Lectio Template 238

 "You have kept the good wine until now."

We invite you to a few minutes of silence before we begin our prayer time together.

Take a deep breath and breathe in the breath of God, knowing by faith that God breathes into us the breath of life...

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LECTIO DIVINA: Listening to the Word of God with the ears of our heart [See Chopping Wood (or Carrots) Under the Gaze of God for a discussion of Lectio Divina]. 

First reading & silent reflection:  Reflect in silence.

LECTIO: from John 2: 1-11

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” . . .Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to [the servants], “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.” So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, [he] called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.” Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

Second reading & reflection: What word or phrase catches your attention? Share or pass...

Third reading & reflection:  How does this word or phrase touch your life? Share or pass.

Fourth and last reading & silent reflection:  How is God inviting you to grow?  We will reflect in silence for a few moments before we move from Lectio Divina to Centering/Silent Prayer. 

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CONTEMPLATIVE / SILENT PRAYER

Our Centering Prayer sit is 20 - 30 minutes sounded by the chime/chant.  At the end of the Prayer sit, we will linger in silence a few minutes, then follow by praying together the Our Father.

                          
The New Zealand Anglican Lord's Prayer

Eternal Spirit, Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver,
Source of all that is and that shall be,
Father and Mother of us all,
Loving God, in whom is heaven:
The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world!
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth.
With 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 for ever.
Amen.

--The New Zealand Book of Prayer  | He Karakia Mihinare o Aotearoa

Teaching / Reflection: 

A historical-metaphorical reading of this story . . . . notes its literary context: in John’s gospel, the wedding at Cana is the opening scene of the public activity of Jesus. As such, it is John’s way of saying, “This is what the story of Jesus is about (just as the inaugural scene of Jesus’ public activity in the other gospels is an epiphany of what their stories of Jesus are about). The story begins in a highly evocative way: the phrase “on the third day” evokes the Easter story at the very beginning of Jesus’ story.

Wedding and marriage have rich metaphorical associations in the biblical and Christian traditions. There is the mystical imagery of the marriage of heaven and earth, of God as lover and us as the beloved of God. The story of Jesus is about this. It is also earthy: a wedding banquet was the most festive occasion in Jewish peasant life. . . .

So what is the story of Jesus about? According to John’s inaugural story of Jesus’ public activity, it is about . . . a wedding banquet at which the wine never runs out, and the best is saved for last.

  ~Marcus Borg, The Heart of Christianity, 85.

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We now take some time to share our thoughts and reflections on our own spiritual journey and our prayer practice. This may be followed by brief prayers of intercession. Share or pass.

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Go in the name of Christ Jesus to love and serve the Lord.  Thanks be to God!

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[This is an adapted format courtesy of Richard and Linda Hall, Contemplative Outreach of Maryland and Washington, DC]