy and celebration!!
Cheers
Pastor Beryl, DLM
image: Wedding at Cana by Bill Bell