Jan. 1: Christ Blesses the Wedded Couple at Cana

Wedding at Cana, Lyuba Yatskiv, 2017. Acrylic, gilding, silvering on gessoed wood, 38 x 50 cm. Private Collection.

“The Blessing.” Performed by Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes. Composed by Chris Brown, Steven Furtick Jr., Cody Carnes, and Kari Jobe.

Poetry:

“Cana”
byThomas Merton

Once when our eyes were clean as noon, our rooms
Filled with the joys of Cana’s feast:
For Jesus came, and His disciples, and His Mother,
And after them the singers
And some men with violins.

Once when our minds were Galilees,
And clean as skies our faces,
Our simple rooms were charmed with sun.

Our thoughts went in and out in whiter coats than
God’s disciples’,
In Cana’s crowded rooms, at Cana’s tables.

Nor did we seem to fear the wine would fail:
For ready, in a row, to fill with water and a miracle,
We saw our earthen vessels, waiting empty.
What wine those humble waterjars foretell!

Wine for the ones who, bended to the dirty earth,
Have feared, since lovely Eden, the sun’s fire,
Yet hardly mumble, in their dusty mouths, one prayer.

Wine for old Adam, digging in the briars!

CHRIST BLESSES THE WEDDED COUPLE AT CANA

In just three weeks I will be officiating Tanner and Sophie’s wedding. We spoke together a few nights ago, pouring over every detail of the ceremony. I wonder if I should have reminded them to have plenty of wine on hand.

Few occasions are as joyous as a wedding. Love is new, hope is young, and the future bright.

In Jesus’ day, the marriage supper was a full-on celebration, sometimes continuing for days. One difference being, the groom’s family, not the bride’s, provided the great feast to honor the couple. Running out of wine while the party was still underway would bring shame upon the generous hosts.

While Jesus might have been unsure of his role in this crisis, his mother was not. Instead of arguing, she stepped in to initiate a solution, whatever it would take.

Many meaningful themes and symbolic connections can be drawn from this glorious wedding miracle of Jesus turning water to wine, but the one I’d like us to look at today, this first day of a new year, is timing.

On the one hand, Mary’s timing is: We need wine NOW! In Yatskiv’s artwork we see Mary’s hands depicting her urgent request. On the other hand, Jesus’ take on it is: Mom, please leave me out of this. It’s not time for me to start doing miracles. It’s too soon.

Then we have the master of ceremonies declaring that the hosts have their timing all wrong. The best wine is usually served first, but they held it back until the last.

And thirdly (pun intended), the opening words to this narrative “on the third day” are likely referencing Jesus’ resurrection, and He hasn’t even begun His ministry yet.

What do we do with this?

Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us that “for everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven...” and verse 11 expounds, “...God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.” (NLT)

As we launch into this new year, it will bring us peace to remember that although we cannot see the whole scope of God’s plan from beginning to end, there is a plan. God really does have a purpose for the timing of every activity under heaven.Everyactivity under heaven.

Joy and celebration are coming, even for “old Adam, digging in the briars!” We are His beloved. He’s preparing a place for us right now, and the marriage supper of the Lamb is on His calendar. Whatever this year may bring, we can trust in His love, His timing, and His ways.

Prayer:
Dear Father, we ask for Your presence to go with us and before us into this new year. We will trust in your love for us, your ways, and your timing. May Your favor be upon us, our families, our children, and their children to a thousand generations.
Amen and amen!

Kay Vinci, M.Div.
Writer and editor

For more information about the artwork, music, and poetry selected for this day, please visit our website via the link in our bio.