"Jesus' plea for Unity"

Apophatic prayer is rooted in the doctrine of the divine indwelling (Luke 17:21; John 7:38, 14:3; Romans 8:10-11; 1 Corinthians 6:15-20; Galatians 2:20).

June 2, 2019     Psalm 93,  John 17: 20-26

You may not have known that this passage in John today is referred to Jesus’ high priestly prayer.   My hope was that you took time at home to read it as I suggested.   It is a prayer for unity, one body of believers, unified in the body of Christ.  Now as strange as that may sound to some denominations, that does not mean that all Jesus followers should become Methodist, Baptist, Pentecostal, Catholic, or Anglican,     If we all though the same, worshiped the same, performed all the same religious rituals in the same way, believed one interpretation of scripture and followed the same doctrine, we would be nothing more a carbon copy of that church and its leadership, more like zombies than vibrant, spontaneous, free thinking, spirit filled human beings. That is not the unity that Jesus’ high priestly prayer was about.  In fact denominations of His church did not yet exist in Jesus’ time, the disciples would not have known what we were talking about if we were to try and describe or justify the many churches of today.   The scripture indicates to us that Jesus’ prayer and Gods intention was not about religious lables, but about being united together by the risen Christ, who was connived by the Spirit and united as one with God.   “I in them and you in me” says Jesus then we are one.  The prayer is for unity, not for its own sake, but for the sake of witness to the love of God and the authenticity of Christ as the head of the church both then and now.  One body of believers transformed and united with Christ.    It is a prayer we need to hear today especially in this divided and fragmented world of twenty-first-century Christianity.   One commentator which I have read, recently paraphrased Jesus to say, if his followers and disciples would keep the peace as they had learned it from him, the people around them “would know the teacher, by the way they conducted themselves.”  He went on the point out that the quarrelsome fighting among church labels and their congregrants would cause others to distance themselves from them, not wanting to be affiliated with, even to the point of refusing to join with them.  Sounds much like what the church is experiencing today with people not wanting to come or participate in organized religion.  

In the ancient world as in ours, a prayer for unity with other religions or denominations unfortunately has had the power to further divide us.   So we can see just what Jesus was up against.   Folks are still arguing over the question of free will verses predestination.   Other quarrels have included, debates over, how to dress for church, the meaning of baptism, kneeling, who can partake in communion, who is saved, who can be included or excluded from our denomination, whether Christ was fully divine, human or a combination of both, and there are many others.  The passage from John today ask us to consider this question:  What do you think being united as one in the body of Christ should look like in the life of believers today?    

Despite differing and sometimes sharply conflicting theological perspectives among denominations, there is a true longing for a deeper understanding and unity among the followers of Jesus that keeps surfacing and we cannot keep it down forever.  People are becoming more aware that the dogma, and doctrine of our religious tradition within the Christian Church need to be re-examined with an open mind.  They do not seal the relationship we all seek.  That we can no longer take for granted what has been preached from the pulpits as the truth.  What we need to understand is that in biblical time’s truth was determined in this way and not much has changed today.  Statements were accepted as the truth according to the numbers of people who agreed with the statement.  If a majority of people agreed with the spoken word, or the circumstances surrounding the word, that perception becomes their reality, therefore it must be the true.   What was perceive to be real by that group, was seen as a truth.     This is one of the reasons why it is so difficult for humankind to understand the truths Jesus shared in his teachings, for instance he tells us that “In order to save your life, you must lose it” or you must realize that you are lost in order to be found, the last shall be first.  These perceptions may not agree with our reality, yet deep within us, spiritually speaking, we know there is something for us in His truth.   Many today are finding out, as they deepen their spiritual lives, that the focus of unity and some of the traditions within many denominations today just do not match with the teaching of Jesus.  Jesus knew this would even occur for his twelve, so I’m sure he understood that this dilemma would continue to plague the modern church as we know it today, otherwise why would he have asked it in his prayer. Verse 20 states” I ask not only on behalf of these {meaning the 12} but also on behalf of those who will believe in Me through this word, they must all be one.  As you Father are in me and I am in You, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you sent me. ” This is a prayer that should help us to begin to re-focus our energies to do His work, rather than try and build our faith on a religious doctrine or ritual.  The work He has called us to do, and it lay before us, will be the root out of which our faith will come.   Nothing will unify a group of people more than to be working together in the spirit of Christ using the gifts God has given us.  Not to satisfy our ego, but to share whatever our gift is to help others who are also lost, the less fortunate, the underprivileged, or those who are being oppressed by the power of the Church, their own personal circumstances or the powers of this world.  There is much work to be done and much of it may not be pleasant or without sacrifice.  Want to grow in faith, love peace joy and hope, unity in Christ is the only way, for it is the only way of God.  Let us pray.

Love As Jesus Loves

May 19, 2019   Readings:  John 13: 31-35

Jesus leaves his friends with this commandment from John 13: beginning at verse 34:  “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”  Now I ask you when people outside look at the church disciples of today what do they see?     

The most powerful, most needed, and most essential teaching has always been and will always be Love.  Love is our foundation and our destiny. It is where we come from and where we’re headed. As St. Paul famously says, when all the other gifts have ceased these three remain “faith, hope, and love but the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13). The Hebrew word for "Love" is Ahava (Ah-ha-vah.)  But, love is more than just a word. It is an emotion that involves action and in Israel, where Hebrew is the national language, love is also a way of life! The root of the word lay in giving not receiving.  The Greek word is “Agape” meaning, your love must be an outpouring that is free and without condition.   

My hope this morning is when I speak I am able to help clear away any hindrance or obstruction[SR1]  allowing you to trust and to begin participating in Gods foundational Love.  May I suggest that God’s love was planted inside each of us upon conception and it is the job of the Holy Spirit who, according to Jesus, when the spirit is awakens within “will teach you the truth about everything and remind you of all that Jesus has taught you” (John 14:26).

To Love is to know who’s you are and how you were meant to live.  Our goal then is to love as Jesus loves.   When you don’t live according to his love, you are living outside the foundation of Gods will.  In doing so, you’re basically not real or true to yourself.   When you love, you are acting according to your deepest being, your deepest truth by expressing God’s divine image. {1 John 4:7-8.}   When you do, you are operating according to the divine power that was given to you.  For a simple description of the kind of love I am talking about, let’s just use the word outflowing. Hopefully this will become clearer as we proceed.

All I can do is remind you of what you already know deep within your True Self and invite you to live your life connected to this divine power.  The phrase you need to focus on is, Jesus telling us that if I am in the father and you are in me, then we are one with God’s love.  Repeat the last line of the phrase using I instead of we:  “I am one with God’s love.”  You can study this by reading the scripture that is known as Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer.  John 17: 1-26   Your Homework for the next two weeks is to study this prayer, it will be the focus of my sermon on Sunday June 2^nd.   

John the Evangelist writes, “God is love, and whoever remains in love, remains in God and God in them” (1 John 4:16). The Judeo-Christian creation story says that we were created in the very “image and likeness” of God—who sets the highest bar for this kind of outflowing love.  In Genesis 1:26-27 we read:     ²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”²⁷ So God created humankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

Out of the Trinity’s reproductive and infinitely flowing relationship, confirmed in verse 26 by the use of the plural “LET US”,  all of creation takes form, mirroring the goodness of God  in its deepest identity.

We have heard this phrase so often that many do not get the full concept of what “created in the image and likeness of God” is saying about us.  If this statement is true, you have to think deeper because this implies that the human family of origin is divine. It is saying that we were created by a loving God to be love in the world.  Love then must be an outpouring of that which already exists in you, it is not a receiving station where you become loved, you are meant to be love itself.  We get confused because the world teaches us the complete opposite.  That you go looking for love, that in order to feel whole or to feel loved, someone must show you that they love you.  There is an old country song that suggests: We can spend a life time, looking for love in all the wrong places.   

May I suggest that our core is actually original blessing, not original sin? We just read it in Genesis 1: 26-27.   Our starting point is “very good” (Genesis 1:1-31 tells us it is all for good).    If the beginning is right, the rest is made considerably easier, because we know and can trust that: God is good all the time, and all the time God is good.

We must all overcome the illusion of separateness. It is the primary task of religion to communicate not worthiness but union, to reconnect people to their original identity “hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). The Bible calls this state of separateness “sin.” God’s job description, is to draw us back into primal and intimate relationship. We read in 1 John 3:2:   2 My dear friends, we are now God's children, but it is not yet clear what we shall become. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he really is.

Henceforth, all our moral behavior is simply “the imitation of God.  Ephesians 5:1” First observe what God is doing all the time and everywhere, and then do the same thing. And what does God do? God does what God is: Love.  God does not love you if and when you change. God loves you so that you can change!   May he add his blessing to my words, let us pray.  

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 [SR1]

Jesus both Old Testament and New?

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A man with his new bird do is out for the hunt.  After shooting his first duck, it fell in the lake.  His dog ran to the water’s edge then gently walking out on the water, picked up the duck, and brought it to his master. Stunned the man didn't know what to think.  So he shot another duck and again the dog did exactly the same thing!  No one will ever believer this, he though. So the next day he decided to invite a neighbor to come and see his new dog fetch a downed bird. The dog repeated his miracle for the friend to see but he didn’t say anything.  So the man shot another duck and the miracle happened again. We he could no longer contain himself, he asked his friend.  Didn’t you notice something strange about my dog. Oh yes of course said the friend.  Your dog doesn’t know how to swim. 

Mar 3, 2019    Luke 9:28–36,  Psalm 37  vu page 763   

Is there a Jesus of the Old Testament?  Many church folks have struggled with this idea.  Well the gospel of John refers to an entity called “The Word” that was there in the beginning and then tells us that the word became flesh.  Paul and the other Apostles have a name for the Jesus resurrected they call him “The Christ”.   Christ you see was not Jesus’ last name but a name used by them to describe the entity that always existed.  We first hear about this entity in the book of Genesis 1: 26.  here is what it says:  “Let us make humans in our image”   Colossians 1: 15-18 gives us a description of this eternal entity called “The Christ”.  This reading is called “The Supremacy of the Son of God”   ¹⁵ The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.  Here we need to remember, to the early followers of the Apostles, this idea of an eternal Jesus dying on a cross and then rising from the dead just did make any sense to them.  In fact when Jesus tries to tell them He is going to experience death on the cross they don’t understand what he is talking about let alone believe it.   In their minds, Jesus was to over through the Roman authority and set up a new Kingdom that would rule over the people eternally with peace, justice and love.   So for us who base our faith upon an eternal resurrection story, a story that never ends, these verses from Colossians are very important for us to understand.  In fact they speak of The Christ that was there in the beginning.  Genesis 1: 26   “Let us make humans in our image”.    The writer of Colossians describes a Jesus who was there from the very beginning.  He is ruler over all creation, He is Lord of lords and King of kings.  Everything that was made, was made for and through Him.  According to Colossians the realm of Christ’s reign covers everything that happens in heaven and on the earth.  No one, not even those who deny Christs existence can be free of His rule or be outside His sphere of love and authority for “The Christ” is as Paul states in Romans 14: 9, “Both Lord of the Living and of the Dead.”  So I ask you to hold onto those thoughts as we reflect upon the gospel and this “MIRACULOUS” transfiguration story. 

The first question that always seems to crop us is: is this just a story or is it a fact?  This is something only the individual Christian can judge for themselves after doing personal reflection of all scriptures involved.   We should always be reading the scriptures not necessarily for fact but for signs of hope, and revelation, something we can take home personally.  A key to comprehending this story’s significance is found in Mark 9:1.  Jesus spoke these words 8 days before these three men are led up the mountain to experience this event.  And I quote:   And He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power.”    I believe His prophetic words we meant for three of His followers, disciples Peter, James and John, why because: shortly after saying this, Jesus takes Peter, James and John up to a mountain top.  There, Jesus is somehow transfigured.   They no longer see Jesus as He was but as a shining white light, so bright it transforms Him into something greater, something too difficult for their minds to comprehend.    This transformation only lasts for a moment, but in that moment it seems to have transported these three men to another place and time.  It appears to resemble the near death experience we often hear reported by many.  They experience being present to a bright shining image, with a voice and the voice almost always that tells them to return to their bodies. They also report an overwhelming feeling of peace and contentment nothing like they have ever felt before. 

This place and time is visible to Peter, James and John who are still among the living, but also includes two of the most significant figures from the Old Testament who are dead, yet they are all present to this experience.   We have Peter, James and John, the living and Moses and Elijah the dead, all in the presence of a transformed Jesus, not the physical man these men went up to the mountain top with, but an entity that is “Lord of both the living and the dead.”      May I suggest to you they were all in the presents of “The Christ” the entity that we heard about in the Colossians reading, the entity that was there in the beginning with God, Genesis 1: 26?   No one knows for sure what these 5 men were getting a glimpse of, but may I suggest to you that Jesus’ prophetic words from Mark 9:1 have now become a reality.  And He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power.”   

In this place both the living and the dead are able to see and speak with the transformed Jesus, “or as Paul refers to Him, “The Christ” in His glory and in His power just as He said.  This passage represents for the Christian a truth that can only be believed by faith, a faith that is overflowing with hope, and the assurance that Jesus is “Lord of both the living and the dead,” Romans 14: 9. and I quote the passage “For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life, so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.”   And the congregations sang:   Amen!

"The Biblical Paradox"

A word that I want you to consider this morning is the word Paradox.   A paradox is a statement that seemly contradicts itself.  A paradox is used to challenge the mind and make you think about the statement in a new way.  A paradox is often used to make you question common thoughts. Take the statement "Less is more." These two opposite words contradict one another. How can less be more?  The concept behind this statement is that what is less complicated is often more appreciated. .  So, I want you, as you hear the Gospel reading this morning, to listen for the Paradox in Luke’s four blessed statements and the four Woes that follow.  

 Feb 17, 2019  1 Corinthians 15:12–20    Luke 6:17–26

In today's Gospel reading this morning, Luke puts his own twist to four of Matthews’s beatitudes. It is a vison that is strikingly different from that found in the Gospel According to Matthew.  Instead of eight statements concerning those whom God will bless, Luke lists only four statements that resemble the beatitudes - four statements concerning those who are blessed.  At first glance the four seem familiar enough, but then he adds four woes which seemly contradict the first four.  Let us hear the first four once again.  “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21 Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.   Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh?  22 Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.”  I think most Christians are relieved and willing to accept that God will bless the poor and the hungry.  That God will comfort those who mourn and reward those who are often scorn upon for telling the truth or doing the right thing as taught by the Son of Man.  These statements also give the rich and the middle class hope, because well, we cannot exclude ourselves from needing God’s grace at some point in our lives too.   

But then Luke goes on and instead of listing four more blessed statements, he delivers four disturbing self-contradictory statements. Here we go once again folks dealing with a biblical paradox.   It is disturbing because they are contrary to the blessed statements and to societal norms often taught within family life and often within the Christian traditions.   Well then, let us consider his woes.   “But woe to you who are rich,   Woe to you who are well fed now, Woe to you who laugh now, Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you.  His woes appear to contradict his first four statements.  What then is Luke trying to get us to understand here?  Is that not what many of us have been taught and strive for in life, to work hard and get ahead of the crowd, to become well off, well fed, seeking financially security for our family, our community and of course ourselves you know, for our senior years.   Should we not laugh and enjoy the good life as presented by wealth and prosperity.   Well, on the other hand, may I suggest to you that riches and prosperity often make people stingy, especially if you have worked hard all your life to get what you have, even if you were given your riches on a silver platter the woe should be heard here?  Riches have been known to harden the heart of individuals, countries, even communities of faith are not immune to the condition of the hardened heart.  Remember I made this statement last Sunday that the heartbeat of a church can be found in its mission work.  To do the work of mission you must give freely of your resources, this would not only include your money, but your time, your talents and your experience.   If you have no defined mission to share your resources, the individual will die from the inside out and the same goes for communities of faith.  Without an outpouring of your personal resources, your talents, your gifts, and your love to others, you will wither and die on the inside.  We are not meant to just gather for ourselves.  The giving, from what we have gathered to those whose bellies are empty produces fruit for the giver, the blessed, and in fact makes our gathering whole.  Without the out poring, our resource, no matter what they are, they can becomes stagnant and a worrisome burden that can be self-destructive in the end. Self-centeredness and greed will eventually turn on us, stealing away our laughter and bring us nothing but heart ache and sorrow.

How many of you are familiar with that famous song “I Did It My Way”?   People love it because it gives off the impression that one has total power and control over our one’s life.   It also represents a societal value that contains its own deception.  The deception of course for a Christian, and I emphasize Christian here,  is found in the statement “MY WAY.”   We should be able to hear within its lyric the warning “Woe To You”?  The deception being that none of us, have ever really accomplished anything without the sharing by others along the way, be it a good thing or a bad thing.    May I suggest to you that in the real world there is no such thing as doing it “My Way”?   And, if whatever we do, is to be done in our best interests, we Christians would do it Jesus’ way, right?   The truth about being saved is in the doing, not in words that a person might say, but in the fruit of what they do.  

So then Woe to we who are full now without good conscience, especially when we are aware that some of our brother or sister are existing on empty.  It is a warning to all Christians that we not only need to share our wealth, talents, experience and our food supply with those in need but we must do it without judgement.  Then we need to give thanks and praise to God as the source of where our food, talents, abilities and our wealth have come from.  Often, we again make the mistake of thinking we receive according to our good works and see the blessings are our reward.  Now here is a shock to many Christians who feel deserving because of their goodness.  When in reality all of our abilities to attain and sustain our well-being are gifts bestrode upon both the good and the bad, by the grace of God, Matthew 5: 44-45  “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, “that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”  you see its by grace not by merit.    

We are called to share and give without judgement, we are called to be Disciples of Christ, mission workers, helping to build God’s Kingdom here right now and we must trust and follow in the ways of Christ.  Luke 6:38 tells us: “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Luke’s woes are a needed contrast, take them in, they will soften a harden heart, replacing it with a new compassionate and loving heart.  For we are all God’s children meant to be servants for each other.  This is the foundation that produces the Agape love our souls so long for.   

Doctrine or Discipleship?

Belief or Discipleship?
by Richard Rohr 

 

I often say that we do not think ourselves into a new way of living, but we live ourselves into a new way of thinking. I’m not suggesting that theory and theology are unimportant; but I believe that faith is more about how we live on a daily basis than making verbal assent to this or that idea. In fact, my life’s work in many ways has been trying to move heady doctrines and dogmas to the level of actual experience and lifestyles that are an alternative to our consumer culture. In today’s reflection, Shane Claiborne—an Evangelical I deeply respect—invites us to quite literally follow Jesus:

Over the past few decades, our Christianity has become obsessed with what Christians believe rather than how Christians live. We talk a lot about doctrines but little about practice. But in Jesus we don’t just see a presentation of doctrines but an invitation to join a movement that is about demonstrating God’s goodness to the world.

This kind of doctrinal language infects our language when we say things like, “Are you a believer?” Interestingly, Jesus did not send us into the world to make believers but to make disciples [see Matthew 28:18-20]. You can worship Jesus without doing the things he says. We can believe in him and still not follow him. In fact, there’s a passage in Corinthians that says, “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:1-3, author’s paraphrase).

At times our evangelical fervor has come at the cost of spiritual formation. For this reason, we can end up with a church full of believers, but followers of Jesus can be hard to come by.

One of the reasons that Francis of Assisi is so beloved is that he followed Jesus so closely. In Shane’s words:

Francis did something simple and wonderful. He read the Gospels where Jesus says, “Sell your possessions and give the money to the poor,” [Matthew 19:21] “Consider the lilies and the sparrows and do not worry about tomorrow,” [Luke 12:24, 27] “Love your enemies,” [Matthew 5:44] and he decided to live as if Jesus meant the stuff he said. Francis turned his back on the materialism and militarism of his world and said yes to Jesus.

 

"Mining for Wisdom Nuggets"

There are mining town all over this planet.  In your opinion what is the job of a miner.  What would you call the method a miner uses in his work?  What is the miner looking for? 

June 20, 2019 1 Corinthians 12: 1-11  Psalm 36 5-10 John 2: 1-11

Years ago when Johnny Carson was the host of The Tonight Show he interviewed an eight year old boy. The young man was asked to appear because he had rescued two friends in a coalmine outside his hometown in West Virginia. As Johnny questioned the boy, it became apparent to him and the audience that the young man was a Christian.  So Johnny asked him if he attended Sunday school.  When the boy said he did Johnny inquired, "What are you learning in Sunday school?" "Last week our lesson was about Jesus turning water into wine at a wedding.  The audience chuckled but Johnny trying to keep a straight face then said, "And what did you learn from that story?" The boy went silent for moment. It was apparent he hadn’t thought about this.  All of sudden he blurted out, "Well I suppose If you're going to have a wedding, it might be a good idea to invite Jesus!"

You know, that is pretty profound advice.  Jesus is, at least for those who claim to be Christian, a sign of God being present in your life.    Jesus brings God into the picture and kindles within us the Holy Spirit.   Both relationships, your relationship with God and the relationship with a spouse were meant to be lifelong.   The first one shouldn’t end with the placement of a ring on someone’s finger, unfortunately for many it often does.  This, to the unknowing couple, creates an incomplete and fragile crevice in their relationship.  The relationship with Jesus shouldn’t end either with the claim that one has found salvation.  This make Jesus to small and too incomplete.  These covenants are for daily living not just for moment in time, what do we say?  Until death do us part!  Jesus at the weeding is not only keeping the party going, his presences there is a sign of God’s life long and eternal love for the couple.    

So then, It is a good thing to have Jesus at wedding ceremonies, more so it is good to have Jesus show up in our daily lives not just on Sunday.   

Many followers and preachers often focus here on the miracle at Cana, and miss out on mining for the deeper nuggets of wisdom for our daily lives.  Here, the ancient Hebrew practice of Midrash can be effective for us today. We must become like a miner, digging for those hidden golden nuggets of wisdom.  They are not always visible at first read and are often hidden within the stories, you have to dig for them.   The miracle is really secondary to what Jesus brings to the gathering.  Upon closer observation, the first two verses reveal our first nugget.  In order to have Jesus present, an invitation must be extended.  Inviting Jesus in, sets the stage for not only their gathering, but we too, must extend the same invitation, to have him present in our gatherings and in our daily lives.  The second nugget can be found when we hear of the family’s most embarrassing moment.  Let us not turn Jesus’ presence in our lives into a show piece as the hypocrite does, we invited Him in because we know Jesus helps us through the ups and downs of our daily life.  He is the only one who can save us from ourselves.  

Just when the party gets going, they run out of wine.  This is not really a life and death situation folks, well at least for some of us, yet even here Jesus comes to the rescue.  Another Nugget:  There is no cry for help that is too trivial for Jesus if Jesus has been invited into your story, into your life.  We do not have to make detailed requests for the Universal Christ to understand our needs, Jesus knows even when we cannot ask.  His mother simply states a problem while staring at her son.   Has this ever happen to you as child, you know the stare, "your room is a mess" the urgency to do something about it may not have be spoken, but the message is loud and clear.

This miracle story it is a great illustration of what can happen when Jesus is invited into our lives, He is always there for us through the thick and thin.    We humans can get carried away with neglect and indulgence leaving God and Christ out of our live but, when we do, we do not see trouble coming.  How many extend a daily invitation for Christ to enter in?    

Jesus has been invited to attend this wedding and His presence has a profound effect on its outcome.    Mary, understanding the embarrassment the family was faced with, so she looks to her Son for help.  At first, Jesus show reluctance to fulfill his mother’s unspoken request, because it is not time yet to show His authority over life and death He tells her.  Yet because of the invitation, Jesus’ true nature, which is to be a servant to all, comes shining through.    Jesus never fails the voice of the one who asks for help.   
                                                   Jesus on the Main Line”

Signs as we all know point to something and the signs in this story testify to something that is greater than we are - and it is that greater thing we are meant to be mining for - not the miracle in itself.  The signs here point to many things about Christ and about His relationship with us.   Here are three: 

First  - In turning water into wine,  Jesus takes what is and shows us that it has the possibility to become something new.  What can that do for us here today?   Well for those of us who might feel anxious or tired, fearful, devoid of joy, empty or board, lacking in purpose – WE can be transformed by the power of inviting His presence into our lives.   WE can be turned into something rich, fragrant, and ripe with the fullness of joy through His presence and care for our lives.   There is a lot of gospel in that for all of us.  Who doesn’t need his care, who doesn’t need his presence, Jesus can bring new life, even to that which appears to be dead to life.   May I suggest to take the story of Lazarus for instant not as fact but as a metaphor and dig for its deeper meaning.   He was apparently dead for over three days yet still responded to the voice of Christ.  Hearing it he was able to walk out of his darkness back into the light where Christ reigns.  Our Hope is that Jesus will fill the dead emptiness in our lives.  He can take whatever it is that we bring to him - no matter how little or how much and utterly remake it into something way beyond the best that the world is capable of providing.   Our Nugget here is "Trusting".  Put your TRUST in Jesus for He can literally change your life.  Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonder face and the things of earth will grow strangely of dim, in the light of His glory and grace.

Second -  John notes that wine, not just new wine but the best of wine came from thirty-gallon of water,  think of it, because of His generosity and their gratitude the time for celebration had once again begun.  Your new life awaits you because you have invited him in, now the seed must be planted so it can grow.  The soil which can grow this new relationship best is thankfulness.  Our nugget here you see is your Gratitude.

Thirdly - the Gospel story emphasizes the abundance of what Jesus can provide.  The wedding guests went from having no wine at all, to having almost enough to swim in.  By putting your trust in Jesus you too can share in His generosity of the abundant life.  One in which the wine of life will be the best ever - your cup will always be full to overflowing.  Thus this miracle was a sign pointing to the prize, the nugget here is: Jesus' is that prize.   He is the long-awaited deliverer of your life.   He is the one who will purify you and make the circumstances of your life palatable.   Jesus always provides more than is needed.  Isn’t that GREAT!!!!   

  

"Jesus and The Bible"

                   Scripture can be understood on at least four levels: literal meaning, deep                                          meaning, comparative meaning, and hidden meaning.

More than telling us exactly what to see in the Scriptures, Jesus taught us how to see, what to emphasize, and also what could be de-emphasized or ignored. Beyond fundamentalism or literalism, Jesus practiced a form that the Jewish people called midrash, consistently using questions to keep spiritual meanings open, often reflecting on a text or returning people’s questions with more questions. It is a real shame that we did not imitate Jesus in this approach. It could have saved us from so many centuries of righteousness, religious violence, and even single-issue voting.

Rather than seeking always certain and unchanging answers, the Jewish practice of midrash allows many possibilities, many levels of faith-filled meaning—meaning that is relevant and applicable to you, the reader, and puts you in the subject’s shoes to build empathy, understanding, and relationship. It lets the passage first challenge you before it challenges anyone else. To use the text in a spiritual way—as Jesus did—is to allow it to convert you, to change you, to grow you up as you respond: What does this ask of me? How might this apply to my life, to my family, to my church, to my neighborhood, to my country?

While biblical messages often proceed from historical incidents, the actual message does not depend upon communicating those events with perfect factual accuracy. Spiritual writers are not primarily journalists. Hebrew rabbis and scholars sometimes use the approach of midrash to reflect on a story and communicate all of its underlying message. Scripture can be understood on at least four levels: literal meaning, deep meaning, comparative meaning, and hidden meaning.

The literal level of meaning doesn’t get to the root and, in fact, is the least helpful to the soul and the most dangerous for history. Deep meaning offers symbolic or allegorical applications. Comparative study combines different texts to explore an entirely new meaning. Finally, in traditional Jewish exegesis, hidden meaning gets at the Mystery itself. Midrash allows and encourages each listener to grow with a text and not to settle for mere literalism, which, of itself, bears little spiritual fruit. It is just a starting point.

Whatever is received is received according to the manner of the receiver. [1] This statement from Aquinas was drilled into me during seminary. People at different levels of maturity will interpret the same text in different ways. There is no one right way to interpret sacred texts. How you see is what you see; the who that you bring to your reading of the Scriptures matters. Who are you when you read the Bible? Defensive, offensive, power-hungry, righteous? Or humble, receptive, and honest? Surely, this is why we need to pray before reading a sacred text!

Jesus consistently ignored or even denied exclusionary, punitive, and triumphalist texts in his own inspired Hebrew Bible in favor of passages that emphasized inclusion, mercy, and honesty. For example, referencing two passages from Exodus (21:24) and Leviticus (24:20), Jesus suggested the opposite: “You have heard it said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you . . . turn the other cheek” (see Matthew 5:38-39). He read the Scriptures in a spiritual, selective, and questioning way. Jesus had a deeper and wider eye that knew which passages were creating a path for God and which passages were merely cultural, self-serving, and legalistic additions.

From daily devotions by Richard Rohr