Today I read and reflected upon the first miracle of Jesus: turning the water into wine at the wedding in Cana (John 2:1-11). Every time I read a passage of Scripture I find a new application relevant to my present life situation. Today I was struck by the words of the master of ceremonies: “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.” The best wine is usually the wine that has time to age, to mature, before it is decanted and tasted. Can we apply that to our lives in Christ, as they are conditioned by the wine of the Spirit? I would like to think so.
As I look back upon a lifetime of stages of growth I see much immaturity tempered by a slow education and refining through periods of testing. Much has been accomplished over the years which may be celebrated. I am grateful for all the opportunities I have had, for all the wonderful people I have known, for all those I have been able to assist on their journeys. I can also recall those times when, like so many vintages, I have been rough and acidic on the palate, brut, very dry and unsweetened. Over the years I hoped that Jesus would turn the water of my lower nature into a finer wine. The reality is that the influence of the lower nature endures throughout our lives and sometimes rises up to the top when our lives are shaken. Just as sediment lying undisturbed for many years can make the wine cloudy and unpalatable when poured out too quickly, our immaturity can rise to the top under stress. That is why I need to abide in Christ if I want to produce the fruit of the vine that tastes the best.
I take comfort from this first miracle of Jesus. Perhaps this stage in my life will be the best stage, the mature stage, when I will bring pleasure to others. I have had enough time to mature. Now is the time to be savored, to be enjoyed, as I am able to be the person I was created and redeemed to be. It is a time to be appreciated, to be thankful, to slow down, to no more be driven to achieve, nor to have to respond to every demand and expectation. I have done enough. I do not have to prove anything. Whatever I do now will be purely a labor of love and not of duty; what is called supererogation (I have always wanted to use that word – you will have to look it up).
I am not missing those parts of my vocation that have occupied my attention for over fifty years. I have plenty of time for Bible study, for meditation, for prayer, for reading, for writing, for gardening, for domestic tasks, for loitering, for accompanying my wife, for taking more interest in the lives of my children and grandchildren and friends, for appreciating the gifts of other preachers, for being out of the public eye and being a private citizen interested in local and national affairs.
Has God saved the best of life till older age? Why not? As Moses wrote: “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom…Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.” (Psalm 90:12,14)
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