December 13 - Cana
In a game of word association, if someone said “Cana,” most individuals would respond with “Wedding Feast" - the place and location of Jesus first miracle.
Before the miracle occurs, Mary notices that the wedding has run out of wine, and she has compassion and concern for the young couple. At a first read, someone may joke, “oh no, no wine.” However, in an honor and shame culture this event pushed the bar to a crisis.
Sometimes, in our lives, we run out of wine. Each and every one of us may have a different wine. Many times, it is our devotional life that runs dry like a desert, and we are thankful for times like Advent when we are encouraged to dive back into the spiritual practice of study.
An aspect of the wedding story that intrigues many is why no one noticed that the wine was close to empty. Nothing was done until it was all gone, and they were in the crisis. However, if we look deep in the mirror, we should not be shocked. Denial is a common practice. The pathway out of denial is humility. We take that deep breath and admit that we cannot do it on our own and we need help.
Thankfully, at this time of the year, we can look in the manger and see our Savior and realize that we don’t have to do it all on our own. Jesus was in the midst of the Cana crisis and now is with us in our crisis.
Before the miracle occurs, Mary notices that the wedding has run out of wine, and she has compassion and concern for the young couple. At a first read, someone may joke, “oh no, no wine.” However, in an honor and shame culture this event pushed the bar to a crisis.
Sometimes, in our lives, we run out of wine. Each and every one of us may have a different wine. Many times, it is our devotional life that runs dry like a desert, and we are thankful for times like Advent when we are encouraged to dive back into the spiritual practice of study.
An aspect of the wedding story that intrigues many is why no one noticed that the wine was close to empty. Nothing was done until it was all gone, and they were in the crisis. However, if we look deep in the mirror, we should not be shocked. Denial is a common practice. The pathway out of denial is humility. We take that deep breath and admit that we cannot do it on our own and we need help.
Thankfully, at this time of the year, we can look in the manger and see our Savior and realize that we don’t have to do it all on our own. Jesus was in the midst of the Cana crisis and now is with us in our crisis.
Pastor Jeff Greathouse
Bay View Lutheran (ELCA) - Sturgeon Bay
Comments
Post a Comment