Epiphany
January 17, 2016

Scripture Reading: John 2:1-11

And Jesus said to [his mother], ‘Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ Now standing there were six stone water-jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 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. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, ‘Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.’ Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. –John 2:4-11

Years ago, when the Oklahoma Christian Home was in Edmond, Oklahoma; local Christian Churches (DOC) took turns holding a worship service in the Home’s chapel each Sunday afternoon. The local church planned the service but the Home provided the Communion elements. The attendance was not high as only the patients that were mobile enough to come to the chapel attended. My church thought it would be nice to take the entire choir to do an anthem at the service. It was close, but there were probably as many of us as there were of them. The Home did not have enough grape juice to fill the cups needed for we extra guest so they improvised and added a little water to what they did have so all could partake. The choir had taken of communion that morning and kept saying that’s ok we don’t need to participate. But that is not the way of faith and so we accepted their hospitality. It may have been the best Communion elements I had ever taken, although the coke and popcorn we had in youth group some years earlier left a positive impression also.

I think of Communion when I read the scripture for today, and I remember partaking of watered-down grape juice, which in its own way was also saving the best for last. The act of wanting the very best for another is an act of love, not an act of ritual. There is much symbolism in this scripture using the jars that were to hold the purification waters. While we all strive to be clean on the outside as well as on the inside, it, in the final analysis, is the love of God that makes us whole.

Prayer: God of Grace, we thank you for sending your Son, to teach us about your love. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.