My dad used to joke, “When I was growing up, we were so poor we couldn’t afford to pay attention.” Another family member quipped, “We couldn’t even afford to go window shopping.” Jerry Clower’s story usually won the day. He said his family was so poor that they couldn’t afford plates. So they ate off of syrup lids. Sometimes the syrup lids spun around the table when they sopped their gravy or syrup. So his mother nailed the lids to the table. Then Clower said, “We were so poor we sopped the heads off of the nails.” That is poor.
Perhaps poverty or poor planning led to the wedding feast running out of wine. Jesus’ mother believed he could remedy the situation. He turned water into wine that day and everyone marveled at the quality of the wine. Commending the bridegroom, the master of the banquet said, “You have saved the best till last.” We are tempted to say, “Oh how nice. Jesus saved the wedding.” But John saw more in this miracle. Jesus showed a sign of glory that day. This led his disciples to believe in him. Then Jesus spent some time with his family in Capernaum.
If we are not watching, we will never see. Like the disciples, if we pay attention, we will be astonished, and tell about it. What have you seen as you paid attention this week? A hawk patrolled my neighborhood skies on Sunday morning. The sun glinted off his white underbelly as he floated without flapping his majestic wings. This is my Father’s world! This morning, a group of friends from another country took selfies as one broke out into song with a beautiful opera voice. I’m glad I didn’t miss that!
All around us today, God will show us that he is sovereignly working. Will we see? Water still turns to wine. The ordinary becomes extraordinary. Our God saves the best for last. How much would we pay for a glimpse of glory? The poorest of all are those who choose not to pay attention. But those who do are rich indeed. Mary Oliver is right: “Pay attention. Be astonished. Talk about it.”
