Water into Wine

I went to a very lovely wedding over the weekend. . . it was a joyous occasion and I was so glad to be able to share in that joy. As the best man and maid of honor offered toasts to the newlyweds, I got to thinking about Jesus attending the wedding at Cana and turning water into wine. My stream of consciousness went something like this:

I wonder who was getting married at that famous wedding? How was Jesus connected to the bride or the groom? Did he bring a gift or was the wine his present? I can't turn water into wine but I can turn it into ice or steam. Can Jesus turn water into wine as easily as I boil water? Will he do it for as many different reasons as I boil water? Silly rambling thoughts . . .


I share these silly ramblings because I know if my daughters (even though they are now adults) had been present, we would have talked about them. And we would also have speculated about the relationships between the people present - that must be the bride's uncle, the groom's grandmother and so on. And if it was a family wedding, we would have told stories about experiences we had had with the various relatives. Some would be oft-told stories and some would be never-before-heard stories. Like a member of the family, Jesus is someone known to us in many different ways. My children don't see my mother the same way that I see her. She doesn't see them the same way that I do. As we reflect together about people we love, we get truer, more complete pictures of them.

Deuteronomy 6 is often referenced as the "instruction to parents" chapter in the Bible. It says: Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. ⁵You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. ⁶Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. ⁷Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. I recommend talking about Jesus as one of the ways people can fulfill the promises they make when a child is baptized. Think aloud together about Jesus in a variety of situations and through those conversations make Jesus known and real to your children. And feel free to talk to my children about Jesus too - and I'll do the same for you.

We're all swimming in the same water - and drinking the same wine at the Lord's Table!