Mtr Taylor Devine

Dear Friend,

Today's Office Gospel, John 2:2-12, always reminds me of weddings in the Episcopal Church. A typical wedding liturgy begins with a reference to the wedding at Cana. The opening words of the liturgy that follow the first few sentences go: "The bond and covenant of marriage was established by God in creation, and our Lord Jesus Christ adorned this manner of life by his presence and first miracle at a wedding in Cana of Galilee. It signifies to us the mystery of the union between Christ and his Church, and Holy Scripture commends it to be honored among all people." Perhaps this theological frame of marriage helps us to look past the first reaction we might have to this passage (where are your manners, Jesus!), and to look toward that which the "first sign" points.

By turning water into wine, "the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, [Jesus] revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him." John's use of signs, miracles, and symbols is important - here we have Jesus on the third day, at a wedding symbolizing God's union with humanity, by way of Jesus' purifying by his blood - there's a lot packed in there! This sign, turning water into wine, couched in a human predicament of hospitality and lack, holds out the hope and claim that we share, that Jesus came to lead us toward that union with God. What signs most poignantly point to Jesus for you?

In Christ,
Mtr. Taylor