Come and SeeEsimerkki

Grace and truth. These two words give a well-rounded description of Jesus. He was full of grace. Invited to a wedding, He chose to perform His first public miracle here. At the height of the celebration, the wine ran out creating enough unrest that Jesus got involved. Miraculously, He transformed the water used for hand-washing into the most superior wine. It was an act of gracious benevolence and compassion for the bridal family. No one deserved it and no one earned it. He did it out of His goodness and to demonstrate God’s glory. In that culture, wine was a symbol of joy, and by miraculously producing it, Jesus revealed that His involvement increases joy in every celebration. Jesus was also full of truth. After the wedding, He goes to Jerusalem and enters the temple. When seeing the evil being done in His Father’s house, He took a stand for what was right. Driving out the thieves and their spoils, He cleansed the temple, purifying what had become dirty and distorted. He was still rather unknown in His ministry, yet He didn’t bow down to the most influential people or the most accepted practices. His passion for His Father’s temple left no room for leniency to sin. Truth called out what needed to be cleansed, and Jesus revealed that when He is involved refinement is always necessary. The temple of God is now the people who make up His Church. And to His people, God still demonstrates His grace and His truth. Like the Jerusalem temple, He cleanses us, clearing out what doesn’t belong. And like the empty cups at the wedding, He fills us with unspeakable joy. With Jesus, we were never meant to be indifferent bystanders. The servants at the wedding were the only ones who knew where the miracle wine had come from. They experienced the depth of His grace because they had obeyed the truth, “Do whatever He tells you.” As servants of Christ, we also experience the depth of His grace when we are quick to do what He says. And as we follow His Word, we are filled with the fullness of joy. DAILY READING John 2 CHRISTMAS CONNECTION Take some time to send out Christmas cards. Let your messages be full of loving grace as well as the truth of Christ.