John 2:1-11
Our Christmas wreaths and garlands have been put away, the artificial tree has been stuffed into it's box which now has duck tape around it to keep all those green boughs in, and all that's left of Christmas treats is a candy cane or two but guess who is on my mind.... Mary, the mother of Jesus. Why?
This coming Sunday's gospel reading is John 2:1-11. It's the story of the wedding at Cana when Jesus turns water into wine, when Jesus did "the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him" (John 2:11) and it starts with Mary.
John 2:1-3
On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine."
The passage starts by saying that Jesus' mother was at the wedding. This caught my attention because it is the first mention of Mary in the Gospel of John. The nativity story isn't told in John like it is in Matthew and Luke yet Mary is present when Jesus's first sign that reveals His glory occurs. She was there when He first came into the world and the shepherds saw the Saviour, she was there when the Magi came and worshipped Him as King, and now she is there when the disciples see His glory being revealed. God has chosen Mary to be a consistent part of the initial revelations of the Incarnation.
It is worth noting that it is not only that she attended the wedding celebration, that she saw the miracle happen. No, she plays an initiating role. Mary notifies Jesus that the wine has run out. And after a rather intriguing (and confusing) response from Jesus,* she instructs the servants to listen to Him. The woman who humbly accepted the angel Gabriel's shocking message to her, who endured a challenging situation for the birth and early years of her son's life, and who waited years to see God's plan in action is full of faith in Jesus' power and as a result she is a vessel used by God.
So, even though our nativity sets are put away and we are no longer singing "Silent Night", we can keep our eyes open to the presence of Mary in the gospels and may our hearts be open to the revelation of Christ that will be given to us.
*that maybe I will tackle next week!?
This coming Sunday's gospel reading is John 2:1-11. It's the story of the wedding at Cana when Jesus turns water into wine, when Jesus did "the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him" (John 2:11) and it starts with Mary.
John 2:1-3
On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine."
The passage starts by saying that Jesus' mother was at the wedding. This caught my attention because it is the first mention of Mary in the Gospel of John. The nativity story isn't told in John like it is in Matthew and Luke yet Mary is present when Jesus's first sign that reveals His glory occurs. She was there when He first came into the world and the shepherds saw the Saviour, she was there when the Magi came and worshipped Him as King, and now she is there when the disciples see His glory being revealed. God has chosen Mary to be a consistent part of the initial revelations of the Incarnation.
It is worth noting that it is not only that she attended the wedding celebration, that she saw the miracle happen. No, she plays an initiating role. Mary notifies Jesus that the wine has run out. And after a rather intriguing (and confusing) response from Jesus,* she instructs the servants to listen to Him. The woman who humbly accepted the angel Gabriel's shocking message to her, who endured a challenging situation for the birth and early years of her son's life, and who waited years to see God's plan in action is full of faith in Jesus' power and as a result she is a vessel used by God.
So, even though our nativity sets are put away and we are no longer singing "Silent Night", we can keep our eyes open to the presence of Mary in the gospels and may our hearts be open to the revelation of Christ that will be given to us.
*that maybe I will tackle next week!?
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