Book of Common Prayer

¹ From the leader of the church people. I send greetings to the lady whom God has chosen, and to her children. I love you all because you have the truth about Christ. I am not the only one who loves you. All those who know the truth, love you also.

² We love you because of the truth we share which is in our hearts and will be with us for ever.

³ God the Father and Jesus Christ, the Father's son, will bless us. They will be kind to us. They will give us peace. They will do these things because they are true, and they love us.

⁴ I was very glad to find that some of your children are living in the right way. They are living the way the Father told us to live.

⁵ And now I want to ask you to do something. I am not telling you to do something new. It is the same law we had from the beginning. It is this, `We must love one another.'

⁶ We love God when we live the way God has told us. This is the law you heard from the beginning. You must live by it.

⁷ Many men who fool people have gone out into the world. They believe that Jesus Christ did not come to live as a man with a body. These men belong to the one who fools people. He is against Christ.

⁸ Watch out for yourselves! Do not lose what you have worked for, but receive all the reward that you should have.

⁹ Everyone who goes too far, and does not believe what Christ taught, does not believe God. Anyone who believes what Christ taught, believes both the Father and the Son.

¹⁰ If anyone comes to you who does not teach what Christ taught, do not take him into your house. Do not even greet him.

¹¹ Anyone who greets him helps him in the wrong things he does.

¹² I have much to write to you. But I do not want to write it on paper. I hope to come to visit you and talk with you. Then we will be very happy.

¹³ The children of your sister whom God has chosen send their greetings.

2 Two days later there was a wedding in the town of Cana in the country of Galilee. Jesus' mother was there.

² Jesus and his disciples were also asked to the wedding.

³ The people needed more wine. Then Jesus' mother said to him, `They have no wine.'

⁴ Jesus said, `Woman, why are you telling me about it? It is not yet the time for me to do something.'

⁵ His mother said to the servants, `Do all that he tells you to do.'

⁶ Six very large water pots made of stone were standing there. The pots were there because the Jews had a certain law about washing themselves.

⁷ Jesus said, `Fill the pots with water.' So they filled them to the very top.

⁸ Jesus said, `Now take some out. Carry it to the one in charge of the feast.' They did what he said.

⁹ The man in charge of the feast tasted the water that was now turned into wine. He did not know where it came from, but the servants who drew the water knew. When the man had tasted it, he called the man who was being married.

¹⁰ He said, `Other people give the good wine at the beginning of the feast. When people have had all they want, then they give the wine which is not so good. But you have kept the good wine until now.'

¹¹ This was the first big work that Jesus did. It was in Cana in Galilee. He showed that he was great. And his disciples believed in him.