Why Are We Named Cana?

Michael Card evokes the memories of the wedding at Cana when he sings, “Lord of light come to this wedding, take the doubt of darkness away, turn the water of lifeless living to the wine of gladness we pray.” It is easy in this world of uncertainty to be very familiar with the doubts of darkness and to long for something more. We at Cana Community believe this is exactly why Christ came to Cana then, and why He longs to come into our own lives today: to offer each of us the same wine of gladness he offered to that bride and groom so long ago.

“Turning the water of lifeless living into the wine of gladness.” — Michael Card

The wine of gladness is a wonderful metaphor for redemption, freedom, authentic human being. The great Indian novelist and philosopher Tagore wrote, “All things reach out with strong hands toward perfection.” That reaching out is the human want of the Divine. It is the desire to know a Reality beyond our limited selves. This is the human cry for redemption; a deep inner knowing that there must be something beyond the limitations of our own failures, our own demons, our own fears, our own shattered dreams. It is the undeniable suspicion that authenticity exists and it can be ours.

The Bible claims, and Christ affirms, that we are all made in the image of God, the Imago Dei. Yet it does not take a lot of self honesty to acknowledge that the Imago Dei has been cracked, broken, obscured. Scripture tells that God is love. We know then that authentic human being is living into love of the other: both the Divine Other and the human other. Yet, the world staggers under the seeming universal expression of man’s collective loveless inhumanity to man. Our cups, once filled with the wine of authenticity, hold something now much less. Christ would mend our cups and fill them again with a more recognizable Image. At Cana Community we believe more authentic human being is not only possible, it is God’s desire for each of us; a Divine desire so strong He gave Himself to make it attainable.

And it was at table that Christ so often offered this redemption. At a table of thanksgiving where all were welcome to come and all were invited to partake of what Card calls “the bread of forgiveness and the wine of release”. Here at Cana Community we desire to follow Christ’s example and welcome all to table to join with us as we explore this idea of authenticity, of freedom, of redemption. We want to know this Christ whose first miracle was changing water to wine, we want to worship this God in Whose Image we were all created, we want to discover again “the wine of gladness”, and pursue in community the blazing reality of loving God and loving others. Please come and join us on Sunday.