Did you know there is wine tasting in the Bible? In the gospel of John, at a wedding feast, the chief steward tastes some wine which, unbeknownst to him, had come from water which Jesus had just turned into wine. He calls the bridegroom and says, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the poor wine after people have had a lot to drink, but you have kept the good wine until now!” (John 2:10)

The gospel of John calls Jesus’ miracle of turning water to wine “the first of Jesus’ signs.” (John 2:11) The miracle, at the outset of Jesus’ ministry, illustrates what Jesus would be about (not winemaking!). It shows us that . . .

Christ brings about marvelous changes. The turning of water to wine is a picture of the profound transformation that Christ enables in human lives
Christ is at work in ordinary places. The miracle takes place at a party in a small Galilean town
Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of God’s blessing upon humanity. Christ is the “good wine kept until now”!
Christ is the source of abundant life. Wine in the Bible is a symbol of the richness of life, and hence is a prime symbol in Communion

We are thus invited to open ourselves to what Christ can do in us!

Sunday’s Scripture Readings:
Psalm 104:1, 13–16, 24
John 2:1–11

About the Author

Dr. David A. Palmer has been the senior pastor at the United Methodist Church of Kent since 1995. He has a B.A. from Wittenberg University, a Master of Divinity from Duke University, and a Doctor of Ministry from Princeton Theological Seminary. A native of Wooster, Ohio, he has served three other churches in east Ohio before coming to Kent. He and his wife, Mavis, have three children.