Devotional for the week of January 19, 2025

Jesus Does Care

There is humor to be found in the words “And his disciples believed in him” . . . because he could turn water into wine! Really? That’s it? This small miracle performed at a wedding was all that was required at the start of Jesus’ ministry to gain his disciples’ faith and trust?

That such a minor event could prove so significant might sound silly if we are tempted to think God cares only about big things, such as war, environmental justice, and world hunger. But if we pay attention, we notice that many people encounter God in the most mundane moments of life: sitting quietly in a deer stand, floating on a calm lake while fishing, breastfeeding an infant and rocking in a chair, or holding the hand of an aged neighbor.

Jesus cares about all manner of small things—the grief of one widow, dis-ease in the life of a teenager, the lack of wine at a wedding. While these things may seem small to an outsider, we know they are big to the one experiencing them. Thank God, no matter how large or small our concerns, Jesus does care!

At all times, and in all places, God is at work using ordinary things and people to produce extraordinary results. At the Cana wedding, Jesus turned ordinary water into wine to provide an extraordinary blessing: continued joy and celebration among family and friends. Today Jesus often uses coffee and cookies to create bonds among people—just ask the fellowship committee in your congregation! Jesus does care about our fellowship with one another. We are even commanded to gather around tables, to break bread and drink wine to remember him.

This season after Epiphany, may you catch sight of the ways Christ is present at your tables and in your gatherings, deepening relationships and spreading joy.