Daily Worship

#awkward

Jonathan Fleming March 14, 2021 0 2
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Image credit: Pixabay

John 2: 1-12 (NIVUK)

1 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, ‘They have no more wine.’

4 ‘Woman, why do you involve me?’ Jesus replied. ‘My hour has not yet come.’

5 His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’

6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from eighty to a hundred and twenty litres.

7 Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water’; so they filled them to the brim.

8 Then he told them, ‘Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.’

They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realise where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, ‘Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.’

11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

12 After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.

No one ever knows how much to buy for a party, let alone for a week long wedding celebration… It must have been so embarrassing for the hosts to realise that everything from the Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Sancerre down to the table wine had been consumed. Can you imagine the outcry on social media if it were about?! And the local gazette would have had a field day!

While Jesus initially responds to his mother’s request for help by saying that it was none of his business and that the hour had not come, the source of grace provides 180 gallons of the fruit of the grape. And it was plentiful. And was good. In fact, it was better than good...it was the finest wine.

When we read of Jesus getting involved to sort out a socially embarrassing situation such as this, we see the type of God we worship: a God who really cares about our lives in all its detail, a God who rolls up their sleeves and gets stuck in, a God who wants nothing more than the absolute best for us and will get involved in our lives, to transform us for good…

Let us pray…

Transformative God,
We come before you this day as empty vessels
waiting to be filled up with your Spirit.

Lord Jesus Christ,
At a time where our stocks of energy and enthusiasm may be running low
Replenish our hearts, our souls and our minds with your finest vintage.

Holy Spirit,
Inspire us and guide us through all that lies ahead, we pray.
Empower us to invite all around us to taste and see your goodness.

So be it.
Amen.

Lent Disciplines

Act — What’s something you could do today to ‘round up’ to be unexpectedly generous to others?