And make me restless
Till I journey on
To seek my peace in you
A candle is lit.
I light a candle for light, sending
prayers high into the inky heavens and
dreams deep into our human soul.
We light a candle for light. May it light our way.
The Lord’s Prayer in our own language
Song “There is a hope”
John 2v1-11 The wedding at Cana
The story is set two days after the call of Philip and Nathaniel. What is described is the wedding festivities that follow the arrival of the bride at the grooms home. These may have lasted up to seven days.
Cana was a village some nine miles north of Nazareth in the Galilean hill country, only mentioned in John. Tradition dating back to the 8th century identifies Cana with the modern village of Kafar Kanna, about 7 km northeast of Nazareth, Israel. However more recent scholars have suggested alternatives, including the ruined village of Kenet-el-Jalil (also known as Khirbet Kana), about 9 km further north, and Ain Kana nearer to Nazareth. While the village of Qana, now in southern Lebanon, is said to be an unlikely candidate for the location, many Lebanese Christians believe Qana to be the correct site.
Jesus as a wandering rabbi, along with his disciples, would not have been required to contribute to the occasion, as was expected of the other guests. His words to his mother appear a little harsh, “Mother why do you involve me?" – “What to me and to you?” A Semitism, This situation is the responsibility of the groom. Jesus was saying “My time has not yet come”. But she knows her son! And tells the servants “Do whatever he tells you”. She already knows his power.
There were there six stone water jars lying, standing used for the Jewish ceremonial washing (like wudu). Each held about twenty gallons! The jars filled would be about 500 litres and the servants are told to fill them to the brim.The master of the banquet was employed to manage the feast. When he tasted the water that had been turned into wine-, he called the bridegroom aside to congratulate him! This was the first “sign” in John’s gospel.
The fact that Jesus was invited to a wedding, attended and used his divine power to save the celebrations from disaster, are taken as evidence of his approval for marriage, his approval of celebrations and of drinking alcohol!
Jesus has taken an ordinary cultural situation, a wedding and transformed it for God. Isnt that what we are expected to do too?. Take the ordinary every day and transform to reflect God to draw people to God, in humility. Do it today! Amen
We pray for people and situations that are on our heart today ...
For Nigeria, Syria, Belarus, Ukraine, Hong Kong, Sudan, Yemen, Ethiopia, Taiwan, for teaching staff, for hospital staff dealing with Covid, for people who are lonely, for people who are hungry, for staff in care homes, for people suffering from war, for people imprisoned for, for people suffering from climate change, for the vulnerable and those sick and dying, for the homeless, for asylum seekers and refugees, for our government to make the right decisions, and finally for the children who we must give a better future.
May we not fail you though we face great dangers.
Give me your peace, your wisdom and your strength. Amen
Song “Oh God of earth and altar”
When the star in the sky has gone
And the wise men have gone back to their homes
The real work of Christmas begins
To find the lost, heal the broken, feed the hungry and release the prisoner. Amen
© Janet Morley adapted
