Sometimes the wine runs out.

The story isn’t going to end there, of course. We know where the Jesus-wedding-wine story goes.

But the non-fatal story that you are in the middle of right now is going to keep going, too. The embarrassment you are afraid of isn’t all there is.

Because you are no more alone than the father of the bride was at that moment. He probably though he was alone. But he didn’t know that Mary knew that her son had capacity no one had yet dreamed of.

He still has more capacity than you have dreamed of. Stop feeling stupid. Start looking around the room for the friend telling God about your problem. And be prepared to do what he says.

This is hard to do, of course. It is hard to remember that there is more going on than what we see. We have to learn how to pay attention. But we can. And God can help that process.

The “ahh” moment was, well, there were two of them. The most obvious one was evident to everyone at the wedding reception. After a brief interruption, someone found “the good stuff”. As far as anyone knew, the pitchers had been accidentally put in the wrong place, the wrong shelf, behind the supplies for the barbecue lamb.

The master of ceremonies proposed a toast, the guest cheered, the party went on.

The less obvious “ah” moment may have started when the bridegroom said, “But there wasn’t any ‘good stuff’. Not that good.” It was echoed when the servants who had filled the thirty-gallon clay jars with water said to each other, “when did that water turn into wine?”

But the wonder was fully appreciated by a small group of people who had arrived at this family celebration with Jesus.

We call them “the twelve” or “the disciples”. They had heard him teach and were impressed. He had told them things that suggested insights into the religious law and the meaning of life that no one they knew had.

On this day, they heard other words, words that made changes to the natural world. After hearing Mary say to the servants, “do what Jesus tells you”, John and his friends heard Jesus tell the servants to fill the jars with water. He didn’t move. He just told them to do it. Then they heard him tell the servants to take a container of water to the master of ceremonies. He didn’t move. He just told them to do it. Then John and his friends heard the MC talking to the groom about the amazing wine.

Jesus never moved. Jesus only spoke. And stuff physically changed.

As John writes, “This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.” John was one of those disciples. That was his testimony of change.

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