Welcome to The Weobley & Staunton Benefice

In 1968 the country and western singer Johnny Cash and his wife June went on a tour of Israel and visited the town of Canaan. Later that year, at a concert he said to the crowd "We went into the little town of Canaan just over the hills from Nazareth and there's a church that sits over the cistern where the water came from that Christ turned to wine, where the first miracle was performed.” He then performed his song ‘He turned the water into wine’. The simple words reflect the public impact of Jesus first miracle.

He turned the water into wine.
He did, just a carpenter from Nazareth,
He turned the water into wine,
In the little Cana town, the word went all around,
He turned the water into wine.

The song picks up the sense of abundance and the mood of excitement and celebration that inhabits this miracle, as Jesus supplied amazingly good (and expensive) wine for a couple who would otherwise not have been able to afford it. The miracle harks back to the promised time of restoration spoken of by the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah and Amos, as expressed in the imagery of marriage (Is 54:4-8; 62:4-5) and an abundance of wine (Is 25:6; Jer 31:12; Amos 9:13-14;). It’s possible that these Old Testament connections in the miracle were observed and pieced together by the disciples, so they began to understand that Jesus is the good wine that has been’ kept back’ until now. And later in John’s writing, in the book of Revelation, Jesus is personified as the bridegroom at the marriage supper of the Lamb to which we are all invited. This is indeed cause for celebration!

Rev’d Philip

Whenever I travel, I am always interested to read signs that have been translated into English. This can cause some potentially interesting misunderstandings, as follows.

Sign in Tanzania: ELEPHANTS PLEASE STAY IN YOUR CAR

Sign outside Malaysian restaurant: SEAFOOD BROUGHT IN BY CUSTOMERS WILL NOT BE ENTERTAINED!

Sign outside toilet in India: PLEASE DO NOT DROP BUTT IN TOILET BOWL

Sometimes when it comes to translating our Christian faith into values, attitudes and behaviour, we often fall short of conveying the good news that Jesus came to bring. Sometimes this is a result of our negligence or ignorance. At other times, it’s because our lens on the practice of Christian faith is distorted by the narrow self-interest of our culture, and its hostility to compassionate Christian values. This might lead us unwittingly into something of a bunker mentality, rather than choosing to actively engage with causes that promote the common good and serve the wider community.

When the disciples became embroiled in an argument over which of them would receive the highest positions in the kingdom of God, Jesus responded by saying: You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many (Matthew 20: 25-28).

The qualities highlighted here by Jesus – service, humility and selflessness - are sorely needed in our world at present. If we take the time to display these, it may be that we can provide an effective translation of our faith.

Rev’d Philip