Today we attended St. George Anglican Church in Hobart. There were only 12 in attendance and were our age or older. It was the 8am service which may also explain the congregation.
The Minister read each of the Ten commandments, and we responded to each one. It really made one focus on its meaning.
Psalm 92:1-5 It is good to give thanks to the Lord and to sing praises to Your name, Most High; To declare Your goodness in the morning and Your faithfulness by night, with the ten-stringed lute and with the harp, with resounding music on the lyre. For You, Lord, have made me joyful by what You have done, I will sing for joy over the works of Your hands. How great are Your works, Lord! Your thoughts are very deep.
John 2:1-11 The first sign
On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “What business do you have with Me, woman? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He tells you, do it.” Now there were six stone waterpots standing there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing two or three measures each. Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” So they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.” And they took it to him. Now when the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the groom, and said to him, “Every man serves the good wine first, and when the guests are drunk, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.” This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and revealed His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.
The Gospel according to John is quite different than Matthew, Mark, and Luke which are known as synoptic gospels. It was written much later and addressed problems arising in the theology in the church.
In the beginning is from Genesis and In the beginning was the Word is from John. Jesus has come (New Testament) to reclaim his creation (Old Testament).
John is organized around several themes:
- I AM statements
- Light is a recurring theme in John and is tied to the death of Jesus.
- His Glory is revealed as a bright light in the transfiguration. His crucifixion is the best illustration of His glory.
- Signs. Seven are given in John and seven is the number of completeness for the Hebrews. Signs are sometimes called miracles.
Only seven signs are written here, but read what is revealed in the last verse in John 21:25 But there are also many other things which Jesus did, which, if they were written in detail, I expect that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written.
Jesus was often going to parties, usually with sinners. This time He is at a wedding with His family and friends.
Weddings often lasted seven days so they needed a lot of wine. Running out of wine would bring shame to the host. The wine that Jesus provided was the best wine and was obvious to the wedding party.
(When we don’t know what to do or are in the midst of a crisis, rescue seems to come at the last minute. We trust Him and He gets the credit.)
When Mary told them to do what Jesus said, why would they listen to Mary? Hmmm.
Large ceremonial jugs were filled with water and used for washing and purification which is a foreshadowing of communion.
It took years to make a good wine. Jesus did it in an instant. This shows his power over nature.
Death brings us to the door to the great banquet of which Jesus is the host. The wedding at Cana points to the eternal banquet where he is the bridegroom. We will wear a white gown. As in a wedding, we say “I do.” He is Faithful and is ours forever.
Lord of the Wine, Master of the Banquet- Attend. Bring your friends. It will be a great party.
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