Ever found yourself wondering if there's more to the stories you heard as a child? Join us as we unearth the depths of Jesus's first public miracle at the Wedding at Cana, in our newest series "Come and See." Acting as your guide through the Gospel of John, I'll take you on a journey beyond the surface of water turned into wine, tapping into the profound symbolism of joy, abundance, and the divine nature of Jesus's mission. Just as my time as Tevye in "Fiddler on the Roof" brought new understanding to age-old traditions, I'll connect the dots from ancient wedding festivities to the transformative power present in our lives today.
Picture a wedding where the wine never runs dry—a symbol for the unending hope and joy found in the messiness of life. It's in this episode that we confront our own challenges, much like a wine shortage at a celebration, and explore the invitation to bring our full selves to Jesus, embracing a relationship that fills our ordinary with extraordinary. Alongside personal accounts of starting a church in the midst of a pandemic, we'll glean wisdom from these biblical narratives, providing solace for those times we've felt overwhelmed by life's uncertainties.
We wrap up with a call to action, an encouragement to recognize our need for transformation and to boldly invite others to join us at the feast of life Jesus offers. As we recount Jesus's deliberate declaration of his identity through the Cana miracle, we're reminded of the power of his love to turn water into the finest wine. Ready your hearts for a celebration, and let's raise our glasses to the promise that with Jesus, the finest is always within our reach.
Ever found yourself wondering if there's more to the stories you heard as a child? Join us as we unearth the depths of Jesus's first public miracle at the Wedding at Cana, in our newest series "Come and See." Acting as your guide through the Gospel of John, I'll take you on a journey beyond the surface of water turned into wine, tapping into the profound symbolism of joy, abundance, and the divine nature of Jesus's mission. Just as my time as Tevye in "Fiddler on the Roof" brought new understanding to age-old traditions, I'll connect the dots from ancient wedding festivities to the transformative power present in our lives today.
Picture a wedding where the wine never runs dry—a symbol for the unending hope and joy found in the messiness of life. It's in this episode that we confront our own challenges, much like a wine shortage at a celebration, and explore the invitation to bring our full selves to Jesus, embracing a relationship that fills our ordinary with extraordinary. Alongside personal accounts of starting a church in the midst of a pandemic, we'll glean wisdom from these biblical narratives, providing solace for those times we've felt overwhelmed by life's uncertainties.
We wrap up with a call to action, an encouragement to recognize our need for transformation and to boldly invite others to join us at the feast of life Jesus offers. As we recount Jesus's deliberate declaration of his identity through the Cana miracle, we're reminded of the power of his love to turn water into the finest wine. Ready your hearts for a celebration, and let's raise our glasses to the promise that with Jesus, the finest is always within our reach.
How are you? Good, that was not that felt like, maybe it was a little frozen still. Well, my name is Ben. I'm one of the pastors here. It's so good to be together on this warm, warm day inside, not outside, and I just love lifting our hearts through our voices in prayer, just singing to God at the top of our lungs together. Team, thank you for leading us. Just really sweet to be in that together.
Speaker 1:Well, this morning we're continuing in our sermon series called Come and See. We're preaching through different vignettes, little snapshots of Jesus, through the Gospel of John, all the way leading up to Easter, and what we're doing is inviting the uncovering of something that is extraordinary the true identity of Jesus. And so today we're gonna step into a scene that seems really common a wedding in a small town called Cana. But here Jesus was gonna reveal not just his power but his heart, his mission and his divine nature. And so we're asking ourselves the question who is Jesus? That's what we want you to be asking on Sunday mornings, that's what we want you asking all throughout the week as we meet in missional communities, as you disciple one another. And we can't let this just be a historical question. It's gotta be a question that touches the very heart of our existence. This question has echoed throughout history. It's in John's Gospels that we find this deep and multifaceted answer. One of my mentors always used to say about the Gospel of John it's shallow enough for a toddler to wade in and deep enough for an elephant to swim. This John was a disciple who's close to Jesus wrote down this account with a clear goal to help us firmly know and believe that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of God and that through this belief we can have a rich eternal life in his name.
Speaker 1:So last Sunday we explored the beginning. Houston preached the whole of the first chapter. We saw Jesus as the word presented with God from the start of everything, the beginning, the true light shining in the darkness, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And Houston helped us to understand that, as Jesus is described as the word by John, what it really means is he's the word about God, the visible, living, breathing word about God that we might know who God is. And seeing Jesus in action, we would get a clear picture of God's mind, his heart and his will.
Speaker 1:And today we're gonna just move further into this story Just further up, further into this aspect of Jesus' identity. And so, if you're not still there, you can turn to your Bibles, to John 2, or open up the bulletin. It is there as well. So here again we find ourselves at a wedding. Jesus performs his first public miracle, but it's more than just a miracle. We're gonna see that. It's a powerful statement of who he is and what he came to do. His wedding scene becomes a glimpse into God's kingdom, marked my joy, abundance and celebration.
Speaker 1:And so, as we explore this story together this morning, I just wanna invite you to listen closely to what God is revealing, to what he is saying. Let's come and see who Jesus is, new and afresh, this morning, whether you've been following him all of your life or whether you wandered in here this morning hoping to hear just more about who he is. As you're beginning a journey with him, we're gonna see, through his actions, through his words, through the deep symbolism of this event, who this Jesus is, and understanding this is gonna help us understand our own place in the story of redemption that God is telling, the story of transformation, the story of turning water into wine, of making ordinary into extraordinary. So I want this not to be just a study, but an up close look at this abundant life that Jesus offers through the lens of this story. So we're gonna do three things together we're gonna unpack the story, we're gonna look at the theological implications of the story so we need to see what is this word saying about God and then we are gonna apply this to our lives.
Speaker 1:All right, so we're gonna unpack the story, look at the theological implications and then apply this to our lives, but before I do that, I wanna pray for us. Would you join me, god? I thank you that you are with us this morning, that you are a God who creates and sustains, that you are all sufficient for our needs. You are all powerful to help meet our needs. And so, god, I pray that there's just individual needs that are represented in this room, that you would help us to bring them to you this morning, that we would lay them at your feet and that in you we would find the help that we need, the only help that we need. I pray that we would be people who see Jesus new and fresh together this morning, because our hearts stale, our hearts grow cold. So warm us this morning, god. We pray and my brother's sister said with me amen.
Speaker 1:Well, we're a homeschooling family and so we do a lot of reading in our house and the kids all have to read a certain portion of school time reading before they can read other things that they wanna read or whatever else, and Nikki picks the kind of subject matter that they're gonna read. And so this week Graham moved from reading historical biography to reading some fiction and he chose to start reading the Chronicles of Narnia, which is you all know who know me made me very happy. And in CS Lewis's the Chronicles of Narnia, the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, as Graham was reciting back to me the first few chapters that he read, as is kind of our practice, we meet the four Pevensey children Peter, susan, edmund and Lucy and they're sent to the countryside to stay with a professor Kirk during the air raids in London during World War II, and they're exploring the house. They're told to go kind of wherever they want on the grounds and in the house by the professor, much to the housekeepers this May. And they're exploring this old house and they decide, hey, this would be perfect to play hide and seek. And so Lucy, the youngest, finds a wardrobe in a spare room. She enters it to hide and discovers that it is not only the best hiding spot that day, it might be the best hiding spot all time, because it's a doorway to a magical land called Narnia. Do you know the story? Are you with me? Lucy recognizes the wardrobe as the answer to her immediate need. She walks in the house or in the room, she hears Susan coming and she says I can hide right there. And she does. But in an instant the wardrobe transcended being simply a piece of furniture in an empty room and became the gateway to extraordinary adventure and, ultimately, life change for Lucy and her siblings. This moment of discovery is not just a well-written child's fantasy book. It's not limited to that.
Speaker 1:In the Gospel of John, these 12 verses at the start of chapter two, we're gonna encounter the wedding at Cana, and on the surface it's a typical social event. Like the wardrobe, it appears normal. We would expect Jesus to be there with his family. The community has gathered, festivities are underway, but within this setting, jesus performs his first public miracle turning water into wine. And we maybe think I don't know about you, but for a long time I kind of just glossed over this. It's like okay, that's cool water to wine. Jesus is great, that's awesome. Great warm up exercise, nice soft launch to your ministry, jesus. But this is so much more than that. We need to come and to see. To fully grasp the significance of this scene, we have to immerse ourselves in the culture and the societal context of first century Judea.
Speaker 1:See, here a wedding was not just a private affair but a pivotal communal event. Have you seen Fiddler on the roof? Somehow my old yearbooks came out this last week. Reed was looking through them and in it I are pictures of me playing Tevye in Fiddler on the roof, like 25 years ago. It was really fun to see and you remember the scene at the wedding. It's a huge affair and in a musical that has a very large cast, the entire cast of 50, some members is on stage for the wedding just displaying the communal Participation, the big deal that this was. It's a grand occasion.
Speaker 1:It involves elaborate preparations, extended celebration. I mean this thing went for days. This is not like show up at three. Cocktail hour from four to five, dance goes until ten thirty. This was days. They care deep value. Honor for the family, joy over the new marriage, support for the new couple Reflected the very essence of the kind of communal living that God had called his people to and had Sustained them in.
Speaker 1:But in this celebration a significant challenge arises the wine runs out. As noted in verse three of chapter two, this might seem like a minor inconvenience by today's standards. I mean, how many times have we been somewhere we run out of drinks? Someone's, like hell, just run to the gas station. Right, it's like when, back to the future, when Marty gets transported back to 1955 and and doc realizes that they need plutonium Do you remember the scene? And he's just livid with himself for creating a machine that requires this rare substance. And he says to Marty, I'm sure that in 1985 you can go to get plutonium at any corner gas station, but in 1955. It's a little hard to come by. I mean, we know the truth, right, there might be some wine somewhere else in the community, but the chances are that everybody brought their wine together already and it's gone. So now this young couple just starting out faces the public shame of running out of wine. I know this sounds trivial, but we have to suspend or we have to enter in our imagination, realize this is a big deal.
Speaker 1:This is like running out of food at a wedding today. Right, have you ever been at a wedding where they were on a food? Chaos ensues. It's happened to me. Two summers ago I Was at my first wedding. We're actually Nikki and I were there as friends of the parents. We're in that transitional stage in our life, so there is the friends of the parents of the wedding and we're about to get released to go to the buffet to get our food and the mother of the bride comes up to us and says we've run out of food. And it's great story that I'm not going to tell right now, but my buddy, tony, and I jump into action. I drive, he makes calls and we have a hundred tacos and a hundred chicken sandwiches back there in less than 30 minutes. It was epic. Turns out, nobody had been Tending the buffet when all of the college to age groomsmen and friends of the couple went through, and so they cleaned out and I saw the panic on my friend's face. She's like what are we gonna do? We've got all these people here. We already had to move the location of the wedding because of the rain. This is so embarrassing. That's where the young couple are at.
Speaker 1:This is a grave social crisis. For them, the lack of wine threatens not just the joy of the occasion, but the very social standing in honor of the hosting family. This crisis transcended a mere shortage of wine. It's about upholding dignity for serving the social harmony of the community. And in the midst of this unfolding crisis Crisis, mary, jesus's mother, comes to him, expresses her concern and looking for us for His responses.
Speaker 1:Curious, isn't it, woman? What does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come. I mean, you can almost hear Joseph Looking at Jesus from across the table, can't you Right? You don't speak to your mother that way, son. It might be tempting to think that the translation in English is what makes this seem a little bit terse, a little short, but most translators agree that this is what Jesus said to his mother, and it was short, especially by those days standards. So we have to ask ourselves why does Jesus respond to his mother this way? Well, there are a few different options out there and the truth is we don't really know.
Speaker 1:John doesn't tell us, but I wonder if Jesus isn't taking the whole scene of the wedding in, at the moment that Mary comes up to him, deep in thought About the significance of what a wedding is in his own life, thinking about the significance of what is happening in front of him. It's his blood that will be spilled to redeem God's people from their sin. The marriage, itself a symbol of his relationship with God's people, the church. And Both the redemption of God's people and the beginning of his relationship with the church not only become reality through his own death. He knows this, we're just catching up, but he knows this it's the end goal of his life on earth and he knows it's about to start. And so I think Mary just catches him in that moment. And in light of these recognitions, this moment starts to become this pivotal situation for Jesus. This is a shift from his private life to a very public declaration of his divine identity.
Speaker 1:You can't turn water into wine and have everybody just go about their business. It doesn't work that way. Even today, we would be like hey, whoa, whoa, whoa, what happened there? We'd want to know how they hid the wine in the barrel and got the water switched out or whatever. Even if we're not thinking supernatural categories, it's a pretty big deal. This marks the start of Jesus' ministry and the revelation of his divine purpose on earth. And just as Mary welcomed Jesus into the world on the night that he was born, she now, perhaps unknowingly, is responsible for urging him into the next chapter of his life, where he will reveal over and over again that he is God and that he has come to save the world.
Speaker 1:Well, the miracle that follows, if you look at verses seven through nine, is both simple in execution and profound in implication. Jesus commands the servants to fill jars used for Jewish purification rights with water and then turns it into wine. Let's not speed past this. I know that's why we're here, but I'm going to keep saying it. This action is more than just a provision for fiscal need.
Speaker 1:The use of jars meant for purification rituals is deeply symbolic for Jesus to choose. It's not just about quantity. Some commentators think that they're just the largest vessels in the house and that's why they were chosen. I don't think that's why they were chosen. I think it indicates a transformation that extends beyond the physical to the spiritual realm. Jesus is taking something, something used for a physical cleansing, and he's going to give it a deeper meaning. He's going to take an ordinary something and turn it into something extraordinary. The selection of these purification jars also symbolizes a shift that Jesus will bring from old religious rituals to a new meaning found only in him.
Speaker 1:This act previews a new way of righteousness, a new way of purification, not through the traditional ceremonial rights of Judaism, but through faith in Christ, the Messiah, come to save God's people from their sin. Jesus, through this miracle, also reveals the nature of his kingdom A kingdom or shame, no matter how public is replaced with honor, lack with abundance and sorrow with joy. This event in Cana is not just a historical account. It's a profound statement about Jesus' identity and the transformative power of his ministry. It begins to reveal God's desire to heal the brokenness of the world. It's going to do it not through ritual, not through right, but through relationship brought about by sacrifice.
Speaker 1:Just like CS Lewis' wardrobe, john is providing us with a look at Jesus that is, on the surface, quite ordinary but incredibly deep theologically, and it challenges us to see Jesus not just as a provider of our immediate physical needs, not just as someone who steps in and removes social shame, not just as somebody who, even though a bit hesitantly, responds in obedience to his mother. If we take those things away, we're seeing something of Jesus, but we're missing far deeper reality and significance. In this wedding at Cana, we find a vivid illustration of Jesus' ability to meet our deepest needs and transform our lives, previewing the abundant blessings of life in his kingdom. So let's go beneath the story and look now at the theological implications of this scene. Here in Cana, when Jesus turned the water into wine, it wasn't just any old wine. The master of the feast comes and says this is the best wine. What is happening? Who saved this? This must be an accident Surely. Usually put out the good wine first and then bring out the stuff that just doesn't really meet muster the two buck chuck at the end of the party right.
Speaker 1:In Jewish tradition, marriage stands as a profound symbol. It transcends mere social contracted. It's a sacred covenant. The imagery deeply reflects the holy and intimate relationship between God and his people. Within this context, john is inviting us to see Jesus' decision to perform his first public miracle at a wedding, not merely as a response to a family's need, but as a deliberate and profound declaration of his divine identity and his mission. See, it's more than just power, it's symbolic. In the context of these first century weddings, the role of the master of the feast and the bridegroom were distinct roles. The master of the feast oversaw the practical aspects of the wedding celebrations, such as food and drink, and so Jesus, by performing this miracle, saves the butt of the master of the feast. But the master of the feast answers to the groom. The groom is the one who has instruct him on what to provide and when to provide it, and give him a budget and the funds that he needs. So, symbolically, this act of coming in and providing more wine, can see, is also aligning with the role of the bridegroom, which is something that Jesus very much intends to do.
Speaker 1:The relationship between God and Israel in the Old Testament is frequently depicted using the imagery and metaphor of a bridegroom and his bride, and the analogy isn't just a poetic device, it's an expression of God's love, the kind of love that God has for his people. It's relentless, it's committed, he is faithful always to his word and to his people. The Old Testament prophet Isaiah helps us to make this connection when he writes in Isaiah 54, verse 5, israel, your maker, is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name, and the Holy One of Israel is your redeemer. The God of the whole earth, he is called. Here we see God portrayed as the husband of Israel, emphasizing his protective, redeeming, nurturing nature.
Speaker 1:Similarly, in the book of Hosea, we see another aspect of God's love for his people. Do you remember the story? Hosea is a prophet and God instructs him to marry a prostitute, a woman named Gomor. So if there's ever any kind of like association with the name Gomor, it's to the negative. It starts here. This is where it starts. This woman, gomor, is unfaithful to Hosea and he remains faithful to her, despite going again and again to bring her home as she goes off in pursuit to what has become an obsession for her. This is a powerful image of God's faithful, steadfast love towards Israel, despite their unfaithfulness. Hosea 2, 19 and 20 says it this way and I will betroth you to me forever. This is God, through Hosea, talking to Israel. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and injustice instead, fast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness and you will know the Lord. It's incredible.
Speaker 1:We see the depth of God's commitment, his unwavering love for his people, a love that is not conditional, it's covenantal, and we don't we don't really do covenants these days. It's not a common term, but what we need to know is that God's covenantal love is initiated by him, independent of our actions, despite our inability to reciprocate love. In the same way, and in this way, god's love differs greatly from a human contract, just kind of based on mutual exchange. Right, it's divine commitment, unchanged by time, by circumstance, resolute and eternal in its essence. The reality is that the only person fully capable of keeping a covenant is God himself. His love does not ebb, it does not flow with our inconsistencies. Isn't that good news? He remains consistent, the cornerstone of our faith and our hope.
Speaker 1:This love is God's choice to be faithful to the unfaithful. It seeks us, captures us and holds us, irrespective of our imperfections or spiritual bankruptcy. The story of Cana, where Jesus turns water into wine, is an emblem of this love. It's the introduction of this love to the world, a love that steps into the ordinariness of human life and brings us into a relationship with the extraordinary, not because it's what we deserve, but it's an overflow of God's grace. So when Jesus chooses this, he's embedding himself within the incredible story of God's covenant keeping love for humanity. Do you see the connection? As Jesus steps into the role of master of the feast and bridegroom of this party, he's signaling something. It's a profound declaration that he has come to fulfill the promises and the prophecies of the Old Testament, something that God said that he alone would do. Jesus has come to embody the faithfulness, love and redemptive power that God promised to his people and, furthermore, by turning water into wine at the wedding feast, it symbolizes this transformation that Jesus will bring about in how humanity relates to God. Remember, he uses these jars of purification.
Speaker 1:There's another Old Testament prophet, jeremiah, who foretells of a new way that God is going to relate to his people, marked by grace, truth, an intimate union with God. Jeremiah 31, verse 31, says the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and the people of Judah. This new covenant will be different from the Old one, which the people broke despite his commitment to them as their Lord. Coming out of Egypt, do you remember? They're gathered around the bottom of mountain. Moses goes up, he brings the law down and even while he's away, they're already turning away from the words of God. In fact, the original sin in the garden was a distrust in God's word. But God still promised to make a new covenant, a new promise with his people about how he will relate to them. And God says that through this new covenant, everybody's going to know who he is, from the least to the greatest, and that forgiveness will be available to all.
Speaker 1:And so this passage starts to take on a more significant weight, doesn't it? It's the promise of a transformed, internalized relationship with God, not just external, like the bride and groom being joined together through the marriage covenant and sharing life together. God will be joined like that with his people once and for all, through a new arrangement, a covenant where the law will be written on human hearts and relationship with God, accessible to Jews and Gentiles alike through faith in Christ. And so, even if this idea of covenant is not something that makes cultural sense for us anymore, we get the idea that a covenant isn't something that just happens, right, it's an intentional, often very ritualistic agreement between two parties. At this point you might find yourself saying Ben, if God has promised to make a new covenant with his people and if he's depicted as a bride groom, then there should be a wedding, right? I'm so glad that you asked, yes, yes, there should be, and there's going to be.
Speaker 1:The wedding and the miracle at Cana is not just a standalone event, but it's a very prophetic hint of a future celebration, an assurance of the consummation of the divine human relationship initiated through Christ's life, death and resurrection. This wedding feast in Cana foreshadows a grander, more glorious event the ultimate marriage feast to end all marriage feasts described in the book of Revelation, chapter 19, which reads then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of many peals of thunder, crying out hallelujah for the Lord, our God. The almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exalt and give him the glory, for the marriage of the lamb has come and his bride has made herself ready. Rich in symbolism, significance, this vision of what will happen reveals the culmination of redemptive history. It's what we're waiting for. It's what God's people at the wedding in Cana were waiting for For Christ. The bridegroom is eternally united with his church, the bride, the people of God.
Speaker 1:And this concept of the marriage feast in Revelation. It's the culmination of this relationship between Christ and the church. It's something the New Testament writers frequently mention. The miracle at Cana is a vivid and encouraging precursor to the New Testament revelations of how Jesus interacts with his people. He's the provider, he's the bridegroom and he's the master of the feast, not just a physical sustenance but spiritual nourishment, not just temporary happiness but eternal joy. The abundance and the quality of the wine at Cana symbolize the super abundant grace and blessings that Christ offers to his people, both now and in the eternal feast and, as we reflect on this, a hope that we're reminded of the beautiful, profound relationship that we've been invited to in Christ. See, john isn't writing down a historical event, but he's illustrating the personal invitation that Jesus makes to each of us, that we're invited to experience his transformative power and love in our lives, to look forward with hope, with anticipation, to this ultimate marriage feast in his kingdom. But we know that the implications of this aren't just spiritual, they're physical.
Speaker 1:Jesus is attentive to material needs, he responds to them. He's not just using the need for wine, he cares that they ran out Shows that he's not a distant savior, unconcerned with the seemingly mundane aspects of human life. Instead, he is intimately involved in our daily experiences, understanding our needs, joys and sorrows. Jesus isn't just sweeping in because he senses the wine's about to run out. He's been there with them, enjoying the community, enjoying the human beings, celebrating this real picture of what his relationship will be like with God's people. It's beautiful.
Speaker 1:I love to think about the intentionality of Jesus In creation and then participating in that himself. It's just, as Houston would say, wild to think about. The question has to come to mind at some point. Ok, there's a wedding, jesus is there. His mom comes up and says there's no wine. He says what's that to do with me? But some reason he gets up and he goes and he provides more wine. It's not just good wine, it's the best wine. He saves the day and everybody is happy.
Speaker 1:And now we're kind of left with these deep theological implications that this is about some far-off thing that is the culmination of all of God's relationship with his people. But how does it connect with our lives right now, right here? I'm glad you asked To understand this. We have to take the story of Jesus at the wedding, with the theological implications, with the idea that Jesus relates to us as a husband to a bride, that, like a bridegroom, he's waiting, that he's anticipating a day when we will be with him forever, and, like someone waiting for their wedding day, he is so excited he cannot wait. And so, with that in mind, let's apply this passage to our lives today, and I think that it's through this image of Jesus as the bridegroom and the master of the feast that we're going to find the connection point, because this depiction of Jesus transcends the bounds of just a historical event right that beckons us into this living, breathing experience of life as God intended, life that is only possible in Christ. Here's what it looks like In our journey through life, particularly in this world that is marred by brokenness and imperfection.
Speaker 1:I think when we're most honest with ourselves, we often find ourselves in situations where our wine has run out, our joy fades, resources dwindle and hope seems a distant memory. These are not just abstract concepts. It can't let them be. They're real experiences. They touch the core of who we are, of the relationships that we have, and personally, I have been feeling the brokenness of the world and my own limitations to control it, lately in a very pronounced way. To put it in line with our passage, I have felt out of wine more than once and more than not over these past few weeks. It seems to happen when my life gets really busy.
Speaker 1:I don't know about you, we're all different. Navigating these past few years, starting this church just before a global pandemic, all of the opposition that we have encountered since the weight of uncertainty that it brings, the hopelessness, the exhaustion at times. And I admit that might not be what a congregation wants to hear, and for those of you who are here for the first time, that's definitely not something that someone plans to tell you on your first trip here. But it's honest, it's true, and in these moments faced with the choice to go to Jesus to ask for more wine, I too often have tried to figure out solutions on my own when my strength has been completely gone, or even a couple of times where I've tried to convince myself I'm not sure I need wine, I think water's OK. Maybe I don't deserve wine. And I don't think I'm alone in this.
Speaker 1:We face challenges of heart and just as Jesus enters into this very human situation, we need to be human, to admit what's real. I know that many of you have had similar experiences of weariness and despair, different ways, that you've encountered the brokenness of this world, and if we're short on personal examples, I know we all know people who just seem to be regularly knocked down because of the broken nature of the world that is around us, the moments when hope seems more and more like a dream than a waking reality, and these things are a byproduct of this broken world. They're the groaning moments like a woman in childbirth, like from Romans 8 that I preached just a couple of weeks ago when the pain, the shame, the agony of being deeply flawed human beings in a world full of deeply flawed human beings that is under a curse and decaying is overwhelming. But it's precisely in those moments of being weighed down, when we lose sight of the hope, that Jesus's invitation to us becomes most powerful. It's in those moments that Jesus's invitation to us becomes most powerful.
Speaker 1:He calls us not to a superficial encounter like the neighbor two doors down that you think you remember their name and it's trash day and you just happen to like mistime it and you're pulling the trash can out at the same time and they're looking at you. You have to talk with them. You talk about the weather, right, I worked for Starbucks for eight and a half years. You get good at those quick little encounters with people and then people start to become regulars and you're just not sure what to do with that. It's like I got to know things about your life, I got to remember them. I'm not sure, but in those moments Jesus is calling us beyond that kind of superficial encounter with him. He invites us to bring our entire messy human selves, our weariness, our failures to plan, our failures to execute, our insufficiencies, to him and his capable hands. Our ordinary and insufficient lives are transformed into expressions of joy, a purpose of abundance.
Speaker 1:So, as we respond to this invitation from Jesus, I want us to consider two implications of this invitation. Implication number one engaging with Jesus in this way requires us to acknowledge our profound need for Jesus. Jesus is 30 years old, roughly when this goes down. When it comes to him. She probably had some sense, we don't know, but my guess is that she knew that he could do something about the situation if he wanted to, and so she comes to him. The acknowledgement when we come to Jesus is not a mark of weakness. Rather, it is an admission of the truth of our human condition and, more importantly, like Mary, the truth that Jesus can do something about it.
Speaker 1:Paul learned this when he was brought to, when he brought his own weakness to Jesus. Do you remember the scene 2 Corinthians, 12, 8 and 9, where he says three times, three times, I pleaded with the Lord about my affliction that it should leave me, but he said to me my grace is sufficient for you. My power is made perfect in weakness. Our culture has it backwards. I mean, imagine if the young couple and the master of the feast had acted the way that our culture does in situations like this. What lack of wine? There's no lack of wine. The wine is tremendous. It's the most incredible wine that anyone's ever tasted.
Speaker 1:But instead, with Paul, this is what we need to be comfortable with, boasting, which is both inspiring and incredibly self-denying. Let's know what Paul writes. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. See, jesus' invitation to those who need strength and help is clear. His entire ministry that's beginning in this moment at this mundane wedding in this tiny town, is going to be marked by him bringing hope and rest to people who are just working it out, by inviting them in the words of Matthew 11, to come to him. That all who labor, all who are heavy laden, and Jesus will give rest. This is, the hosts of the wedding in Canaan recognize that they had run out of wine.
Speaker 1:We must admit our own insufficiency and bring our lack of ability to control anything to Jesus, trusting in his ability, in his willingness to step in out of his goodness and his grace to come to him, to be with him, to draw from his strength. Become like him. I want to acknowledge here that there might be people in this room who are just realizing this morning that you've been out of wine. Maybe you've been out for a long time. Maybe you're realizing this morning that wine is a thing. Maybe you're realizing that you've never actually been drinking wine not real wine. At least If that's you, if you're recognizing this morning, I want to encourage you. Don't walk. Run to Jesus. He's eager to turn your water into wine, your dissatisfaction with this broken world into satisfaction where it rightfully belongs in him the restoration of your humanity, the relationship with God that you were created for. It's why he came. For those of you who are in relationship with Jesus, who are following him and learning from him, the call to action is both clear and deeply personal Accept Jesus' invitation to come to him again.
Speaker 1:We have this idea in the church that coming to Jesus and placing faith in him is just one time. We ask ourselves the question right, have you put your faith in Jesus? Oh yeah, done it. We act like. It's kind of like a surety, don't we? But we know it's not.
Speaker 1:I want to be really clear here. I am not talking about our status before God. When our faith is put in Christ, we are justified by that faith once for all. What I'm talking about is the limitations that we bring to the table, the coldness of heart that comes so quickly, the way that we can just dry up, the ways that we settle for lesser things and fool about with the things that this world says will satisfy. It requires us to put our faith in Jesus again, not because of him, because of our limitations and because we have placed faith in Jesus. This is what allows us to bring struggle, doubt and weariness. To just be with him, to be in a place where we know he requires nothing of us. He loves us.
Speaker 1:Coming to Jesus is not just for new believers. We have to believe that. It's actually the daily occupation for every believer, regardless of how long you followed him. To seek Him in your daily walk, to witness the transformative power of His presence in your life, to become like Him. And as a people we're called to reflect the heart of Jesus, a heart that seeks joy, abundant celebration for those around us. It can be only found in Jesus.
Speaker 1:So where are you at this morning? We're going to land this plane real soon, I promise. Where are you at? Have you settled for a watered down spiritual existence for so long that you can't remember what it was like to die with the Master of the Feast, to drink His wine, to be full of joy and happiness that long lasts the brokenness of this world? Here's the good news he always has a seat reserved for you at His table and he's waving you over right now. Come and sit, you won't regret it for a second. Maybe you've become aware this morning that you've been trying your hand at making your own wine, that you've been fooling about with temporary satisfactions that this world and our culture have to offer. I know you're tired. You're so tired Because I've been there. You're in over your head. The wine you make doesn't taste good, it doesn't satisfy. You're about to lose hope. You're asking how did I get here? Well, here's the good news You're going to be with your name on it, still reserved at Jesus' table. He's waving you over right now. Go sit down by Him. You won't regret it for a second.
Speaker 1:This simple yet profound story about a wedding in the first century not just be something that we hear, but something and then set back on the shelf. Let it not be that this morning. Let it become a transformative call to a deeper reliance on Christ. I think John places this here in his gospel so intentionally. We're going to see part of that intention next week as we go to a very different scene. Jesus is about to go crazy on some money lenders the very different Jesus. Let's just stay in this moment for now.
Speaker 1:I think John puts this here to pique our interest, to wet our appetite, to invite us to come see this man who cares about young couples of reputations at weddings, who has power to transform water into wine and who is going to himself become the satisfaction and substance of joy for all of God's people.
Speaker 1:So here's a closing thought For us in 2024, this feast is spiritual. As we respond to this invitation, let's do so with hearts open to transformation, hands ready to serve, spirits willing to embrace the fullness of life that Jesus is going to offer. Let us live as reflections of Christ's love, bringing his light and life to a world in need. Jesus invites us to a feast and our invite includes unlimited plus ones, by the way. So, east Side, I want to ask you this very directly who will you invite to the feast? As we leave this place, let's remember whatever our experience in this life, whether we're trying our hand at winemaking, finding ourselves settling for water or in our rightful place at the head table, seated next to Jesus, with him, the best is always yet to come. Let's pray.