GOOGLE TRANSLATE LAYOUT
For Zion's sake I will not be silent, for Jerusalem's sake I will not be quiet, until her vindication shines forth like the dawn and her victory like a burning torch.
Nations shall behold your vindication, and all the kings your glory; you shall be called by a new name pronounced by the mouth of the Lord. You shall be a glorious crown in the hand of the Lord, a royal diadem held by your God. No more shall people call you "Forsaken." Or your land "Desolate," but you shall be called "My Delight," and your land "Espoused." For the Lord delights in you, and makes your land his spouse. As a young man marries a virgin, your Builder shall marry you; and as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride so shall your God rejoice in you.
(P) The word of the Lord.Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all you lands. Sing to the Lord; bless his name. (R)
Announce his salvation, day after day. Tell his glory among the nations; among all peoples, his wondrous deeds. (R)
Give to the Lord, you families of nations, give to the Lord glory and praise; give to the Lord the glory due his name. (R)
Worship the Lord in holy attire. Tremble before him, all the earth; say among the nations: The Lord is king. He governs the peoples with equity. (R)
Brothers and sisters: There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit. To one is given through the Spirit the expression of wisdom; to another, the expression of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another, faith by the same Spirit; to another, gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another, mighty deeds; to another, prophecy; to another, discernment of spirits; to another, varieties of tongues; to another, interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them individually to each person as he wishes.
(P) The word of the Lord.There was wedding in Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him. "They have no wine." And Jesus said to her, "Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servers, "Do whatever he tells you." Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings, each holding twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told them, "Fill the jars with water." So they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, "Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter." So they took it. And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine, without knowing where it came from, although the servers who had drawn the water knew, the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him, "Everyone serves good wine first, and then, when people have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until now."
Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs at Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him.
(P) The Gospel of the Lord.In all cultures, a wedding is one of the most important and solemn occasions. Most people start planning for the occasion many months in advance to ensure it goes off without a hitch or as mistake-free as possible. However, despite meticulous planning, sometimes things go wrong: ranging from smaller details to big things. A wedding at Cana in Galilee over two thousand years ago was no exception. While all the guests were eating and drinking happily at the wedding feast, the rumour spread that there was no more wine. But at the end something more wonderful happened. Jesus transformed water into wine, thus revealing the glory of God.
The concept "God's glory" refers to many things in the Bible. It could refer to God's magnificence, His power, His presence, His wisdom, His goodness, His mercy, His holiness, and so on. In other words, God's glory is the visible manifestation or display of all that God is, that is, His nature, His character, and His attributes. First and foremost, all of creation: the sun, the moon, the stars, the ocean, the plants, the birds, the animals including human beings, reveals the glory of God, Psalm (19:1-4). In the Old Testament time, God's glory was revealed only partially. For instance, When Moses asked to see God's glory, God granted his request, but revealed only His back, not His face, Exodus (33:12-23). The glory of God manifested as a dense cloud and in the form of fire representing God's presence, guidance, protection, and faithfulness during their Exodus from Egypt, Exodus (24:16-17). God's glory appeared as smoke in the temple marking His greatness and power, Exodus(40:34). Whereas in the New Testament time, God's glory was present and expressed with all its fullness in many ways through our Lord Jesus Christ and it began with the birth of Jesus, as the prophet Isaiah had promised, (40:5).
God's glory appeared to the poor and lowly shepherds through light and angels. After witnessing God's glory, the shepherds hurried to see the child Jesus lying in a manger, Luke (2:8-20). Then God's glory was revealed to the wise Magi through a star in the heavens. Having seen the star, they sought and recognized the true "king of the Jews", Matthew (2:1-12). And then God's glory was revealed to the world at Jesus's baptism when a voice from heaven declared him as God's beloved son. And according to today's gospel, God's glory was revealed, when Jesus turned something not so great into a wonderful thing, John (2:1-11).
We all know the story. Jesus, along with his mother, Mary, and his first disciples, attended a wedding feast in the village of Cana in Galilee. In Jesus' time, a Jewish wedding typically lasted for seven days. So, certainly the hosts of this particular wedding might have prepared lots of food and wine for the guests. Yet, all of a sudden, in the course of the wedding celebration, Mary discovered that the family had run out of wine. Realizing that this would be deeply embarrassing to the hosts, Mary let Jesus know about it. She did not specifically tell Jesus what to do or how to do it. She simply stated the situation, fully trusting in His response to her words.
But Jesus responded saying, "Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come." Here, Jesus's response was neither rude nor an indication of a lack of affection or respect for his mother Mary although it may sound so to our modern ears. Rather it was the normal, polite, culturally appropriate way of addressing women during Jesus' time. Jesus had used the same term "woman" when he addressed other female characters as well about six times in the gospels, Matthew (15:21-28), Luke (13:10-17), John (4:4-42), John (8:5-11), John (20:11-18). Besides, Jesus only questioned Mary's time and her purpose. He wanted her to know that everything needs to happen at the right time or in God's time.
We do not know what Mary thought of Jesus' reply. But even when it seemed that Jesus had ignored her request, she turned to the servants and told them to do whatever Jesus would ask them to do. Because Mary obviously knew Jesus well enough to trust that he would do something special to fix the situation. She also probably remembered and believed in the words of the angel Gabriel who had said when she had expressed her apprehension about her pregnancy: "Nothing is impossible for God", Luke (1:37).
Knowing his mother's faith, Jesus immediately ordered the servants to fill the water jars with water and to draw out some and take it to the headwaiter, who tasted it only to discover it had become wine. Without knowing where it came from, the steward said to the bridegroom that he had departed from the custom of serving the best wine first by serving it last. Thus, Jesus performed a miracle, which John calls: "the first of the signs through which He revealed His glory", the result of which led to the beginning of his disciples' faith in Jesus as the Messiah, (v.11).
What is the message for us?
After this miracle, Jesus went on to reveal His glory by performing many more extraordinary miracles, such as healing the nobleman's son who was at the point of death, John (4:46-54), curing a paralytic at Bethesda, John (5:1-15), opening the eyes of a man born blind, John (9:1-12), raising Lazarus from the dead, John (11:1-45), and the second miraculous catch of fish, (21:1-14), and so on. In this way, every miracle of Jesus revealed another aspect of His glory. Referring to these signs and wonders, John in his gospel claims that he himself was an eyewitness to the glory of God in Christ, (1:14-18). John also records that he wrote all these things down so that those who read his Gospel, "might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and through believing they may have life in his name", John (20:31-32).
In effect, John is saying that the miracles of Jesus were meant to manifest God's power and glory and to make people believe in Him as the Messiah, the Son of God and, they were for a purpose and not for show. Today, we have the opportunity to read the testimony of John and to know and believe in Jesus Christ. Although God has already manifested His glory sufficiently through His creation, His Word, His actions and the person of Jesus Christ for us to believe in Him, we fail to recognize it because of our lack of faith. And yet God never gives up on us. Even in the midst of our unbelief, He continues to reveal His glory to us through miraculous events in our lives hoping that we will turn back to Him. Therefore, let us pray every day that the Lord may open our eyes so that we may see His glory and honour Him for it.
This miracle teaches us that the very presence of Jesus in one's life changes everything and every situation. We may feel that our life is "ordinary" but when we have Jesus with us, it becomes "extraordinary". It is more than what we can see, more than we can find on our own. Just as He turned water into wine and transformed the bridegroom's embarrassment and sadness to amazement and joy, Jesus can turn our lives around. He can make our lives rich, wonderful and bountiful. He can turn our sorrow into joy, our weeping into laughter, and our cries of anguish into shouts of praise for He delights to transform our lives radically. So, all we have to do is to say in prayer before God, depending on our need, just as Mary did: "I have no strength. I have no cure. I have no friends. I have no job. I have no fruit of the Spirit."
Joy is one of the fruits of the Spirit that quickly and easily dries up in times of adversity, uncertainty, anxiety, disappointment, ill health, grief, loss, separation and divorce. Therefore, when joy dries up for any reason, let us courageously admit to God that we have lost our joy, and ask Him to restore that joy, Joel (1:10-13). Remember! Jesus promised to give joy to his disciples along with his peace and his love, John (15:11).
This miracle teaches us the standard for our obedience to Christ. Mary merely told the servants to listen to Jesus' instructions. And they did just as Jesus had said. They did not ask him any questions. There was no hesitation, no words of protest. Through their faith and obedience, the servants became instruments of God to bring glory to His name. In the same way, we too are called to obey Christ's teachings and commands in our daily lives.
Let us do what Jesus tells us to do. Let us do it by faith without knowing and without asking Him what, when and how it will happen. May we, like Mary, trust Him completely, and may we, like the servants, follow His instructions with open hearts so that we too may become instruments in His hands for Him to use, as He so desires, for His glory.
(P) Amen.God Bless You!
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