“This, the first of His miraculous signs, Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee. He thus
John 2:11
revealed His glory, and His Disciples put their faith in Him.”
Dear Friends in Christ,
The miraculous sign John is referring to is when Jesus turned water into wine at the wedding feast at Cana. John always refers to Jesus’ miracles as signs in order to emphasize the significance of
what Jesus is doing not just the miracle itself. After all, turning approximately 120 gallons of water into high quality wine would attract a lot of attention. It definitely got the Disciples’ attention and they put their faith in Him knowing that He was going to do so much more.
This year we move quickly from Epiphany season to Lent. February 22nd is Ash Wednesday. Yes already. Epiphany emphasizes Jesus being revealed and made known to the whole world. Epiphany marks the celebration of the visit of the Three Wise Men to the baby Jesus when they brought him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The Epiphany season can include between 6 and 9 Sundays. The last Sunday before the start of Lent is called Transfiguration Sunday. It is a significant and uniquely Lutheran contribution to the Liturgical calendar. It commemorates the moment when Peter, James, and John were given a glimpse of Jesus’ Divine Glory. On the mountaintop, they saw Jesus at the center of both the Law and the Prophets. They saw Jesus standing between Moses and Elijah who appeared with Jesus. Jesus made Himself known in that glorious moment that He is the long awaited Savior who came to die for the sins of the world and be raised again in glory.
When Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, the Church paraments change to the color purple, the color of royalty and repentance. This season of repentance is a time of reflection and renewal with a focus on the Passion and Death of Our Lord as we turn to Him for mercy and forgiveness. Ash Wednesday uses ashes from the palms from last years’ Palm Sunday Service, placed on the forehead or hand as a sign of penitence and a reminder that we too, shall die and therefore need forgiveness from Jesus. There are black paraments that are used on Ash Wednesday to remind us of this point.
Seasons come and seasons go, and we in the Church observe these changes liturgically as we remember each day what Christ the Lord means to us and what He has done for us.
God bless you all,
Pastor Dan