The season of Christmas is the time in which our Bible
readings invite us to consider who Jesus is, not what he did or what he taught,
but his identity. We reflect on Jesus’s identity through the seven “miraculous
signs” that John relates in his Gospel. John relates only seven miracles in his
Gospel, and he calls them “signs.” That Jesus did miraculous things is not as important
as how they point to who he is.
The first of those signs is Jesus' changing of water intowine at a wedding. Jesus blesses the greatest physical joy that human beings
can experience. And he adds to the celebration with the intoxicating joy of
wine. So, Jesus Christ is the source of our joy, in this world and the next.
The Church has been accused of being a killjoy, or as Karl
Marx said, the “opiate of the masses.” It is true that circumstances sometimes
make it hard for us to find joy. And quite often, we end up “looking for love
in all the wrong places.” But Jesus Christ wants us to be happy, in this life
and the next. And the Church that calls itself Christian should be in the
business of providing occasions for people to be happy.
And if we go looking for happiness in the wrong places; better
that we keep looking rather than giving up on finding true joy. By a process of
elimination, we will eventually the joy that will last beyond physical death.
That’s who Jesus Christ is: the source of joy now and forever. Keep looking.
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