Ephesians

Kindness and forgiveness and tenderheartedness. These are not our society’s virtues. Together they create a pattern for the perfect doormat. Left to our own devises perhaps that is precisely what such characteristics would weave.

“Be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

We make much of the fact that Jesus’ first miracle in the book of John happens at a wedding, and rightly so. His ministry of signs begins at a party with the Son of God supplying drinks all around. The interaction between Jesus and Mary is adorable and the miracle itself slightly scandalous to teetotalers. It is divine mischief at its best, and the resulting faith is an occasion for sheer enjoyment.

In the book of Mark, Jesus’ first miracle occurs at a worship service (Mark 1:21-28). It is as adorable as an earthquake. While the substance of Jesus teaching is missing in the account, Mark’s programmatic words probably catch the theme. “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near, repent, and believe in the good news.