Commentary

Paul never met Jesus but he claims to have seen him through subjective visionary experiences (Galatians 1:12, 16; 2:2; 2 Corinthians 12:1-10). Jesus died around 30D. Around A.D. 37, Paul reported his initial apparition of “Christ” whom he identified with Jesus raised from the dead The relationship of Jesus and Paul is explored in the book Paul and Jesus: How the Apostle Transformed Christianity by James D. Tabor, a professor at UNC-Charlotte.

Tabor towards the end of his book, he lists what we know about Paul:

• “Paul calls himself a Hebrew or Israelite, stating that he was born a Jew and circumcised on the eighth day, of the Jewish tribe of Benjamin (Philippians 3:5-6; 2 Corinthians 11:22).

• “He was once a member of the sect of the Pharisees. He ad¬vanced in Judaism beyond many of his contemporaries, being extremely zealous for the traditions of his Jewish faith (Philippians 3:5; Galatians 1:14). [He was born in Tarsus in what is today southernTurkey]

• “He zealously persecuted the Jesus movement (Galatians 1:13; Philippians 3:6; 1 Corinthians 15:9).

• “Sometime around A.D. 37 Paul had a visionary experience he describes as “seeing” Jesus and received from Jesus his gospel message as well as his call to be an apostle to the non-Jewish world (1 Corinthians 9:2; Galatians 1:11-2:2).

• “He made only three trips to Jerusalem in the period covered by his genuine letters; one three years after his apostolic call, when he met Peter and James but none of the other apostles (around A.D. 40); the second fourteen years after his call (A.D. 50), when he appeared formally before the entire Jerusalem leadership to account for his mission and gospel message to the Gentiles (Galatians 2:1-10); and a third, where he was ap¬parently arrested and sent under guard to Rome around A.D. 56 (Romans 15:25-29).

• “Paul claimed to experience many revelations from Jesus, in¬cluding direct voice communications, as well as an extraordi¬nary “ascent” into the highest level of heaven, entering paradise, where he saw and heard “things unutterable” (2 Corinthians 12:1-4).

• “He had some type of physical disability that he was convinced had been sent by Satan to afflict him, but allowed by Christ so that he would not be overly proud of his extraordinary revela¬tions (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).

• “He claimed to have worked miraculous signs, wonders, and mighty works that verified his status as an apostle (2 Corinthians 12:12).

• “He was unmarried, at least during his career as an apostle (1 Corinthians 7:8, 15; 9:5; Philippians 3:8).

• “He experienced numerous occasions of physical persecution and deprivation including beatings, being stoned and left for dead, and shipwrecked (1 Corinthians 3:11-12; 2 Corinthians 11:23-27).

• “He worked as a manual laborer to support himself on his trav¬els (1 Corinthians 4:12; 1 Thessalonians 2:9; 1 Corinthians 9:6, 12,15).

• “He was imprisoned, probably in Rome, in the early 60s A.D. and refers to the possibility that he would be executed (Philippians 1:1-26).”

Paul’s writings occupy nearly ¼ of the New Testament. Of the 27 books, thirteen are letters attributed to Paul. To these add the book of Acts, in which Paul is the main character in sixteen of its twenty-eight chapters. Paul’s accomplishment was to bring Christianity to the Gentiles in more pure sense that did not include Jewish practices.

Letters associated with Paul with his name include seven letters that scholars believe were written by Paul

First Thessalonians (ca. 51 AD) Philippians (ca. 52-54 AD) Philemon (ca. 52-54 AD) First Corinthians (ca. 53-54 AD) Galatians (ca. 55 AD) Second Corinthians (ca. 55-56 AD) Romans (ca. 55-58 AD)

The six letters are questionable – Colossians, Ephesians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, and Titus. In Hebrews does not bear Paul’s name and most scholars agree was not written by Paul

Paul is known for his travels. Here is a timeline showing followed by Paul’s travels along with maps

How is this all relevant to today ? Circumcision and keeping the Law of Moses are no longer issues which face us today. The letters demonstrates the importance of taking a stand for the Gospel against those such as those who substitute their own beliefs for it. Secondly, Galatians reminds us of the importance understand the doctrine of justification by grace through faith which was revived by Luther in the Reformation. The book also reconnects us to God’s promises related through covenants and how this reaches the height with Jesus.

Traditionally the week of prayer is celebrated between 18-25 January, between the feasts of St Peter and St Paul.

Check out the event website. The guiding biblical text for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2025 comes from John 11:17-27. The theme for the week, “Do you believe this?” (v. 26), takes its cue from the dialogue between Jesus and Martha when Jesus visited the home of Martha and Mary in Bethany following the death of their brother Lazarus.

At least once a year, Christians are reminded of Jesus’ prayer for his disciples that “they may be one so that the world may believe” (see John 17.21). Hearts are touched and Christians come together to pray for their unity. Congregations and parishes all over the world exchange preachers or arrange special ecumenical celebrations and prayer services. The event that touches off this special experience is the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

For this year, 2025, the prayers and reflections for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity were prepared by the brothers and sisters of the monastic community of Bose in northern Italy. This year marks the 1,700th anniversary of the first Christian Ecumenical Council, held in Nicaea, near Constantinople in 325 AD. This commemoration provides a unique opportunity to reflect on and celebrate the common faith of Christians, as expressed in the Creed formulated during this Council; a faith that remains alive and fruitful in our days. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2025 offers an invitation to draw on this shared heritage and to enter more deeply into the faith that unites all Christians.

I. Theme – Celebration of God’s glory

Wedding at Cana – Giotto (1305-1306)

The lectionary readings are here  or individually: 

Old Testament – Isaiah 62:1-5
Psalm – Psalm 36:5-10
Epistle – 1 Corinthians 12:1-11
Gospel – John 2:1-11     

Today’s readings speak of the revelation of hidden glory breaking through and inviting celebration.

Isaiah announces the coming glory of God’s vindicated people when they return to rebuild their shattered homeland. Isaiah reminds us that God delights in us with the joy of a bride and bridegroom discovering each other. This affirmation encourages us to love the mystery we are, accepting the chips, the cracks and the unfinished nature of our cup. Knowing that the cup of our life is held securely in God’s hands enables us to endure the tension of filling and emptying that goes on throughout a lifetime.

Paul describes the amazing results of spiritual gifts, given to all God’s people “for the common good.” The letter to Corinthians praises another kind of container for the ordinary. While we may look like unpromising vessels or unlikely disciples, the Spirit transforms us just as surely as Jesus changed the water to wine. Furthermore, the Spirit blesses a wide variety of ministries, so that no two goblets will ever be identical.

The Gospel is the story of the wedding feast at Cana, relates the first “sign” of Jesus’ identity and ministry that “revealed his glory.” The passage from John’s gospel speaks of huge stone jars holding 20–30 gallons of water. Jesus makes use of them for his first miracle, teaching that our journey to the sacred comes through the ordinary. It is fitting to remember the sign he performed at Cana as we move away from the high feast days of Christmas and Epiphany and into Ordinary Time.

Within everyday water, we can still glimpse the burgundy of grace. John tells us that the Word becomes flesh—a human being who likes to socialize, relishes a feast and presumably appreciates a fine vintage.

We celebrate and honor the memory and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on this Sunday. We remember that Dr. King did not bow down to the voices that wanted to silence him, nor did he hide with the threat of death.

We remember Dr. King’s dream. We celebrate our diversity, that we need each other to be part of the kingdom, the reign of God. We celebrate the diversity of our gifts, our cultures, our languages, our abilities, our very selves—for God has created us all. And God has chosen to participate in our lives through Jesus the Christ, to see our need to love our neighbor as ourselves, and in that love, to seek justice, God’s justice, which restores and heals. For God is not passive, standing by, but God is active in our world. Through the examples of Jesus, we know that God works in us for justice, for reconciliation, and for peace.  

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Big Picture

“This week celebrates Jesus turning water into wine during the Wedding at Cana — one of three traditional focal points for Epiphany through which Jesus’ identity “shows forth” (the other two being the visit of the Magi and Jesus’ baptism, the Gospel readings for Epiphany and last Sunday, respectively) The Scripture is John 2:1-11.

“John organizes the Gospel around seven astounding “signs” that reveal Jesus’ identity and mission. The turning of water into wine is the first of these signs — and like many “firsts” in art and life, it sets the tone for what follows, introducing the major themes to come. John’s name for these events — “signs” — is a clue to their purpose: they’re supposed to catch our attention (even catch our breath!), drawing us toward what for John is the whole point: life with and in God. But amazement doesn’t always work that way. It’s only too easy to get caught up in the miraculous and miss the larger purpose.

“And as it turns out, this tension is a running theme throughout John’s Gospel. Jesus repeatedly scolds the crowds (and his disciples) for focusing too much on signs, urging them to move on to higher, more important matters. Just a few pages later, in the scene featuring the second sign, Jesus is exasperated: “Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe” (John 4:48). Later, he calls on those around him to take another step: Don’t fixate on how I fed five thousand with a few loaves, he says. Shift your understanding into a higher gear, and see how I’m offering you the bread of life itself — indeed, see how I am that bread! (John 6:26-35). This tension between dazzling signs and genuine belief persists in John’s Gospel until the very end, culminating in the risen Jesus’ encounter with Thomas: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe” (John 20:29).

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1. David Lose

“Each of the four gospels starts with some kind of introduction, an encounter with John the Baptist, and then some form of a calling of the first disciples. And then each marks the move to Jesus’ ministry by describing a particular event.

“In Mark, the first thing Jesus does is cast out an unclean spirit, announcing his intention to stand against all that would keep the children of God from abundant life. In Matthew, the first major event of Jesus’ public ministry is his sermon on the mount, where he teaches the crowds from the mountain and comes across as one like Moses who brought down from the mountain. In Luke, Jesus first preaches, announcing his intention to heal and feed and release the captives and bring good news to the poor. First things matter.

“Here, in John, the first thing Jesus does is go to a wedding.

“How different from the other three. No healing, no preaching, no teaching. Just a wedding.

“More than that, Jesus doesn’t only attend the wedding, but he saves the day, turning water into wine when the wine had run out. Why?

“Perhaps the key is a line from John’s Prologue, the profound and poetic introduction to his telling of Jesus’ story. There John writes, “From his fullness, we have all received grace upon grace” (1:16). Not just grace, mind you, but grace upon grace. An abundance of grace in other words.

“And that’s the case here, as well. To run out of wine at a first century wedding would not have been just embarrassing, but disastrous. Wine was associated with blessing, joy, goodness, and more. To run out of wine would have felt like a curse, like you’d run out of blessing. And Jesus doesn’t just offer enough wine to cover the balance, but turns six huge washing basins of water into wine, providing more wine – and blessing – than they could have possibly consumed. More than that, and as the steward acknowledges, it’s the best wine they’ve had.

“Jesus, that is, creates abundance. Wine upon wine, blessing upon blessing, joy upon joy, and grace upon grace.”

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"St. Peter"- Peter P. Rubens

This is not a confession of the church but relates to Peter, the Apostler !

Jesus went to the predominately pagan region of Caesarea Philipp. Here is the Mark reading (Mark 8:27-30) ” Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.” Peter nailed it at this time

Jan 18 is the day appointed for this event. The collect – "Almighty Father, who inspired Simon Peter, first among the apostles, to confess Jesus as Messiah and Son of the living God: Keep your Church steadfast upon the rock of this faith, so that in unity and peace we may proclaim the one truth and follow the one Lord, our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. "