John 2:7-8 Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.” So, they took it.
Simon Tugwell has said that we all need to recognize the importance of poverty. He reminds us that while we may not think we have anything special to give, it is still very important not to have given up on experiencing the grace of giving. “If we are prepared to be poor enough to learn and appreciate the manner of God’s giving, we shall find in that poverty the seed of all perfection.” St. Augustine carries that thought a little further in his discussion about miracles. “Our Lord’s miracle in turning water into wine comes as no surprise to those who know that it is God who did it. At the wedding that day he made wine in the six waterpots he had had filled with water; but he does the same thing every year in the vines. The servants put the water in the jugs, and he turned it into wine. In just the same way the Lord turns into wine the water that the clouds drop.”
Both Tugwell and St. Augustine want us to become refreshed by the ways in which God’s continuing presence is part of our life – always. We need to rediscover and cherish a basic sense of wonder, of surprise, and the precariousness of actuality. In Ecclesiastes we might see, “there is nothing new under the sun.” Yet the New Testament proclaims loudly and excitedly, Look, I am making all things new,” In these days of unrest, protest, sorrow, worry, destruction, death and all the various things that rob us of our enthusiasm for living the life we’ve been given, let’s stop. Let’s get down on our knees [or whatever position works for you] and recover the sense of wonder that the God who makes the wine loves us. We should aim to have minds and imaginations that become able to respond joyfully to the truth that in Christ everything is given at least some part of the first days of creation. In the midst of chaos, order was established, and that hasn’t changed. Be encouraged.
Morning has broken
Like the first morning,
Blackbird has spoken
Like the first bird. Praise for the singing! Praise for the morning! Praise for them springing Fresh from the Word!
O God, bring us back from anything that has temporarily separated us from our reliance upon your love. Grant that in that love we will be reconnected with each other as well. Grant that together we remember what is like to be united. Amen.
Pastor David Brosnan