And other miracles of Jesus explained by James Cary, BBC sitcom writer and stand-up theologian.
What is Water into Wine?
It’s a one-man stand-up theology show that’s been touring the UK since Dec 2021 about James Cary’s quest to find out why Jesus did his most famous miracle, turning water into wine. And from 12th May, it’s available as a download or via streaming.
Er, ‘Stand-up theology’? What’s that?
So, it’s like stand-up comedy special, but with a lot more biblical theology than you’d get from Bill Burr or Dave Chappelle. Aside from being a BBC comedy writer for twenty years, James Cary (Miranda, Bluestone 42, My Family, Another Case of Milton Jones) is fascinated by the Bible. He even has a degree in theology. (But only from the University of Durham). The results are surprising and funny – and surprisingly funny. Have a look!
So why ‘Water into Wine’?
During lockdown, James wrote the Gospel According to A Sitcom Writer, drawing together funny routines that he’d performed over the last decade or do, and joining them up. In so doing, he found out that a good place to start was the most famous miracle of all: the water into wine miracle. It’s only in John’s gospel – and none of the others. And it’s first one. Why? And there are lots of other strange and comic things about it that felt worth exploring (not least the amount of wine! See vid)
Isn’t that a long show for a short Bible story?
In his quest to get his head around Water into Wine, James has also found the first joke in John’s gospel (and another one buried in chapter 7, just when you least expected it) and explains how Jesus narrowly averted a Zombie Apocalypse (but caused another one) and how the calling of Moses at the burning bush really went down. And you might know more Aramaic than you thought you did.
Whether you’ve been reading the Bible all your life, or just know the famous bits from Carol Service, Water into Wine joins the dots to create a funny, engaging picture that has been delighting audience in churches all across the UK. Why not find out what they’ve been laughing at?
Here it is: CLICK HERE
Still not convinced? Here’s a bit about the first joke in John’s Gospel:
About James Cary
James has plenty of experience writing comedy for mainstream secular audiences, having written episodes of Miranda, My Family, My Hero, Citizen Khan and Shakespeare & Hathaway. He also has also taken a deep dive into John’s Gospel, having based his latest book, The Gospel According to a Sitcom Writer, on John, published by SPCK, following up The Sacred Art of Joking.