Today is Monday,
February 8th,
2021.
Oh Lord,
Let my soul rise up to meet you as the day rises to meet the sun.
Glory to God,
The three in one,
Creator,
Redeemer,
And Sustainer.
As it was in the beginning,
Is now and will be forever.
Amen.
Come let us sing to the Lord.
Let us shout for joy to the rock of our salvation.
Remind yourself that you are in God's presence.
Notice how God may be speaking to you.
Let yourself dwell on any word or phrase that catches your attention,
And let your heart respond to God in prayer.
Please repeat these words.
Shepherd us,
Lord,
With a faithful heart,
And guide us in the way of truth.
Our scripture today is John 2,
Verses 1 through 12.
Three days later,
There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee,
And Mary,
The mother of Jesus,
Was there.
Jesus and his disciples had likewise been invited to the celebration.
At a certain point,
The wine ran out,
And Jesus' mother told him,
They have no wine.
Jesus replied,
Mother,
What does that have to do with me?
My hour has not yet come.
She instructed those waiting on tables,
Do whatever he tells you.
As prescribed for Jewish ceremonial washings,
There were six stone water jars on hand,
Each one holding between 15 and 25 gallons.
Fill those jars with water,
Jesus said,
And the servers filled them to the brim.
Now,
Said Jesus,
Draw some out and take it to the caterer.
They did as they were instructed.
The caterer tasted the water,
Which had been turned into wine,
Without knowing where it had come from.
The only ones who knew were those who were waiting on tables,
Since they had drawn the water.
The caterer called the bridegroom over and remarked,
People usually serve the best wine first.
Then when the guests have been drinking a while,
A lesser vintage is served.
What you've done is to keep the best wine until now.
Jesus performed his first of his signs at Cana in Galilee.
In this way,
He revealed his glory,
And the disciples believed in him.
After this,
Jesus went down to Capernaum with his mother,
Brothers and sisters,
And disciples.
They stayed there a few days.
Please repeat these words.
Shepherd us,
Lord,
With a faithful heart,
And guide us in the way of truth.
I invite you now to hold someone's name before God.
You may want to repeat the person's name with your voice,
Or just in your mind,
Or perhaps just silently hold the person in your heart.
Don't worry about diagnosing the person's need,
Or telling God what to do.
Hold this person before the God of love.
Gracious Lord,
Lead us from death to life,
From falsehood to truth.
Lead us from despair to hope and from fear to trust.
Lead us from hate to love and from war to peace.
Let peace fill our hearts,
Our homes,
And our world.
In the name of Jesus,
Who taught us to pray.
Our Father,
Which art in heaven,
Eternal God,
Earth-maker,
Pain-bearer,
Life-giver,
Source of all that is and all that shall be,
Not only Father,
But Mother of us all.
May the hallowing of your name echo through the universe.
May the way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world.
May your heavenly will be done by all created beings.
May your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on Earth.
May the bread we need for today feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another,
Forgive us.
In times of temptation and test,
Strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure,
Spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil,
Free us.
For you reign in the glory of the power that is love,
Now and forever.
Amen.
God who turns water into wine,
You turn our ordinary moments into extraordinary journeys.
Open our eyes to see the miracles hidden before us in plain sight.
Transform our mortal days with your divine love.
Amen.
And now,
My friends,
May the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ go with you wherever he may send you today.
May he guide you through the wilderness,
Protect you through the storm.
May he bring you home rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you.
May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
Go in peace.
