Jesus<\/strong>: I told you this was going to be a lame party. I totally didn\u2019t want to come.<\/p>\n Mary<\/strong>: Yes, well, I thought\u00a0there might be some nice girls here\u2026<\/p>\n Jesus<\/strong>: ANYway\u2026I guess somebody\u2019s going to have to make a run.<\/p>\n Mary<\/strong>: Yes, I suppose. Unless\u2026well, you know. You could do some party tricks. <\/em><\/p>\n Jesus<\/strong>: Woman! And of course, I mean \u201cwoman\u201d in the most sincere and respectful tone, and not at all the the perjorative sense that is meant to silence you\u2026 I say, Woman! I couldn\u2019t possibly. It is not yet my time. The world is not ready for me.<\/p>\n Joseph: <\/strong>Don\u2019t talk to your mother that way. And anyway, it would <\/em>be really cool. Why don\u2019t you just do what\u00a0she says?<\/p>\n Jesus: <\/strong>You\u2019re not my real dad!<\/p>\n But of course\u2026Jesus does it anyway. He turns a lame\u00a0wedding with ill-prepared hosts into the greatest party\u00a0of all time. He transforms the water into a surplus of wine, and the celebration\u00a0lasts well into the night.<\/p>\n Some say that Jesus is foreshadowing the cross here, the promise of eternal life\u2013that which never runs dry. Maybe that\u2019s true. Or maybe he loved a good party. Or maybe he really loved his mama.<\/p>\n Or maybe Jesus knew that the real miracle was love itself. Signified in the holy vows of matrimony, or in a thousand other ways that imperfect people show up to love each other every day. Maybe Jesus knew that in a dark and broken and messed up world, people who still seek the salvation of human connection are brave enough and bold enough to deserve something spectacular. Maybe he knew that in a world of terrorism\u00a0and Donald Trump and reality t.v., we could all\u00a0use a little more of the magic of the wedding feast.<\/p>\n Truth is, it is miraculous that people still get married. It is a miracle\u00a0when\u00a0people still bring children into the world, and raise them to be compassionate voices in the world. It is a sign and a wonder, in this age of isolation and autonomy, that some people still want to know their neighbors and serve the poor. It is a great in-breaking of the spirit when people still talk of peace like it\u2019s a living promise for our time and place.<\/p>\n Love, in its many expressions, sustains us and compels us to hope. It is essential and life-giving and\u00a0overcomes even the\u00a0lamest rituals that we might try to put around it. It keeps us\u00a0joyful against all odds, dancing and singing\u00a0well into the night.<\/p>\n Likewise, it is the essence of grace and good news that drives us back church, when every trend says we are dying; when every public opinion survey says that\u00a0our tradition is\u00a0 \u2018irrelevant,\u2019 \u2018judgmental,\u2019 \u2018hypocritical,\u2019 perhaps even \u2018lame.\u201d We continue to believe in the miracle of grace and community because, around our table, the cup is never dry.<\/p>\n Love is the miracle, and it keeps us coming back for more. Jesus knew this. Maybe that\u2019s why he strapped on his best sandals, rolled his eyes a little, and\u2013just this once, to make her happy\u2013went to a lame wedding with his mama.\u00a0 in a dark and broken and messed up world, people who still seek the salvation of human connection are brave enough and bold enough to deserve something spectacular.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1154,"featured_media":5275,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,668],"tags":[1158,9,1156,1157],"class_list":["post-2108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-marriage-and-family","category-s-jesus-says","tag-miracles","tag-progressive-christianity","tag-water-to-wine","tag-wedding-at-cana"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"wineglass-553467_640\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/333\/2013\/01\/wineglass-553467_640.jpg\")
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