In addition to many other charms, this story of the wedding feast and the wine gives us a glimpse into Jesus’ relationship with his mother. He had no problem saying “no” to her when she nudged him to use his super-powers to address the wine shortage – and she had no problem ignoring his “no.”
When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘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.’
Despite his demurral, Jesus does give the servants orders, and somehow vats filled with water become vats of finest wine. His instructions to the servants are two-fold: Fill the giant jars with water, and then draw some off and take it to the chief steward. It is Jesus who “works” the miracle, but it is accomplished through ordinary servants who follow his instructions, as daft as they may seem.
When God is up to something in this world, it is generally done through ordinary servants like us. And the bigger and more transformational the “something,” often the whackier the instructions seem. Quit your job. Sell your house. Leave your country. Call that person. Join that movement. Raise thousands of dollars. Give away thousands of dollars.
I wonder, is God always asking outrageous things of us, and we just aren’t getting the message? I do know that the instructions usually come one at a time. We have to do the first thing before we find out what the next is. Fill the jars, all the jars. All the jars? With that much water? That’s crazy. But we have to do that before the next instruction: draw some off. And it’s only after the chief steward has tasted that we know just what a crazy thing Jesus has just done through us.
Can you recall a time you felt prompted by the Spirit to do something odd, bold, even controversial? Did you do it? What happened? Are you receiving such promptings in your life now? What instruction are you being given?
Sunday, we had to cancel church because of snow and ice, and I thought about sleeping in. But I felt a nudge to offer “church by phone,” using a teleconference number. And it ended up connecting a group of us to a beloved parishioner who’s in the hospital, gravely ill, as her husband dialed in to the call – she could hear us as we prayed for her. I could not have foreseen such a wondrous development; only God could have arranged that, through a holy nudge.
If, like me most of the time, you draw a blank when asked what God is prompting, try asking God straight out: “Where do you want me to serve in your plans today? What purpose can I help fulfill?”
Then pay attention and see what develops – and while you’re waiting, enjoy the party!
No comments:
Post a Comment