Tag: son of God

Water into wine

My mom used to say that the story of Jesus turning water into wine was one of her favourite stories.

My mom loved it because Mary knew that being out of wine would embarrass the host. Mary not only knew that but she also knew that her son could fix it. She spoke to her son and he responded, “Dear woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” (John 2: 4) Most people would have taken this as a rebuff and gone away. Mary, acting in this moment as a mother, not a follower of Jesus, did not go away or get insulted. But instead, this is what the text records; “His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” (John 2: 5)

Mary asserted herself. She knew how to solve this problem. Jesus didn’t push it, he just complied. When you look at the story it really is a very tender interlude. The beauty of the relationship can get lost in the miracle. Don’t get me wrong the miracle is amazing and important. But there is this lovely little moment between a mother and her son.

Buried in the Bible are these wonderful gems. In these moments we can see the humanity. God understands us.

The light of the world

A long time ago, in a world far away. OK, when I was a kid, but that really is far away these days… When I was in elementary school our teacher decided to take our class to the basement of the old school. I don’t remember why, or even which teacher. It was an object lesson of some sort. I believe the point of the lesson was how little you can see in total darkness. A science lesson.

The only room in the school where they could get the whole class and where they could have total darkness was the furnace/storage room in the basement. We had to exit the school and walk around the back and enter through a small door near the gymnasium wall. It was a door none of us had noticed before and we certainly had no clue there was any sort of a basement behind it.

Calling it a basement was a bit generous. It was a utility room not much bigger than my living room. There was a small window against the exterior wall. Our teacher had covered it with cardboard and dark cloth. We all got positioned against the wall and the lecture was given about safety and not doing ‘anything’ in the dark. We were to remain totally still. Then our teacher turned the lights out.

At first it was black! So dark you could not see your hand in front of your face. I wondered if the person next to me had disappeared. I put my elbow back just to rub up against my friend, to make sure she was there. Then I noticed the tiniest pin hole of light coming through the edge of the window. The teacher also noticed this and there was muffled discussion about what to do about it. It wasn’t enough light to help anyone see, but it was the most visible thing in the room.

This image stayed with me long after the details drifted from my memory. My teacher thought she had covered all the light. Working in the dimly lit furnace room she thought she had her bases covered. And yet, even the tiniest crack of light became visible in the pitch blackness.

The darker the dark the more obvious the light. That tiny crack of light was more powerful than all the darkness before it.

John 1:5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.