Overflowing Joy at Cana
In Today's Newsletter – A Rhythm for Your Day + Meditation for This Week + Reflections for the Week Ahead + Resources + Preview of Next Week + My Blessing for Your Week.
A Rhythm for Your Day: Debbie and I begin each morning listening to Grace For All, a 5-minute daily devotional podcast. It's written and produced by about 50-members of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, TN, the home church of my friend and co-author, Jim Stovall, and his wife Sally. Debbie and I look forward to hearing the narrators' familiar voices, and we appreciate the inspiration they share. Click the player for a sample. You can find Grace for All wherever you get your podcasts. We enjoy it and know you will, too!
This Week: The Miracle of God's Abundance
Scripture: John 2:1-5 (6-11) NIV
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.”
Abundance and Compassion: The Evidence of Grace
The wedding in Cana that day wasn’t just a celebration; it was a community-wide expression of joy and covenant.
In the rural hills of Galilee, where time was measured by the rhythm of planting and harvest, a wedding marked a moment of abundance and shared hope. It was a pause, a gathering, a feast of promise for the bride and groom and their extended families.
But this wedding, recorded in John 2:1-11, would be remembered for something far greater: the first sign of Jesus’ ministry—a moment when water became wine – and grace began to flow.
A Scarcity Noticed
This celebration had reached a critical point. The wine, an essential symbol of joy and blessing, had run out. This wasn’t just an inconvenience; it was a crisis that could tarnish the family’s reputation and bring lasting shame in an honor-bound society. Fortunately, the guests went on eating and drinking, unaware of the crisis looming.
But Mary, Jesus’ mother, knew. She turns to Jesus, confident that he can intervene. Her quiet observation, “They have no more wine,” reflects not just information but deep concern for the hosts. Strangely, Jesus' response sounds like a refusal: “Woman, why do you involve me? My hour has not yet come.”
This dialogue between mother and son is both tender and mysterious. Mary’s faith doesn’t waver. After all, she knows her son. So in anticipation, she directs the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
Her words convey certainty even though the outcome is unclear. She says nothing else, leaving the moment in Jesus’ hands. Her example of bringing needs to God, trusting, and stepping back is a model of faith in action.
Stone Jars Become Containers of Hope
Nearby stood six empty stone jars, used for ceremonial washing. These jars, used to hold water for washing rituals, symbolized an old order—a world of rigidity and tradition.
Jesus instructs the servants to fill them with water, and then to draw some out. They were to take it to the master of the banquet. Somewhere in the ordinary act of obedience, the extraordinary happens. The water becomes wine. Not just any wine, but the finest wine – served not at the beginning but at the end of the feast. The master of the banquet marvels, “You have saved the best until now.”
This miracle, the first of many to come in Jesus's ministry, reveals a God who meets us in moments of scarcity, not with the bare minimum, but with an extravagant abundance.
Grace doesn’t simply replenish; it overflows. At these multi-day wedding celebrations the best wine was usually served first, but now everyone thinks the family has saved it for the end. For the surprised family, this wine enhances their community standing by defying expectations. More than that, however, it signals the nature of the kingdom Jesus proclaims. It’s a kingdom where joy is restored, shame is lifted, and the ordinary becomes extraordinary.
Culturally, this scene is rich with meaning. Weddings in first-century Galilee were deeply communal, often lasting seven days. Hospitality was sacrosanct, and running out of wine would have been a serious breach of social norms. The act of providing wine wasn’t just about logistics; it was about sustaining the celebration, ensuring the community’s joy.
For Jesus to intervene publicly, even before he thinks he should, is to affirm the value of joy, community, and covenant. It’s a declaration that God is intimately concerned with the rhythms of our everyday lives.
Theologically, the use of water jars for purification is significant. These jars – symbols of the old order – become vessels of new wine, pointing to the transforming power of Jesus’ mission. This isn’t just a miracle of provision; it’s a sign of renewal. The old is giving way to the new – from customs to grace, ritual to relationship.
God Still Transforms Empty Vessels Today
Today this story invites us to pause. What are the “empty jars” in our lives—those places of scarcity, where joy has run dry? How might God be inviting us to bring those jars forward, trusting that they can be filled in ways we can’t yet imagine? Like the servants, we are called to simple acts of obedience, to do what he tells us, even when the outcome isn’t clear.
This miracle also speaks to the timing of grace. The best wine is saved for last, echoing the ultimate and eternal hope of the kingdom. In moments when it feels like the celebration is over, when resources and strength are depleted, grace surprises us.
It also reminds us that God’s work often happens in the quiet, unexpected places, transforming what we offer into something far greater.
As you think about this passage, consider where you see the rhythm of grace in your own life. Where have you experienced the shift from scarcity to abundance, from the ordinary to the extraordinary? And how might you, like Mary, bring your needs to God and trust in the mystery of his timing?
This first sign of grace at Cana is more than a miracle; it’s a glimpse of the kingdom, a reminder that in God’s economy, joy flows freely, abundantly, and always right on time.
Let's pray together.
Prayer:
Gracious God, we thank You for the insight of Mary, and the compassion of Jesus who stepped into one family's moment of scarcity with a gift of abundance. Most of all, we praise You for the overflow of Your grace, which turns the ordinary into the extraordinary and fills our lives with joy. Teach us to act in faith, and to rest in the rhythm of Your abundance. Amen.
Reflections for the Week Ahead
- Monday: Reflect on Mary’s role. How does her quiet faith inspire you to trust God in your daily transitions?
- Tuesday: Consider the water jars. What in your life feels ordinary but holds potential for transformation?
- Wednesday: Meditate on Jesus’s words, “My hour has not yet come.” Where are you learning to wait in grace?
- Thursday: Recall a moment when God provided unexpectedly. How can you carry gratitude into today?
- Friday: Imagine the taste of this excellent wine. How does God’s goodness surprise you?
- Saturday: Prepare for Sunday by pondering the rhythm of grace in your own life—where do you see preparation and fulfillment?
Resources for Spiritual Growth
In each newsletter, I offer suggestions to enhance our appreciation of the rhythm of grace. This week a simple glass of water; a old, familiar hymn; and time-tested spiritual guidance from the late Henri Nouwen await our exploration.
- Ritual: Fill a glass of water and set it in the sunlight. Watch how the light transforms it, symbolizing God’s power to renew what feels ordinary.
- Music: Listen to “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” and reflect on the phrase, “streams of mercy, never ceasing.”
- Video: Watch the late Henri Nouwen’s inspired message on the surprising source of God's blessing.
Looking Ahead: Jesus in the Synagogue at Nazareth
Next week, leaving the wedding in Cana behind, we turn to a more prophetic moment for Jesus. The Gospel of Luke invites us to witness Jesus' first public proclamation in the synagogue in Nazareth, his hometown.
In Luke 4:14-21, Jesus reads from Isaiah: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor..."
His message is unmistakable: the promises of God’s justice and liberation are not distant ideals; they are breaking into the present. Here is grace, not as a concept but as a living, active force reshaping lives.
Next Sunday, January 19, 2025, we’ll explore how this moment in the synagogue captures the heart of Jesus’ ministry. It reminds us that grace is not always comfortable, but it is always transformative. As we prepare, let us consider: Where is grace calling us to look beyond the surface and embrace its bold, liberating presence?
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Also, if you haven't already, sample my new book, The Way of Grace: Gospel Stories for Lent, written with my good friend, Jim Stovall. Your church, Bible study group, or your family might want to use this study guide for the Lenten season starting with Ash Wednesday, March 5. Amazon is offering the paperback for $9.99, and the ebook for $6.99 through the end of January. Thanks!
My Blessing for Your Week
May the rhythm of grace lead you from empty jars to overflowing joy. May you trust the slow and steady work of transformation, knowing that God may be saving the best for last! -Chuck
