When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

“Woman, why do yo involve me?,” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” (John 2:3-4)

One of the most beautiful and wonderful stories of Jesus is the story of his attendance, with all his disciples, at the wedding In Cana of Galilee. It is a happy occasion, surrounded by family, friends and neighbors; and it displays the entirely unique relationship between Mary and her son. Mary had told the angel Gabriel, “I am the handmaiden of the Lord,” (Luke 1:38 ) and as such she approached Jesus and informed the servants to follow his instructions. When they did, it produced the exclamation from the master of the banquet, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first, and then the cheaper wine. . . but you have saved the best till now!” ( John 2::10)

The best wine came from Jesus’ willingness to help, and Mary’s understanding that he could. Her message to the servants is a message to all of us: “Do whatever he tells you.” When we search the Scriptures and seek God’s will, we answer Mary’s call. When we pray, and honestly seek His will in a relationship or a situation, again we answer the call to obey Christ.

This, the first of the signs that Jesus did. . . manifested his glory, and his disciples believed in him. (John 2:11) It was a miracle occurring in the ordinary lives of people in a small town. It aroused no more comment than the one made by the master of the banquet, but it signaled to Jesus and to his disciples that Jesus’ ministry as Messiah had begun. Afterward, most of Jesus’ miracles were performed in front of many witnesses., but this one was a sign to Jesus himself, his mother, and the disciples, along with the servants who had obeyed his directions. It was a confirmation for the “inner circle” of the son of God to launch him to his ministry that would last three years. It was a quiet launching with only a few who actually witnessed and understood it, but it was loaded with meaning for those witnesses; so much that today we are awed by the event. The works of God through Christ have lasted and inspired generations for at least two millennia. They are connections to us with our God and Savior. It was not ordinary wine. It was the very best wine.

Love in Him,

Prue

The apostle Peter had just stood with the apostle John near the Temple gate in Jerusalem, and, in the name of Christ Jesus, healed a man who had been lame from birth. It caused a sensation, as the man was well known as a beggar at the temple; and so Peter and John attracted a group of people wanting to hear about the miracle that had just occurred. Peter took this occasion to inform the gathering listeners of the death and resurrection of Jesus, and what it would mean for them: “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that He may send the Messiah who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.” (Acts 3:19) The “times of refreshing” enter every soul who does repent in Jesus’ name. It’s not an intellectual exercise, but a revelation of our own sin that comes from the Holy Spirit. The “times of refreshing” will follow all repentance, for the Spirit gives us insight into our own behavior in the view of our risen Christ.

Peter knew what it was to be “refreshed” when he met Jesus on the shore of the sea of Galilee after the resurrection. (John 21:15) Eventually it came to all the disciples.

“The times of refreshing” come to us today when we follow Peter’s urgent call to repent, and turn to God. We actually live in the time of refreshing because true refreshing is available only in one place, and that place is our own soul. Because of all the things St. Peter announced to the people, over two thousand years ago, spiritual refreshing is available with every breath we breathe in the twenty-first century. The man who had been healed by Jesus through Peter could hardly bear to leave Peter and John. He not only walked, but leaped and ran with joy. The times of refreshing are the times for every Christian to rejoice. (Acts3:8,9)

In 1945, on the day of his execution in a concentration camp, Dietrick Bonhoeffer walked past the cells of prisoners who were weeping for him. Bonhoeffer responded, “This is the end—for me, the beginning of life.” He had been in prayer and was already experiencing the times of refreshing. A fellow prisoner lived to report his words.

(History.com)

The times of refreshing can come while walking, while working, while praying, or even while talking. Peter experienced it while talking to the risen Jesus on the beach.

Love in Him,

Prue

C.S Lewis was called upon in 1941 by the Royal Air Force of Great Britain to instruct the airmen in Christianity. “The airmen have a tour of duty that lasts thirty missions,” Lewis was told by the Chaplain. “they must get very relieved when their tour is completed,” responded Lewis. “On average, the Chaplain paused, “a man lasts only thirteen missions. No one needs Christ more than these men do.” (C.S. Lewis, by Sam Wellman, pg. 133)

Many people have suggested reasons why England’s fragile air force was able to fend off German air attacks in World War II. Some point to the better maneuverability of the British planes compared to the German’s . Others suggest that the spirit of protecting the homeland sustained the men; but seldom is it mentioned that prayers and focusing on Christ were integral to the preparation of the pilots and navigators.

The heroism and the success of the R.A.F. has become legendary and an inspiration to many. This is the word of the Lord. . . . “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,” says the Lord Almighty. (Zechariah 4:6) This message, spoken and written in different circumstances in the Bible, is a recurring theme, a call not to forget that good things we believe we have accomplished by ourselves have been achieved only through God’s hands: My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9) From ancient times: “Do Not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield, your very great reward.” (Genesis 15:1) The rock, the shield,and the power of God are themes that move throughout the Old and New Testaments. All the plagues visited upon the Egyptians at the Exodus were demonstrations of the power of God to rescue and save His people. From the fall of Creation, God’s unfailing power to restore His people has been on display and can be traced throughout the Bible as a revelation and confirmation of God’s character and capacity to save. It is a message from Hosea in the Old testament : I will save them ,(The people of Judah) not by bow, sword, or battle, or by horses and horsemen, but I, the Lord their God, will save them.”

Some say that the German air force experienced a spirit of resistance that they had not anticipated and that surprised and finally defeated them for the time it took for reinforcements to arrive in Britain. No one doubted that there was a Spirit at work . The chaplain knew His name.

Love in Him,

Prue

You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts. (2 Corinthians 3:3)

St. Paul had visited Corinth, a city in Greece, and preached and ministered for a year and a half. He had established a church there earlier. The people who had been pagans responded joyfully to Paul’s message of the risen Christ. When Paul left, he and the church members stayed in touch with letters, two of which are in our Bible as Corinthians 1 and 2. The new- born church had many questions and concerns, which Paul addressed. In his second letter he wrote: “Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. . . Not that we lord it over your faith , but we work with you for your joy, because by faith you stand firm.” (2 Corinthians 2:21, 24) Paul’s ability to see the Corinthians as fellow Christians and his overflowing love for them came from witnessing their conversion at his preaching. His delight in receiving news from them is the delight of God Himself when a silent soul begins to speak to Him.

Some of the struggles of the Corinthians can be seen in our world as well. The conflicts among religious groups, and the upheaval of political parties, are competing with the simple truth of the Gospel. Paul witnessed the triumph of that truth in many of the people of the church in Corinth. He had seen the joy of souls who found themselves forgiven and renewed and accepted as a child of God. Their renewal was his, as well, as they became letters from Christ to him. This process, of becoming a letter from Christ, continues to this day in the lives of Christians everywhere. In spite of the changes in the world in two thousand years, the Spirit of God conveys the joy, the peace that passes understanding, and even the presence of a Holy God to us as it did to Paul and to the Corinthians. “ For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved. . . . an aroma that brings life.” (2Corinthians 2:15)

Some people actually put perfume on their stationery. Christians know that their faith is the sweetest fragrance to our God. Paul experienced such a fragrance and rejoiced in sharing it with us in his letters for two thousand years and counting. He has helped make each of us a letter from Christ.

Love in Him,

Prue

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

( Luke 11:1)

Jesus didn’t tell his disciples to prepare their hearts, or to remember scripture, or to fast in preparation for their prayer. Jesus gave them words to speak with his Father God. It was as if a prince surrounded by his friends was asked, “How can we get an audience with your father, the King? They felt free to ask because they were friends of the King’s son. Jesus put no impediment in front of them. He gave them words that would convey to the King the closeness of these friends to His son.

“Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever.”

The words of what we call “The Lord’s Prayer” have fed the spirits of Christians since the very day that Jesus uttered them. They are one of the golden links that hold the diverse world of Christian denominations together. They are personal words that link us as a family together . After his resurrection Jesus said to Mary Magdalene “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” (John 20:17)

In this prayer Jesus is sharing his very relationship to his Father with his disciples, and ultimately with all those who utter the words in faith.

Centuries earlier, God had shared His life with Abraham, and set in motion the tide of events which would lead to the Lord’s prayer: The Word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.” (Genesis 15:1) It was the moment of the promise to Abraham that he would have a son and countless descendants. Abraham spoke freely with God, and believed that he himself, would become a father.

Jesus didn’t hesitate to tell his disciples that God is their Father, and that His life is connected to theirs. When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we acknowledge the life of Jesus with his Father and our Father, and the words of God to Abraham echo to us : “Do not be afraid.”

Love in Him,

Prue

Between 34^th Street and 39^th Street on Seventh Avenue in Manhattan, New York, is an area designated the Garment District if New York. That stretch is also called Fashion Avenue. When my daughter Stephanie, living in New York City, was searching for a wedding dress, she and I headed for Seventh Avenue. It had small and large shops, and everything and more than you could need for wedding clothing.

From the first shop to the last, we were greeted cordially with the question, “Have you seen many dresses?” It was a universal code which meant, “Are you just browsing, or are you ready to buy?” When we shopped outside the Garment District, it was the same. I almost laughed when yet another clerk recited it.

King Asa, descendant of Solomon, and King of Judah, had found success in his reign by following the God of his ancestors until near the end of his life, when he called upon King Ben-hadad of Aram for protection from an invasion by anther king. Asa’s prophet, Hanani, came to Asa and said, “The eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.” (2 Chronicles 16:9)

The clerks who spoke to us were ranging through all their customers to find those who were seriously ready to make a commitment and purchase.

God’s eyes had found in Asa a man who was committed to God, but who, after years of proving his commitment, turned to a pagan king for help against yet another king. The reason why Asa made such a choice is unknown, but the consequences moved his nation toward a paganism that would show up in future generations.

In a fallen world our conversion delivers the light of life from Christ, the commitment that follows is to share and spread that light: “Whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done is in the sight of God.” (Jesus, in John 3:21)

A wedding dress is meant to be a once in a lifetime purchase. The commitment that follows is the measure of the marriage. God waits patiently for us to come to the light, and again patiently for us to share the light. He seeks those who have “seen many dresses,” and are ready to make a lasting commitment to the truth of Christ, whose faithfulness is permanent and unshakable.

Love in Him,

Prue

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. . . ( Proverbs 3:5-6)

Once more the Philistines came up and spread out in the valley of Rephaim; so David inquired of the Lord, and He answered, “Do not go straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the Mulberry trees. As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the trees, move quickly because that will mean the Lord has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army.” So David did as the Lord commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines (2Samuel 5:22-24)

David is famous for many extraordinary feats, most notably his encounter with Goliath. By the time of the incident of the mulberry trees,David had defeated the Philistine army once, and other armies as well. David had reigned as king for more than six years, doing battle every year. He had fought the Jebusites and taken Jerusalem for his royal city.

It seems almost beyond belief that the man who had led thousands of soldiers into battle would seek God’s council on every detail of his approaching encounter. David was a seasoned warrior, a general who had won many and varied battles, who was at home on the battlefield when he stopped to inquire of the Lord, not only whether he should engage the enemy, but how and when.

This story seems to me to embody the real greatness of David. It is the greatness that Jesus spoke of to his disciples on the night before he was arrested: The greatest among you should be like the youngest; and the one who rules like the one who serves.” (Luke 22:26) With these words, Jesus could have been describing David himself at the moment that David did in fact, hear the marching in the trees. In that moment David moved according to his Lord’s direction, and followed that direction to total victory over his enemy. No one accused David of weakness or of being a coward. David’s strength was a gift that he always acknowledged.

Reading from Proverbs to David’s victory, to the Last Supper of Jesus with his disciples, we can hear the unmistakable message from the Word of God, Trust the Lord with all your heart. David’s life and his reign, and God’s promise to him to preserve his inheritance for all time, find fulfillment in the birth , life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. When we trust the One who made them, these promises find fulfillment in us, as well.

Love in Him,

Prue

In his Spiritual Diary, Pope St. John Paul II wrote that “The Scriptures are the library of the heart” for Christians. When I read that, it resonated with me, because of the rich and wonderful variety of material the Scriptures contain, that deals with the deepest concerns of human souls; and though very deep, the material in the Scriptures is amazingly simple and amazingly powerful.

Simply reading a passage from the Book of John triggered the conversion of St. Augustine, (345-430 AD) a Christian saint accepted today as a messenger of God by most Christian denominations.

Who has known the mind of Christ so as to instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:16) The mind of Christ is given to us in the Scriptures and applied by the Holy Spirit of God. For a long time I wondered how St. Paul could write that “We have the mind of Christ”, until I remembered that Jesus’ mind had been tried in the most severe circumstances by Satan in the wilderness. (Luke 4:2) While he was physically reduced, not having food or water for a prolonged period, Jesus had to rely on his mind alone to function when confronted by the evil one. His strength and his source came from the Scriptures themselves. Even though his enemy could quote scripture,it was Jesus’ one and only weapon to defeat the enemy. He used it with clarity and purpose when he said, “It is written: Man shall not live on bread alone” and, “It is written, Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only,” and, Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” ( Luke 4:4-12)

All of Jesus’ other faculties must have been depleted when his mind responded to Satan’s taunts. Jesus’ knowledge of Scripture was his one resource, and it didn’t fail him.

When St. Paul wrote, “We have the mind of Christ,” he was not making a riddle or a puzzle of any kind. He was writing literally the truth that Christ’s mind was full of Scripture, to the extent that he could defeat evil itself. When he had no other strength than his knowledge of he word of God that is available to each of us. He did have the advantage of full and complete belief in the scripture, and especially in his Father God. All this is available to us as well. The Holy Spirit, in which the Scripture is washed, can work in us fresh life, as he worked conversion in St. Augustine when he read from the book of John. As ST. Paul affirmed, we,too, when we open the “ library of the heart,” can have the mind of Christ.

Love in Him,

Prue

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, all patriarchs of the Hebrew people, were shepherds by occupation. They each acquired wealth and status in their worlds, and were each the early “chosen” ones of God. Their descendants would receive the distinction of this “chosenness,” and multiply into a nation: Israel. The prophet Hosea, speaking for the Lord God, said, “When I found Israel, it was like finding grapes in the desert; when I saw your ancestors, it was like seeing the early fruit on the fig tree.” (Hosea 9:10)

In Moses’ time the people of Israel traveled as shepherds for forty years.

Shepherding had a strong imprint upon the Israelite people, and it continued to be a bond with their God. The sacrifice of lambs was at the center of their worship. At the birth of Christ, the shepherds were gifted with the angelic announcement of the arrival of the promised child.

It should be no surprise that Jesus, in response to the Pharisees’ disbelief, would speak of himself as a shepherd: I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep . . .I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.” (John 10:11&14)

Jesus’ choice of the shepherd should ring true to the descendants of Abraham, placing Jesus in the line of those embraced and “chosen” by God. Jesus, a carpenter, was revealing his unique relationship with God to the people who should have been able to understand his words, but didn’t. Jesus had just performed a miraculous healing upon a man born blind, who was being questioned by the Pharisees : “We know that this man (Jesus) is a sinner!. . . the man answered, “Now that is remarkable! We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does His will. . . If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” (John 9:30-31)

Centuries earlier, the shepherd king David wrote of the bond between the shepherd and his sheep, a Psalm that has reached every corner of the world; the twenty third: The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. . . He restores my soul. . . surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. The man born blind recognized his shepherd.

Love in Him,

Prue

When my parents bought the house where I grew up, my mother found in the cellar, on a dusty shelf, a glass toothpick holder which looked as if it might be an antique. She brought it upstairs to the kitchen, washed it, and left it on the kitchen table. That afternoon one of her cousins visited, and, seeing the little toothpick holder, said, “Mildred! I didn’t know that you collect toothpick holders! That’s quite pretty. I’ll tell Aunty!” “Oh!” said my mother, “I just found that in the cellar and brought it up to wash it.” She could have spared the breath it took to answer our cousin, because the next thing she knew, the relatives were giving her tooth pick holders. Aunty had a small antiques business, and was delighted to have something to give her niece for birthdays and Christmas.

Mom never said, “I don’t really like toothpick holders,” so all of us children and our grandmother assumed that she was starting a collection. I even made a toothpick holder out of clay for Mom. In time she amassed a very large collection of glass and ceramic toothpick holders for which my father made shelves to display them. Mom seemed to like them, but I don’t remember anyone ever using them. They were an easy gift to give, not hard to find, and came in an variety of shapes and colors.

Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32) I believe that most of us from time to time pursue activities or friendships or even occupations that lead not to joy and fulfillment, but to disillusionment and disappointment. When Jesus spoke of “freedom” he was addressing all the ways in which we are tied to unfulfilling relationships or activities. He was telling us of an enduring joy that is so deep that it extends into eternity. It is not half one thing and half another, but whole, abiding goodness that feeds our souls: I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit. . . As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ( John 15:5&7)

My mother had a great fondness for little children. She had five of her own. The things she really liked to collect were German Hummels, small figurines of children in many activities. When she looked at them, they brought her joyful memories.

Love in Him,

Prue