Down that embankment lies the detritus of generations
of hard lives, disappointment,
and worn-out dreams.

There are trashed automobiles,
old tires, ancient cart bodies;
- all rusted out, picked over;
Nothing of value remains;
not even the value of keeping one's village
neat and attractive.

On the other side of the road
lies the village itself.
Its streets are narrow and dingy
- its people poor.

The last time I stopped there,
many in the group from Saint James
didn't want to get off the bus.
"Jesus was here," I said,
and they went with me.

There was a couple in our group
which that day was celebrating
the anniversary of their marriage,

and we all walked the narrow, dusty alleys
to one of the three churches
that claim to be built over the well
from which the water was taken
that Jesus turned into wine.

There, we had prayers
celebrating their marriage of many years,
for, Jesus was there.

There, in the midst of the ordinary
Jesus did the extraordinary.

In the middle of ample signs
of human failure and discord,
poverty and scattered dreams,
Jesus stood at the beginning point
of the formation of human relating
and worked his miracle there.

Ordinary water was turned into wine.
The steward of the feast tried the wine
and was astounded.
"This is the best wine of all," he proclaimed.

Every human life
has its share of crashed cars
and old tires.

We each have an embankment
with ample evidence of our tears.
To dwell on it is to fall into despair.

But, we are promised
that no matter what lies beside our road
Jesus has been there
and assures us
that all that detritus of the past
is no hindrance
to new life and love and hope.

If we welcome him into our marriage
it becomes a wedding feast.

[x and y,]
here is the rest of your lives.

As you form your new household, Jesus is there.
As you learn to read one another
and care for each other, Jesus is there.

As you agree or disagree about anything,
small or large, Jesus is there.

As you walk out of the church each Sunday
with the body and blood,
the life and labor,
the blood, sweat, and tears of Jesus,
in your spouse's body
and in your body
Jesus is there.

Discover him there. Nurture him there.
Rejoice in his presence at the formation
of your relating with each other and the world.

Taste and see.
The ordinary becomes extraordinary.
He has saved the best wine until now.