Epiphany +2: Resurrection Wine
A weekly Epiphany devotional post for these 8 weeks of witness. Join us!
You can read here for a brief description of the liturgical season of Epiphany, and see previous Epiphany daybook 2019 posts here. Blessed Epiphany, friends!
Note: If you're reading this in email, the formatting usually looks much better at the website. Just click the post title to get there.
Look: Epiphany in the New Jerusalem, Jyoti Sahi
(Source)
This year, as I’ve been meditating on the first miracle of Christ at the Wedding of Cana, I’ve been caught up in the sheer unnecessary joy of this act. Like Christ couldn’t help but add to the beauty of the day with full-bodied wine from plain well water. Like Jesus looks at the faces of the wedding guests and sees the friends he’ll feast with again at a wedding day yet-to-come. Like he wants a fruity swallow of resurrection wine before stepping into the crowds of diseased and possessed, hungry and thirsty, offended and furious. He wants to ingest a beauty that’ll linger in the back of this throat during the journey ahead of him that ends with drops of sour vinegar on his parched tongue.
Like, here’s a little sip of the celebration headed our way. Pour another round on me, friends, and let’s raise to the Founder of the Feast!
I love this Sunday in the liturgical calendar so much. Mazel Tov!
Listen: “Water to Wine” from Oak & Apple, Wilder Adkins
Listen to my entire playlist on Spotify: Epiphany - Good Wine & Wedding Feasts. Add it to your account by clicking ‘Follow.’
Read:
Sunday - Isaiah 62:1-5; Psalm 36:5-10; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11; John 2:1-11
Monday (1/21) - Psalm 25; Isaiah 44:6-8,21-23; Ephesians 4:1-16; Mark 3:7-19a
Tuesday (1/22) - Psalm 26, 28; Isaiah 44:9-20; Ephesians 4:17-32; Mark 3:19b-35
Wednesday (1/23) - Psalm 38; Isaiah 44:24-45:7; Ephesians 5:1-14; Mark 4:1-20
Thursday (1/24) - Psalm 37:1-18; Isaiah 45:5-17; Ephesians 5:15-33; Mark 4:21-34
Friday (1/25) - Psalm 31; Isaiah 45:18-25; Ephesians 6:1-9; Mark 4:35-41
Saturday (1/26) - Psalm 30, 32; Isaiah 46:1-13; Ephesians 6:10-24; Mark 5:1-20
Excerpts from Sunday’s readings:
“You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord,
and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
You shall no more be termed Forsaken,
and your land shall no more be termed Desolate,
but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her,
and your land Married;
for the Lord delights in you,
and your land shall be married.
For as a young man marries a young woman,
so shall your sons marry you,
and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
so shall your God rejoice over you.”
*
”How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light do we see light.”
*
”Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”
*
”On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.”
Sunday Scripture readings are taken from the Revised Common Lectionary (Year C). Daily Scripture readings are taken from the Book of Common Prayer (Year 1), using the Psalm selections for Morning Prayer.
Pray:
“Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ’s glory, that he may be known, worshipped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen.”
Do:
Eat with friends
We happen to be attending a wedding this week. How perfectly timely! If you don’t have the fortune of an actual wedding to attend, this is a good week to gather together for a meal with family or friends. Linger over food and wine. Savor the beauty of flavors and the joy of conversation. Take a risk and plan a few toasts for the occasion, or shove the couch aside and dance in candlelight.
For one meal, put aside the sorrows and concerns for a couple of hours to practice the celebration that is our inheritance in the kingdom. Mazel Tov!
You can find other activities for Epiphany at this post: 12+ Ways To Keep Celebrating With the Rest of the World (loads of links)
(See all Epiphany Daybook posts from 2018 here.)