It was a simple phone call, the type sisters make to each other all the time. Mine was calling to see if I liked the plates I had bought from this one particular store and was curious if they were worth the price. After a few minutes and knowing my sister, I could tell the call was more about getting permission than an opinion. She claimed that she had given all her old dishes to her husband when they separated and therefore needed something new. The reality was, she didn’t want to be reminded two or three times of day of how hopeful they had had when the dishes were selected, how excited they were to put them in their cupboards and begin using them as a couple. To look at them years later, the scuffs and scratches didn’t reflect wear and tear that comes with a happy life but rather tense meals soaked with issues and sore subjects. They represented years of constantly internalizing something that was unhealthy. She wanted a fresh start, she wanted to look at something that reflected her and gave her happiness about the future.
For my sister, a new stage of her life meant new plates. My friend marked her entrance into seminary by getting a massive cross tattooed on her lower back and if she asks, it looks great, super edgy. Even Jesus decided he wanted to be ritual cleansed in the Jordan before starting his formal ministry. Although most of us aren’t embarking on some drastically new path in life, sometimes it’s helpful to take a few moments and ask some questions like what are things in our lives that make us happy? What do we want to bring into the future? What are things we wish we could be free from and we would like to see rinsed clean from our lives?
As I type, it is getting dark outside, the big rain storm that is supposed to consume our week is about to begin. I love how the rain cleans and brings things back to life. I love that after a storm, the sky looks so blue and the mountains clear. As the rain is washing away dust and exhaust, this is a good week to ask ourselves some of these questions. What are the bad things that are weighing us down? What are the things that are keeping us from feeling alive, from seeing the most beautiful parts of our life? As we list these things in our minds we can use the rain to help us visualize all of that being washed away, leaving us lighter and cleaner, maybe even able to see a place in the distance where those things are no longer present. This is a time when these things can be replaced by things that are healthier, more helpful and more hopeful. It might not be a major life change but something small we can do to take care of ourselves and be excited for the future that lies ahead.
~ This Sunday ~
This week we will be looking at John 2:1-11 and
discussing the following questions:
What do you think Jesus means when he asks, “what concern should this be to you or me?”
What is the significance of saving the best for last?
How do you feel about Jesus’ mother having to nudge him?
How do you feel about Mary telling the stewards to do whatever Jesus tells them to do?
How many times do we see Mary in the Gospel of John?
John 2:1-11
2 Two days later there was a wedding in the town of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there.
2 Jesus and his followers were also invited to the wedding. 3 When all the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”
4 Jesus answered, “Dear woman, why come to me? My time has not yet come.”
5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you to do.”
6 In that place there were six stone water jars. The Jews used jars like these in their washing ceremony. Each jar held about 20 or 30 gallons.
7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” So they filled the jars to the top.
8 Then he said to them, “Now take some out and give it to the master of the feast.”
So the servants took the water to the master. 9 When he tasted it, the water had become wine. He did not know where the wine came from. But the servants who brought the water knew. The master of the wedding called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “People always serve the best wine first. Later, after the guests have been drinking a lot, they serve the cheaper wine. But you have saved the best wine till now.”
11 So in Cana of Galilee, Jesus did his first miracle. There he showed his glory, and his followers believed in him.
~ Upcoming Events ~
January 20
Team 3 Acolyting
Family Worship
10 am | Chapel
Sunday School
10:30 am | Sunday School Classrooms
~
Thursday, January 24
SENS Fundraiser at Mendocino Farms
238 S Lake Ave, Pasadena, CA 91101
5 -8 pm
Flyers are required and can be found
here.
They will also be available in the narthex.
They will also be sent as an attachment with next week’s Faith Builders.
~
January 27
Team 4 Acolyting
Family Worship
10 am | Chapel
Sunday School
10:30 am | Sunday School Classrooms
Annual Meeting
Following worship in the Sanctuary
~
February 3
Team 1 Acolyting
Family Worship
10 am | Chapel
Sunday School
10:30 am | Sunday School Classrooms
Youth Group
5 pm – 7 pm
~
February 10
Team 2 Acolyting
Family Worship
10 am |Chapel
Sunday School
10:30 am | Sunday School Classrooms
Please feel free to contact Heather if you have questions.
