Discerning and Doing

Discerning and Doing – We are in a series of scriptures and sermons under the theme, “Who is calling you?,” that will take us to Lent. Today’s scripture reading from the Fourth Gospel is the story of the wedding at Cana when the supply of wine runs out and, prompted by his mother, Jesus turns water into wine, the first of the “signs” he performs to establish his divinity as reported in John. Carol begins with a personal story in which her mother volunteered Carol to play piano for singing hymns in a Sunday school class when the regular piano player was absent. She wonders whether Jesus was as conflicted by his mother’s volunteering him as Carol had been when her mother volunteered her. Jesus is somewhat reluctant and seems not quite ready to begin his ministry when he asks his mother, “Woman, what concern is that to you and me? My hour has not yet come.” But then he does turn the water into wine. This sets an example of his seeing a need and changing his own plan so that he meets that need. It further asks us how we see a need and change our own plans in order to move and meet that need. Among the voices calling us are those in need, and, with Jesus as our example, we need to recognize the need and adjust our own priorities in order to meet that need.