Johnny Cash wrote a song about Jesus turning water into wine. He tells a good story, explaining simply how he came to write it. They say that country music is ‘three chords and the truth’…
He turned the water into wine He turned the water into wine
In the little Cana town the word went all around that He turned the water into wine
Well he walked upon the Sea of Galilee He walked upon the Sea of Galilee
Shouted far and wide He calmed the raging tide and walked upon the Sea of Galilee
Sometimes life is complicated, busy and messy. It’s good to come back to the Jesus stories that I learnt in Sunday School. I’ve heard deep meaningful sermons about Jesus’ miracles – turning water into wine, walking on water, calming the storm; I’ve tried to do it myself. Sometimes I just need to hear the story and let it resonate again. The most profound can found in the most simple.
He turned the water into wine, He turned the water into wine
In the little Cana town the word went all around that He turned the water into wine
He healed the leper and the lame, He healed the leper and the lame
He said go and tell no man but they shouted it through the land, He healed the leper and the lame.
The Christian message, Christian faith, is centred on Jesus. The man who spoke about and lived truth, justice and forgiveness, caring deeply about people’s health and hunger, addressing basic human needs in unconventional and super-natural ways. Jesus says that his followers are to become like children; perhaps that’s how we approach these familiar stories as Johnny Cash tells them.
He turned the water into wine, He turned the water into wine
In the little Cana town the word went all around that He turned the water into wine
He fed the hungry multitude, yes He fed the hungry multitude
With a little bit of fish and bread they said everyone was fed, He fed the hungry multitude.
During this period of Lent, Christians across the world anticipate Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday… celebration, suffering, death, resurrection. We remember the miracle-maker ‘Son of Man’ who is at the centre of the narrative.
And we reflect on our personal response.
malcolmsmusings.org 