Every Gathering Is Sacred

The next day there was a wedding celebration in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration. - John 2:1

Jesus went to a wedding, and we can tell from the story that follows that he had no agenda. He didn’t go to teach people or to baptize or to heal or to perform a miracle. He just went to a wedding - a celebration of the goodness of life.

Think of it - God in the flesh just showing up at a party. And it’s not like Jesus made it sacred by showing up. The whole implication of this is that it was already sacred before he showed up. Jesus showed up to this gathering because there’s no event that’s so normal, so mundane but that God isn’t there already. The dance floor was holy ground - because humans were gathering to celebrate and flourish.

And the implications are huge. If Jesus can show up in places like a regular wedding (not to mention places like a manger and a cross), then there’s no gathering that we participate in that can’t be viewed as sacred. Shauna Niequist writes, “Every crumb of bread and sip of wine is a Eucharist, a remembrance, a call to awareness of holiness right where we are.”

What gatherings will you be a part of this week? Think about gatherings at home or at work, at church or with friends, with a few people or with many. How would it change how you entered in if you viewed each of those gatherings as holy ground and sacred space?