the PRAYER …
Lord God, source of every blessing, you showed forth your glory and led many to faith by the works of your Son, who brought gladness and salvation to his people. Transform us by the Spirit of his love, that we may find our life together in him, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
the READING …
Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. john 2:1-11
the DEVOTION …
For most of us, miracles are all about power! Doing something that’s never been done before! Doing the impossible! The improbable! Like walking on water! Or calming a storm! Or feeding the multitudes! For us, a miracle is always something SUPER-natural! Something EXTRA-ordinary! Always above! Always beyond! But John never uses the word! The word ‘miracle,’ that is. He doesn’t seem to be all that interested in the wow-factor, the shock-and-awe, of it all. He knows there are other stories. But truth is, he writes only about seven. And he calls them ‘signs’ – not miracles, but signs – because, for him, these seven have special sign-ificance. For instance, this week …
Changing water into wine isn’t, merely, a show of power! Proof that Jesus is who he says he is. Confirmation that he’s the Son of God. The significance lies in the change itself … water into wine! It’s all about transformation! It’s all about the transfiguration! From the expected to the astonishing! From the common to the exceptional! From the alwaysHasBeen to the neverBefore! Eight chapters from now, Jesus says it best … “I come that they may have life and that abundantly!” I come, Jesus says, to change them from water into wine! “And his disciples believed ….”