Good signs are helpful. Confusing, unclear signs are no good at all.

In the city where I live there are constant complaints about confusing parking signs…different days and hours, arrows pointing in different directions, all designed to confuse and make people fall into disobedience to the law and end up paying a fine.

In John 2:1-11 we read an account where Jesus rescues a wedding by turning an enormous amount of water into an extraordinary quality wine. This is the first of a number of miraculous actions Jesus performs, that John labels as signs. first sign. Perhaps this is the beginning of the greater things promised in Jn 1:51? It is a narrative chockfull of significant detail. Let’s look at a few of these.

In chapter 1 verse 43 we read that the next day Jesus leaves for Galilee. Up to this point in chapter 1 Jesus has been relatively passive in the narrative as he received the disciples passed on to him by John.

Sometimes the words, ‘what about me?’ come too easily to our lips. Especially when working with others. There can be the desire to lead when for the moment our role is to follow, envy at the success of others, the desire for credit, a little more glory. Both humility and contentment can be hard at times.

Transitions can be difficult. Whether it is between jobs, ministries, governments, or generations, transitions can be tricky. It can be hard for the old to ‘let go’ and let the new take over. It can be hard to adjust to new circumstances as a transition takes place.

What are you waiting for? What are you expecting to happen? What are you longing for to happen?

We come now to the final section of John’s opening prologue. In verse 15 we hear part of John the Baptist’s testimony to Jesus. He simply testifies to the surpassing greatness of Jesus and hints that there was a time when Jesus was with the Father in the beginning.

“The word became flesh and dwelt amongst us and we beheld his glory.”

There is no transfiguration scene in John’s Gospel. This is because the glory of Jesus is glimpsed throughout Jesus’ whole ministry. Glory is a tricky concept to define and it may be one of those things that we can recognise when we see it. We can think of words like renown, fame; it has connotations of brightness and weight.

“I’d like to see that in the flesh!”

The phrase ‘in the flesh’ is used to describe seeing something live, as it actually is, rather than being told about it or seeing it on screen. Seeing people ‘in the flesh’ means we can see all the body language, the movements and expressions, which are so important to communication. Perhaps our experiences under COVID 19 have helped us to see more than ever the benefits of being ‘in the flesh’ with one another?

What’s your story? Let me tell you one of mine.

When I was a very young child, I lived in a mining town that had a lot of shops that sold exotic looking rock specimens. One day I saw one that I really liked in the shop window.  I asked my parents if they would buy it for me. They said no. But they did say that if I did some jobs for them I could earn the money to buy it. And so I did. I am not sure who got the best end of the bargain (it was a very cheap rock) but I learnt some things about the need to work hard for things you want and hard work deserves a reward.