FAITH CONNECTION – FARMERSVILLE UMC
Ministry Updates for Wednesday, July 29th, 2020
Faith Connection emails will be coming from my email this week. – Carol Barnes
The following devotion was contributed by Dawn Gunter
Scripture for reflection – John 2: 1-3
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.”
Reflection – Because I said so.
This is Jesus’ first miracle and maybe one of his most famous. The focus of the scripture is the beginning of Jesus’ life as Son of God, Savior of the World. Although he is hesitant to reveal himself, he does so and his disciples receive their much needed assurance that he wasn’t kidding – he really was the Son of God who was here to change the lives and save the souls of all mankind. He’s actually the “big deal” he told them he was. All eyes now turn to watch the Messiah in action.
Each time I read this scripture, my attention goes to Mary, Jesus’ mom. She realizes that this wedding is about to be a disaster because they have run out of wine. She also knows that she gave birth to the Son of God and he is capable of performing miracles. She sees a problem and knows the solution. She seeks Jesus out and simply says, “They have no more wine.” There is no indication that she is insistent or angry, but Jesus quickly asks her why she’s telling him; it’s not his problem. He’s not responsible….yet.
Mary doesn’t say anything else to him, but I think there is an unwritten “mom pause.” If you’re a mom or if you have a mom, you know exactly what I am referring to. It’s the instant stillness that looms after a mom has asked a child to do something and the child has refused. They are in public, so the response has to be calculated and direct. It’s the calm before the storm. Both mother and child know it, and usually this is when the child gets real nervous – or should. I have both used this tactic and had it used on me. I am fully aware of its power.
Jesus may not have had much experience with it, but the “mom pause” seems to work on him. Mary tells the servants to do whatever Jesus tells them. In my vision of this scene, Mary never takes her eyes off Jesus, even though she is speaking to the servants. It’s her “because I said so,” moment. It must have worked because Jesus makes the wine and proves he’s really good at it – the master of the banquet tells the bridegroom that it’s pretty yummy stuff.
What does this have to do with us and where we are today? I think God has his own “mom pause” moments throughout the Bible, and I feel like he’s having a really long one now. He’s telling us that the world is out of wine and we need to do something to fix it. He has already given us an abundance of guidelines to help solve this problem – make this wine: love everyone; don’t judge one another; be still and listen; acknowledge those who are poor, hungry, persecuted in the name of justice, show mercy, are peacemakers with purehearts for they are the blessed; and finally, love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. Why? Because He said so.
That’s good enough for me. I hope it is for you as well. When we begin doing that, I think there will be plenty of wine for everyone.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, maker of wine, be with us. We need you. Make eye contact with us and give us the direction we need to make something bad, good; and something good, even better. Help us to know that you want us to do what is beneficial to everyone in any way we can. Guide us with your words and help us hear them. Help us hear you in the pause. Remind us that we have someone who loves us so much that they would die for us. We believe and trust in this- you told us, “Because I said so.”