For the Lord delights in you.” Oddly, these can be difficult words to hear. We know how unworthy we feel before God. Yet, God, who knows all things and sees all things, still delights in us.

The scripture proclaimed this week presents powerful images of the church, the Body of Christ of which the hearers of scripture are members. You will preach on texts describing God’s intimate love for God’s people, and the existence of many gifts exercised under one unifying Spirit.

What’s in a name? Identity and even destiny—in just about any culture but ours. Certainly in biblical times naming held the authority of creation in it: “God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” From this understanding we get Adam, whose name means created from earth, and Eve, mother of all the living.

One of the best films about the joys and trials of growing up is Stand by Me. One of the heroes and the narrator of the tale is Gordy Lachance. His older brother was a star athlete and his parents’ obvious favorite.

Their company’s presentation to the new client wasn’t ready. Another day—even four or five more hours—and they could have had it in the right shape. But her partner said, “No, we’ve got to go.

Weddings are supposed to be joyful and happy for the bride and groom, their families, and all in attendance. But in our culture weddings have moved into the world of consumer excess and competition. Couples become blindsided by all of the details.

The outpouring of gifts by the Holy Spirit demonstrates how eager God is to respond to our needs. Let us be like Mary, Jesus’ mother, who was quick to let the needs of those around her be known.

There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee. Scripture and liturgy stand on a threshold today. The church begins a stretch of ordinary time. We begin proclaiming from Saint Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians; before we’re done we’ll hear most of chapters 12, 13, and 15.

Now this transformation of the water from its own substance into another testified to the powerful presence of the Creator. Only he who made it out of nothing could change water into something whose use was quite different. —Fifth-century homily