By Jan Davis
Special to The PREVIEW
The groom stood in front of his beautiful bride and held up his glass. So many thoughts went through his mind as he gazed into his wife’s face. The special day he had anticipated finally arrived. Their first act as a married couple — the bridegroom wanted to acknowledge his father.
Earlier in the day, the father presented sealed documents which transferred ownership of his corporation to his only son. Tonight, he mingled among the guests to assure the glasses were kept full and everyone enjoyed the occasion. The meal began to wind down and time came for the groom to toast the evening.
“Thank you for coming today.” The young man waited until the applause subsided.
With only a few bottles left in the kitchen, the caterers hurried to find others. “I would like to recognize my father who made all this possible.” He waved his hand to take in the harpists and the finest of china and silver scattered on white linen tablecloths. The fragrance of fresh flowers lingered in the air.
The young husband stretched out his hand in an invitation for his young wife to join him. Hand in hand, they offered a tribute. “Thank you, Father, for your love, commitment and devotion to family.”
“Cheer, cheer” rose from the crowd.
The groom whispered in his father’s ear. “This bottle surpasses all others served tonight. The perfect way to begin our life together. You thought of everything.”
A similar story in the Bible records the first miracle performed by Jesus. The empty jars lined the counter as the festivities wound down. The mother of Jesus summoned him to the kitchen. A simple story on the surface. To everyone’s surprise, expensive wine capped off the evening. But the truth hidden within deserves a deeper look.
Before Christ, our mere existence resembled empty ceremonial pots. Our noble intentions lacked depth. Jesus took our watered-down lives and replaced them with the robust and richness of his Holy Spirit.
From His endless warehouse, he poured into us the intensity of His love, and the fullness of His goodness. Filled with His grace, we experience the side effects of His mercy.
Sometime in the future, Christ will usher his Bride into the presence of His Heavenly Father. God will seat her at the wedding banquet and promise to keep her goblet full of the new wine of His Holy Spirit.
“The master of the feast called the bridegroom. And he said to him, every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now.” — John 2:6 (NKJV).
Because of Jesus, we hold in our hearts an invitation to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
I love you, but Jesus loves you more.
