CANA

CANA

LET ME TELL YOU A STORY

WHEN I WAS A CHILD

EVERY SUMMER

WOODEN SCREEN DOORS

WERE PLACED

ON ALL THE OUTSIDE DOORS

THERE WAS A LONG SPRING ATTACHED

WHICH WHEN YOU LET THE DOOR GO

SLAMMED THE DOOR LOUDLY

THIS WAS USUALLY FOLLOWED

BY YOUR MOTHER YELLING

DON'T SLAM THE DOOR.

GRADUALLY

DUE TO MY MOTHER'S INFLUENCE

I LEARNED

NOT TO SLAM THE DOOR

IT WAS NOT AN EASY TASK

FOR MY MOTHER OR I

SHE WOULD COME TO THE DOOR

AND IN FRONT OF ALL MY PLAYMATES

CALL FRANK ANTONY

GET OVER HERE

WHEN I GOT OVER THERE

SHE WOULD SAY

FRANK ANTONY

OPEN AND CLOSE THE DOOR

QUIETLY

I WOULD OPEN THE DOOR

AND CLOSE IT

QUIETLY

THEN SHE WOULD SAY

NOW FRANK MIBUY

YOU CAN GO AND PLAY

TO THIS DAY

IF I SLAM A DOOR

NO MATTER HOW OLD I AM

AND MY MOTHER IS NOT AROUND

I GO OPEN AND

CLOSE THE DOOR

QUIETLY

ARE YOU PROUD OF ME MOM

ARE YOU PROUD OF FRANK ANTONY

AT CANA

MARY IS AN IMPORTANT GUEST

AT THE WEDDING

LISTEN TO THE GOSPEL AGAIN.

THERE WAS A WEDDING

AND THE MOTHER OF JESUS WAS THERE.

JESUS AND HIS DISCIPLES

WERE ALSO INVITED

FOR THIS WEDDING

MARY WAS A MORE IMPORTANT GUEST

THAN JESUS

NOW WEDDINGS

IN THE TIME OF JESUS AND MARY

WERE WEEK LONG EVENTS

AND FOR THE WINE

OR THE FOOD TO RUN OUT

WAS A DISGRACE

TO THE FAMILIES INVOLVED.

SO MARY

WHEN SHE SEES THE WINE RUN OUT

IS CONCERNED FOR THE BRIDAL COUPLE

SHE IS CONCERNED THAT THEIR MARRIAGE

NOT BEGIN WITH DISGRACE

SO SHE TURNS TO HER SON

AND SAYS

THEY HAVE NO WINE.

HE SAYS

IT IS NOT OUR PROBLEM,

IT IS NOT MY TIME TO BEGIN

MARY LOOKS AT JESUS

WITH THE TIME IMMEMORIAL LOOK

OF MOTHERS

WHO LOOK AT CHILDREN

WHO SLAM DOORS

AND SAYS TO THE SERVANTS

DO WHATEVER HE TELLS YOU.

THE LEGEND

IS THAT THE WATER

LOOKED WITH LOVE AT ITS CREATOR

AND BLUSHED

BLUSHED AND BECAME WINE

BLUSHED AND BECAME WINE

FINER THAN THAT

WHICH WAS SERVED

AT THE BEGINNING OF THE FEAST

DO WHATEVER HE TELLS YOU

AND WHAT DOES HE TELL US

HE ASKS US TO BECOME WINE

TO BE DRINK TO THE WORLD

TO SAY TO THE WORLD

WHAT AN ANCIENT GREEK PRAYER

HAS HIM SAY

I AM YOUR GOD

WHO FOR YOUR SAKE

HAVE BECOME YOUR SON

OUT OF LOVE FOR YOU

AND FOR YOUR DESCENDANTS

I NOW

BY MY OWN AUTHORITY

SAY TO ALL

WHO ARE HELD IN THE BONDAGE OF SIN

TO THROW OFF YOUR CHAINS

I HAVE FREED YOU

TO ALL WHO ARE IN DARKNESS

BE ENLIGHTENED

FOR I AM THE LIGHT

TO ALL WHO ARE SLEEPING

AWAKE

IT IS TIME TO AWAKE

AND TO ALL IN DANGER OF HELL

COME BACK TO ME

I DID NOT MAKE YOU

TO BE A PRISONER OF HELL

BUT TO SIT AT MY TABLE

AND DRINK OF MY WINE

THIS IS THE MESSAGE

FOUND IN ISAIAH

AND IN PSALM 36

I GOD

WANT WHAT IS GOOD FOR MY PEOPLE.

YOU AND I ARE ASKED

TO BECOME WINE TO THE WORLD

BUT WE SAY WE CANNOT DO IT.

WE HAVE NO SKILLS.

BUT PAUL REMINDS US IN CORINTHIANS

THAT WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN SKILLS

BY THE SPIRIT

WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN WISDOM

KNOWLEDGE,

FAITH,

HEALING,

MIRACLE WORKING,

PROPHECY,

AND THE GIFT OF TONGUES

THAT ALLOW US TO SPEAK

TO ALL PEOPLE IN A LANGUAGE

THEY CAN UNDERSTAND.

WE ARE ASKED TO BE WINE FOR THE WORLD

WE ARE ASKED TO DO WHAT JESUS TELLS US

AND WHAT HE HAS TOLD US IS WRITTEN IN OUR HEARTS

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS

WE ARE ASKED TO INVITE THE WHOLE WORLD

TO THE WEDDING FEAST

TO BE AT PEACE WITH ONE ANOTHER

AND WHEN WE SLAM DOORS

TO GO BACK AND DO IT RIGHT

ARE YOU PROUD OF ME JESUS

ARE YOU PROUD OF ME AND ALL YOUR CHURCH

ARE YOU PROUD OF US JESUS

AND THE ANSWER COMES THUNDERING FROM THE HEAVENS

YOU ARE MY BELOVED SONS AND DAUGHTERS

IN YOU I AM WELL PLEASED

MAY IT BE SO

AMEN

AMEN

FRANK A VOLLMER