Sermon given at Sydenstricker UMC 3/11/18
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NRS
John 2:1 On the third day there
was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2
Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When
the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no
wine." 4 And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what concern is
that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come." 5 His mother
said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." 6 Now
standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification,
each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to them,
"Fill the jars with water." And they filled them up to the brim. 8
He said to them, "Now draw some out, and take it to the chief
steward." So they took it. 9 When the steward tasted the water
that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants
who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom 10
and said to him, "Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the
inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good
wine until now." 11 Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in
Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. 12
After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother, his brothers, and his
disciples; and they remained there a few days.
Reverend Billy Graham
is traveling on a plane from one place to another. There is a man who has had
too much to drink. He is using abusive language, making a nuisance of himself
and getting on everyone’s nerves. He suddenly spots Billy Graham and rushes up
to his seat. As he puts his hand on Billy Graham’s shoulder, he loudly
announces, Ladies and Gentlemen, Here is the man who changed my life. So often
today, we travel about in the world around us calling ourselves transformed
people and yet we do not look different. We act the same as the people around
us. We blend in well with the culture and our lives reflect the anti-Christian
values of our culture.
John brings us this
gospel today to teach us how to be different. We must learn to live in the
difference if we are to be a transformed people. He begins this scripture by
telling us that on the third day there was a wedding. The Third Day! When I
listen to the words of this scripture, I can visualize Jesus at this wedding. He
is probably having a good time with friends and family with no regard at this
moment to the request from his mother than is about to happen. So often when I
read or hear scripture that talks about three days I think about the
resurrection. Have you ever thought about the incredible miracle of the
resurrection in terms of what it means to you and me? The resurrection story is
where we live our lives every single day. Jesus and His mother and the
disciples are all there at the wedding. This is a Jewish wedding. Jewish
weddings last days. At the wedding, it is the host’s responsibility to assure
that there is enough wine and food. However, the wine has run out. The host’s
supply has all dried up. It would be a great embarrassment for the wine to run
out before the wedding feast is over. In Jesus day, the host would often use
the best wine first and allow the guests to feel good as the watered wine
followed until at the end would be the cheapest or most watered down wine
available.
Where are you today?
Did you come here today in a life that is all dried out? Are you focused on
living but find no refreshment there? We are a driven society. Everything about
our lives today is driven. We are purpose driven, value driven and ethics
driven, it is no surprise that we are all driven into desperation and
exhaustion. We spend our lives focused on accomplishment and success and find
neither. At the group study the other night I was reminded that God never said,
we were going to be happy. However, I believe that God does not intend us to be
miserable either. It is in the scripture; he is saving the best wine for last.
What does that mean?
Where are you today?
Are making a difference in someone’s life? Are you using up the good wine first
only to cheat yourself and your neighbors of the good wine later? But I want to
revisit the text for a moment. It tells us that there are six stone water jugs
used for purification which means they were used for ritualistic cleansing and
each one holding twenty to thirty gallons. These jugs would have been to
cleanse the bodies of those who are attending this feast so that they could
participate in the Holy parts of the service together. My friends, we are not
talking about a little wine are we? These jugs would not be cleansed like those
used as the normal containers of wine. Rather they might well be filled with
grit and dirt from the cleaning of dust from feet, hands and bodies. Yet these
are the very containers that Jesus uses to transform into wine. Not just any
wine but we are told Jesus transforms them into the best wine. Each of these
containers reminds us of our own lives. For those of us who attend church each
Sunday and live in the world six days the number ought to be significant. Are
we the dirty jugs that God wants to use for cleansing of the people of the
world and ultimately for carrying the finest of wines for nourishment. Does it
surprise you that God would bring the finest of wines in the commonest of
containers? That they would normally have been used to cleanse, purify, and now
will provide the essence of eternal life?
I once asked my mentor
to tell me his secret to living a life obedient to God. He said to me, when you
wake up in the morning look outside. What you will see is that the sun came up
without you. It does not need me to rise each morning because God created it
and everything around me. When I can truly appreciate that then I can learn to
live within God’s world. I once worked at Philip Morris at it was not uncommon
to see the General Manager of then the world’s largest cigarette manufacturing
facility walking through the plant early in the morning. I used to be amazed
that he would reach down and pick up a piece of trash as he made his rounds.
Rarely did he stop and talk to people about numbers, about production levels or
how the machines were running. It was months before I ever had the opportunity
to have an audience with him and I boldly asked him of his behavior. His reply
was simple. When you worry of the little things, the big things take care of themselves.
When we focus on the way we live our lives, the transformation of our lives
takes care of itself, without us needing of focus on it or try to control it. When
we look at our lives, it is what others see that matters, not what we see. If
the fruits of our spirit, kindness and patience, understanding and love are
evident to others then it is highly likely that the inside of our hearts are
pure and loving. But if the outside of our lives looks like, acts like and
feels like the rest of the world, well then….
Each of us approaches
life in the difference. Some choose to stay with the world and live out their
lives in the culture, searching but never finding the answers to the questions
that they seek. Some of us will take a journey that begins with our obedience
to God setting apart the ways of the world in order to be transformed into
something else indeed. We must learn to live lives of risky action of foolish
obedience as Rev Trevor Hudson reminded us at Annual Conference a number of
years ago. Those miracles do not happen out of the blue. God’s action comes in
an environment prepared by the journey. If we prepare for the miracle of
eternal life then we will experience it every single day of our lives.
The last area that I
want to focus on is this verse where Jesus says to Mary, It is not my time yet.
Jesus was working on a timetable just like you and I do. We spend our
childhoods looking forward to the teenage years and independence. We spend our
teen years looking forward to being adults and having lives of our own. We
spend our young adult lives living to support the family and make sure the
children attend the right activities. Then one day we realize our lives are
almost over and for many, we realize missed opportunities and chances. In the
difference, we submit our will to God and live the lives that God intended us
to live.
Each
of us must make a journey. A journey from willfulness to willingness! We need
to learn to let go of the controlling aspect of our lives in order to being
willing to let God be in charge. Mary is on this journey. She tries to take
control, listen to her words. 3
When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no
wine." 4 And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what concern is
that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come." 5 His mother
said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." Jesus tells her, why are you telling me what
to do, my time has not yet come. She gets it. She responds to those around her,
do whatever He tells you. Her desire was to take charge of the situation. How
often are we the ones who step up in charge, ordering or coercing those around
us in order to get the job done how we believe it ought to be done? However,
she gets it. It is not up to her but rather it is up to God, when and where the
wine will run out.
Jesus comes to us with
a heart full of miracles. He brings to us an example of loving those who may
not even love themselves but who desire something better, something bigger,
something with hope. We come to this story seeking the best wine when our lives
are filled with the watered down version all too often. The true miracle of
this story is that Jesus will answer when we ask. That Jesus will respond to
our need with love and transformational power. It is a difficult journey unless
we submit to the miracle of Jesus who gave His life so that we may have life. Jesus
is calling us to a life of miracles where we make a difference in the lives of
others.
Did I make a difference in somebody's life?
What hurts did I heal?
What wrongs did I right?
Did I raise my voice in defense of the truth?
Did I lend my hand to the destitute?
When my race is run, when my song is sung
Will I have to wonder
Did I make a difference?
Did I make a difference?
Did I
Make a Difference – Oak Ridge Boys, 2000
