S2 Ep.17-The Miracle Was Not The Wine

Mother’s Day can feel like a celebration and a wound in the same breath. If you’re carrying gratitude, grief, distance, longing, or all of it at once, you belong here.

I reflect on biblical motherhood as something far bigger than biology: presence, nurturing, guidance, and the quiet kind of love that helps someone become more fully alive. We start with Mary at the wedding at Cana in the Gospel of John. When the wine runs out, she doesn’t panic or perform. She notices. She names the need. She trusts Jesus enough to say, “Do whatever he tells you.” That small moment shows how steady attention can make room for a miracle.

From there, I walk through other mothers and mother figures in Scripture: Hannah, who loves with open hands; Moses’ mother, who chooses courage when fear would be easier; and Naomi, who becomes family through relationship and shared loss. Together, these stories invite a new definition of strength that fits a modern heart: patience, endurance, and showing up again and again, even quietly.

This reflection is also an invitation to receive care. Think about who has nurtured you: a mother, an aunt, a grandmother, a teacher, a mentor, a friend. Then join me in a closing prayer for God’s ceaseless love and peace. If this spoke to you, subscribe, share it with someone who needs steadiness today, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

Let's Get Into It!!

Transcript

Welcome And Mother’s Day Hold

Speaker 0:08

Welcome friends to Ancient Truth for the Modern Heart. I am Steve Pozzato, and as always, I am grateful that you are here spending this time with me. Wherever you are today, friends, whether this day feels joyful or complicated, or somewhere in between, I want you to know that you are welcome here. All are welcome here. Because days like this, they don't feel the same for everyone all the time, and that is okay. Because today, May 10th, 2026, is Mother's Day. And Mother's Day can be a beautiful day. A day of gratitude, a day of remembering love, care, presence, and at the same time, it can also carry grief. It can carry loss, distance, and even longing. Or questions about what motherhood really even means to each of us. So today we hold all that. Not just one story, but many. Because when we talk about mothers in Scripture, we're not just talking about biology. We're talking about presence, nurturing, guiding, holding space, the kind of care that helps someone grow, and the kind of presence that shows up in so many ways. So let's get started.

Mary’s Quiet Notice At Cana

Speaker 2:06

There's a moment in the Gospel of John, a wedding at Cana. And I'm sure you know this story. It's a celebration, but then something goes wrong. They run out of wine. And it's Mary, Jesus' mother, who notices, who sees what others perhaps miss. And she brings it to Jesus. Not loudly and not dramatically, but very simply, trusting that something can be done. There is something powerful about being the one who notices, the one who sees the need before it becomes a crisis. The one who quietly says, something isn't right. Mary doesn't make a scene and she doesn't panic. She simply pays attention. And that kind of awareness, that kind of attentiveness is a form of care in itself. And then she does something else. She brings the situation to Jesus. And even when his response feels uncertain, and even when it seems like it might not be the time for him to perform a miracle, she trusts anyway. And then she says to those around her, do whatever he tells you. It's a small moment, but it's also a moment of deep trust. She tells Jesus to do this thing. Mary doesn't perform the miracle herself. She doesn't take center stage even, but she does create the space for something to happen. And that matters because so often the most meaningful influence is not very loud. It's quiet, it's steady, and it is a presence that says there is more possible here. My son is also the son of God. And so running out of wine and causing shame upon this family is not the only outcome.

Hannah Moses And Naomi’s Courage

Speaker 4:45

But Mary is not alone. There are so many stories of mothers in Scripture who shape the world in quiet, really powerful ways. Hannah prays for a child. She waits and hopes, and when that child comes, she releases him. She trusts that his life is something larger. That's a different kind of love. Not one that holds on, but one that lets go. Not that the love disappears, but this is what Hannah must do. Moses' mother places him in a basket and sets him into a river. Can you imagine that moment? Trusting that letting go is the only way forward. That love sometimes looks like. Well, it so often looks like courage in the face of fear. Imagine what she must have felt when she put Moses in the basket, not knowing where he would end up or what would become of him. And yet he would become one of the most powerful and influential and important people in the Bible. And how about Naomi? Naomi becomes a mother figure through relationship with Ruth, through grief at the loss of her husband. As she walks alongside Ruth, she shows us that motherhood is not just about giving life, but about staying present in someone else's. So, my friends, the Bible does not say that motherhood is simply biology. You have birthed this child, and therefore you are their mother. And you must love your child in this way. With the few short examples that we've talked about here today, we know that's not true. Motherhood is a kind of love that cannot be broken. It cannot be stressed enough that a mother's love, whatever motherhood means to you, and whatever it means to others, is love nonetheless, and it is a love that never disappears. Just like the love of God. These stories invite us to rethink strength, because strength isn't always force, after all. It's not always visible, even. Sometimes it looks like patience, endurance, quiet trust showing up again and again. And maybe that's the kind of strength that shapes the world more deeply than we realize. And if we look around, we can see this kind of presence everywhere. In mothers, yes, but also in anyone who nurtures, who guides, who cares, and who holds a place for others to grow.

Redefining Motherhood As Presence

Speaker 8:20

Teachers, mentors, therapists, friends, caregivers, people who notice, people who stay, people who trust that something good can emerge. And so maybe part of today is also about receiving, recognizing where that kind of care has shown up in your life, even in small ways, even in the quiet moments. Because sometimes we don't notice it until we pause. So what does that motherhood mean to you? If it is an actual mother, your actual mother, or perhaps you are the mother, or an aunt was the mother, or a grandmother, or a teacher, or a neighbor, or a friend, or anyone who has nurtured, who guided, who believed in you and who loved you, and still loves you, and still believes in you. This day is for about receiving that care as much as it is sharing that love. So today, wherever this day finds you, in gratitude, in grief, or in reflection, know that you are part of this larger story. And it is a story where care matters, where presence matters, where the quiet ways we show up for one another shape more than we can see. And maybe the most powerful thing we can do is not to try to become something extraordinary, but to simply be present, to notice, to care, to trust, and in doing so to help something beautiful come into being. For all those who care and nurture, for all those who love and who refuse to let go. For all those who never give up when it would be so easy. Receive the care. Think about what motherhood means. It can mean a lot of things, friends. But know that you are not alone. And however you define motherhood, I hope that you know that love because you are loved here. And I hope you know that welcome because you are welcome here. And I hope you know that caring because it is given here. I hope you notice that there is presence here, not just me present with you, but you present with me. Us together sharing in this love of God, in this world where we are blessed.

Prayer And Closing Blessing

Speaker 12:02

Pray with me, my friends, God of ceaseless love, be with us in our hearts and place under our feet wings of joy, that we may rise to speak hope from our lips, and to carry your love in our hearts, because wherever we carry love, God, there shall we go in peace. Amen. My friends, my friends, until next time, farewell, take care of yourself, and take care of one another, love each other, hold each other, and by all means feel the peace of Christ in your heart, be well.