Jesus – the Life of the Party - Father Dave's Blog

“When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what concern is that to me and to you? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” (John 2:3-5)

Thus begins the story of Jesus’ first and weirdest miracle. It’s the first miracle recorded in John’s Gospel, at any rate. In terms of weirdness, the one where Jesus makes a coin appear in the mouth of a fish is also pretty weird (Matthew 17:27) but I think this one is still the winner.

I’m sure you know the story. Jesus and his team were at a wedding, and the host ran out of wine. Jesus, under pressure from His mother, provided more wine – a lot more wine! Indeed, we’re told that He transformed six stone jars full of water into wine, with each one holding twenty to thirty gallons! An extra 120 to 180 gallons of wine would have filled between 600 and 900 regular wine bottles – enough to keep the party going for quite a while!

In John’s Gospel, Jesus’ miracles are referred to as ‘signs’, and this is the first of seven recorded signs. My question is, ‘what was this water into wine miracle supposed to signify?’ Was it simply that ‘Jesus is the Life of the Party’?

My prayers of late have been so focused on ending the Gaza Genocide and finding some redemption for the people of Syria that I find it hard to stomach the idea that Jesus could be focusing all His miraculous energies on filling people’s wine glasses! Is that really the way it works?

Moreover, I can’t imagine the family hosting this wedding accidentally skimping on the alcohol order. If the wine had all been consumed, I’m guessing that was because those people had had enough! Why didn’t Jesus just tell them all to sober up and go home? Since when is an extra 900 bottles of alcohol the solution to anyone’s problems?

Jesus’ miracles were signs. They are not the new reality. They are signs of the coming new reality. They give us a glimpse of the future.

When Jesus heals, it points us to a world where there is no more sickness or death. When Jesus feeds the multitudes, we glimpse a world where there is enough food for everyone. When Jesus turns the water into wine, it signifies a coming abundance – abundant wine, abundant joy, and abundant life. And, yes, it does remind us that Jesus is the life of the party!

Our Sunday Eucharist

We had another great session with our Sunday Eucharist last weekend. I had Rob Gilland and Rev. John Jegasothy with me on the panel, and Joy alongside me!

Thank you to everyone who participated. Enjoy some of the highlights below, and for the full library of shorts, visit the Sunday Eucharist Instagram page, or watch all of our recordings on our YouTube channel.

This Sunday I’m looking forward very much to having Karyn Hemming and Andrew Logan with me again. We will go live at noon at TheSundayEucharist.com, and on Facebook , YouTube, Twitter, LinkedInand Streamyard. I look forward to sharing this Eucharist with you. 😊

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What’s On?

Sunday, January 19 – Our Eucharist from midday via thesundayeucharist.com (or through Facebook , YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn or Streamyard).
Tuesday, January 21 – Boxing at the The Mundine Gym in Redfern 7 to 9 pm.
Friday, January 24 to Friday, January 31 – In Iran

Yes, my trip to Iran has finally been confirmed and I leave next Friday. I’m leaving very early in the morning. I don’t think I’ll be able to manage Thursday night boxing.

The above pic from my 2016 trip to Tehran where I also appeared on a TV show. Those are the female crew members with me. On that occasion the focus was on my friendship with Mordechai Vanunu, the Israeli nuclear whistle-blower. This time they want me to talk about my concern for Syria and Gaza.

It’s a great opportunity, and I’m hoping that other opportunities will open up for me while I am there. In truth, I’m not sure what to expect, but when you’re invited on an adventure, you can’t say ‘no’.

The downside of me heading off next week is that I won’t be able to participate in our Sunday Eucharist for January 26. Sadly, midday in Sydney is 4.30 am in the morning in Tehran. I could manage anything up to 3 am, but 4.30 am … sorry.😒 Besides that, I don’t expect I’d be able to procure any wine for myself there!

The good news is that Rob Gilland has put his hand up to lead us in a Uniting Church Communion Service in place of our regular Anglican Eucharist. Rob in an authorised celebrant with the Uniting Church of Australia, and it’s probably about time we tried something different. Do please say a special prayer for Rob and the team though for Sunday week.

And please let me know if you have any insights into things I should be doing while in Iran. I am very aware that the ‘Axis of Resistance’ collapsed with the fall of Syria, leaving Iran alone to face the hostilities of Israel and its western backers. Yes, there has been a ceasefire declared in Gaza but I think Chris Hedges is right in believing that the saga of horror is far from over (see his ‘Ceasefire Charade’).

What all this means for Iran is likely to unfold over the coming weeks, and I am keen to talk to people on the ground there about how they are feeling and where they see things heading. Perhaps I’ll be able to broadcast some meaningful interviews. If you have any suggestions, please do let me know.

Finally, if you didn’t catch my Faithia interview during the week, I’ve posted it below. It was great to meet Jaclyn Whitt, who is a Canadian living in Mexico. She is working in the Christian movie industry – helping people develop scripts and get their visions on to the screen. She’s an amazing woman, and she interviewed me on my history of working with vulnerable people, and the role boxing has played in my life and ministry. Enjoy the interview and do please download the Faithia app.