The Wedding at Cana (John 2:1-11)
Lately, I find myself involved in the tango of parenting. You know how it goes: you encourage your child to try new things, like a new activity, habit, or make a new friend; then your child pushes back with their own opinion of how the situation is going to unfold. Many of you know that this is much easier to do when they are young. As children grow into teens and young adults, parenting can be challenging. Most of us recognize that there is an expiration date for arranging sleepovers, birthday parties, and playdates. Forget about clothes shopping and haircuts- parental approval is not solicited or advisable. What seemed like a blink of an eye, you get thrust to the real stuff: “what are you going to do after graduation?” What happens when the plan changes and resembles 52 card pick-up? What if what your child identifies other than the gender assigned at birth? Read on to find all the answers! I found answers in the Wedding at Cana. Mary attends the wedding with her son, Jesus. Notice, she did not suggest he shower, shave, or put on a suit. Clearly, she loves the couple getting married and notices something wrong (they have run out of wine) and wants to help her friends avoid embarrassment. Mary knows her son is both human and divine and has the ability to rectify the predicament. Jesus pushes back on this idea. Instead of an argument or further discussion, Mary informs the servants to be helpful to Jesus. Mary has raised her son. Their close relationship has come with strings attached. From his inception, God and angels have been part of their faithful trusting relationship with God. Mary has suggested to and given an affirmation to Jesus. Now is the time. You got this. This is the beginning of acknowledging his own path. Like our children, Jesus needed to come to his own decision. The love and respect he has for his mother as well as his love and responsibilities to God have culminated in this starting point of the first miracle. I mentioned that there are answers to the above questions: love, respect, and prayer. We cannot predict the path our children will take. However, our relationship has been woven with love, respect, and prayer; these are tools needed for the journey. Dear God, We ask you for guidance. The journey … parents and kids…can be an unfamiliar path and sometimes our actions do not appropriately communicate the profound love for our children. Help us to demonstrate our unconditional love and help to repair hurt that we may have been caused by our words and actions. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Cindy Fritz
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Authors:The people of Grace share their favorite bible stories for the 2023 Lenten Devotional: I Love to Tell the Story. Each day's devotional will be automatically posted so come back daily after 7 am for a new reflection. |