Transforming Power of God

TRANSFORMING POWER

So the fairy godmother asked Cinderella why she was so sad.

Cinderella replied that she wanted to go to the ball but had nothing to wear.

So with the wave of a magic wand, the pumpkin becomes a carriage; the lizards become two footmen; the rats become horses, and Cinderella's rags become a dazzling dress.

And so Cinderella was able to go the ball and, as a result of her chance encounter with Prince Charming, her whole life was changed for ever by the wave of that magic wand.

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Now wouldn't it be marvelous if that could happen in real life and not just in fairy tales!

After all, few of us are really satisfied with our lives if we are really honest. Most of us wish we were better people.

Few of us are really satisfied with the world in which we live. Most of us wish it was a better place.

If only the wave of a fairy godmother's magic wand could remove our bitterness and hatred; our envy and covetousness. Gone would be the world's poverty and hunger; its homelessness and fighting; its greed and exploitation of natural resources. With the wave of the magic wand, we could once again live in peace and harmony, not only with ourselves, but also with one another.

Yes, it would be marvelous, but alas we can only dream about it because, unlike Cinderella, we live in the real world, and such things only happen in fairy tales.

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But is that necessarily so? I think not.

Consider the good news of John 2.1-11.

We are told that there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, to which Jesus, his mother and his disciples were invited.

Unfortunately, as the party got going, it ran out of wine. Jesus is made aware of the situation by his mother. His response, 'Woman, what concern is that to you?' probably sounds rather abrasive to our Western ears. However, the Greek word does not translate easily into the English language. Perhaps a more accurate translation would be 'Lady' or 'Madam' rather than the word 'woman'.

In response to the situation, the eyes of Jesus focused upon six large water jars. (For the benefit of his Greek readers, the author explains that these were used for the Jewish rite of purification. In other words, to wash the feet of the guests upon arrival, and their hands between courses.)

However, when the master of ceremonies came to pour out the water from the jars, acting upon the instruction of Jesus, he found that the water had been turned into wine. And not just any old wine, but good quality wine as the bridegroom observed.

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Now before we get too excited about the irresponsibility of Jesus for providing something like 120 - 180 gallons of wine for a party at which some of the guests had already drunk their fill, it is important to remember that John is telling this story for a particular purpose. And it is upon that purpose that our attention should be focused, and not upon the details of the story.

Unlike the other gospel writers, St John never talks about 'miracles'. Instead, he talks about 'signs'.

Now a sign is something which points beyond itself to the reality. For instance, if I am driving along a road, and I come to a road sign which indicates that there is a cross road ahead, I know that the sign is not the actual cross road, but rather that the sign is pointing beyond itself to the reality of the cross road which lies ahead.

We should therefore focus our attention upon the sign of the turning of water into wine, and the reality to which it points. You see, there is always more than meets the eye in St John's Gospel. We should ask ourselves: what does this sign tell us about God, as revealed through the earthly ministry of Jesus?

Put quite simply, it tells us that the God in whom we believe and trust has the power to transform. He transformed water into wine. He transformed a rather dull and embarrassing wedding feast for the host, at which the wine had run out, into a joyous celebration at which the wine flowed liberally for the guests.

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Yes, Jesus reveals a God who can transform our lives. He can transform our weakness into strength, our sadness into joy and our fear into confidence. He can transform our doubt into certainty, our restlessness into contentment, and our selfishness into generosity.

Indeed there is no limit to what God can do, as the abundant supply of wine makes clear.

However, you and I can only experience such a God in our lives provided we are prepared to turn to him, in sure and simple trust, and ask for his help, as did the mother of Jesus. Then we too can know of that transforming power in our lives.

So, my friends, forget about the magic wand of the fairy godmother. I am talking about the real transforming power of God, as was revealed by Jesus in the sign of turning water into wine in Cana of Galilee some two thousand years ago. And which will also be revealed to us at this Holy Eucharist when God will transform the bread and wine into his body and blood for the strengthening of our life of discipleship.