We usually expect Lent to begin with grit, restraint, and wilderness honesty. We brace ourselves for hard edges and holy discipline. That is why John’s Gospel feels almost mischievous. Instead of starting Jesus’ ministry with a temptation story, John opens with a wedding, laughter in the air, and a miracle that tastes like joy.
It is surprising, and that is the point.
The good news is not only true, it is so good it should catch us off guard.
At Cana, the problem is ordinary and quietly urgent. The wine has run out. The celebration is about to slip into embarrassment, the hosts will feel the shame, and the moment will fall flat. Mary notices and names it. Jesus steps in, and what happens next is not a modest fix. It is abundant with a wink.
Water becomes wine.
And not just enough to get through the night, not the bargain bottle, not the kind you serve when you are trying to stretch the budget. The best wine. Saved for last. A miracle that feels almost excessive, until you realize that the extravagance is the message. Jesus is revealing what God’s goodness is like.
So good it catches us by surprise.
That theme matters because “good news” is a phrase we hear so often that it can lose its flavor. Sometimes it has been used to control people, to draw lines, to sell products, or to slap a label on something that does not feel good at all. So at the start of this series, it is worth asking, what do we mean when we say good news?
Good news is not a weapon. It is not a brand. It is not a threat.
Good news is a blessing. It is a relief. It is joy that restores your breath. It is the kind of love that is actually good for you, and good for your neighbor, and good for the world God made. The essence of Jesus’ ministry is meant to be good, beneficial, joyful, and delightful.
And sometimes, it is so good it surprises even the faithful.
This is where the mustard seed comes in. Jesus says the kin-dom of heaven is like something tiny, almost laughably small. A seed you could lose in your palm. But it grows, and it grows, and it keeps growing, until it becomes shelter. The kingdom does not always arrive with thunder. Often it shows up like a quiet disruption, a small mercy, a surprising invitation, a new possibility you did not see coming.
It is subversive because it refuses to stay small.
It is playful because it does not always follow our rules of what is appropriate, efficient, or necessary.
Be honest, part of us wonders about Cana. Is this miracle too lavish? Is it unnecessary? Shouldn’t Jesus be doing something more serious? But that question reveals something in us, the way we have been trained to expect scarcity, to ration joy, to assume God is practical and reserved.
Jesus upends that assumption on page one.
What if God’s goodness is bigger than our comfort with abundance?
What if God’s love is not just enough, but more than enough?
What if it is so good it catches us by surprise?
If Ash Wednesday’s good news was “there is still room,” then this Sunday’s good news might be “there is still more.” More grace than you thought possible. More welcome than you expected. More transformation than you dared to hope for. More joy than your fear wants to allow.
The good wine has been saved for last.
So as we begin Lent, here is a simple practice. Look for holy surprises.
Look for the moments that feel like water becoming wine, when ordinary life suddenly carries the flavor of grace. Pay attention to the tiny mustard seed moments, the small beginnings that could grow into something life-changing. Notice what God is growing in you, and what God is growing through you.
Then, be part of the surprise for someone else.
Extend an invitation you have been holding back. Offer a kindness that feels a little extravagant. Speak a blessing out loud. Make room at your table. Keep the good vibes flowing, not because everything is perfect, but because God’s love is real, and it does not run dry.
Lent will take us into honest places. Some teachings will challenge us. Some will unsettle us. But we can trust the One who begins with a wedding feast, because he is showing us the heart of God from the start.
The kingdom is so good it catches us by surprise. And once it takes root, it cannot be contained.
Grace and Peace because grace goes before peace,
Pastor Sharon