Miracles Abound

John 2:1-11 Miracles Abound 2nd Sunday After Epiphany January 16, 2022 Year C Opening Song Welcome Reminder of COVID protocols Call to Worship (inspired by Psalm 36:5-10, John 2:1-11) We come this day, Precious God, as people in need of your steadfast love: with you is the fountain of life; in your Light we see light. We gather this day, Water-changing God, as people looking for signs: with you is the fountain of life; in your Light we see light. We worship this day, Gifting God, as people who confess Jesus as our Lord: with you is the fountain of life; in your Light we see light. ~ written by Thom Shuman, and posted on Lectionary Liturgies. Stewardship Moment When we come to this moment in our worship, we often try rationally to encourage generous giving by each person. Looking to the story of Jesus and his Mom at a wedding feast, however, we see how this mother pushed Jesus into an act of generosity (even if it was to get his Mom off his back!). A contemporary poet puts it this way: What Makes You Think You Don’t Need It? This Jewish mother knew the score; She knew her son could do much more Than just sit back, all uninvolved; And so, this ponderer resolved That she’d weigh in, and speak her mind, E’en though, this son of hers, unkindly Snapped! Sometimes you need a push To get yourself up off your tush; And if that’s true of even God, Perhaps for you, it’s not so odd. Scott L. Barton https://lectionarypoems.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-second-sunday-in-ordinary-time-c.html Consider this your push to act out the generosity which God models for us each day: give to strengthen and encourage those who will receive a blessing from your gift! Prayer of Thanksgiving Giving God, Thank you for challenging us today to get off our tushes (or soften this language, i.e.: “challenging us to do all we can do to share our treasure.”) Please accept these gifts. Inspire each of us toward true generosity, and use what is provided to accomplish far more than what any one of us could, or would, do alone. We offer this prayer because of Jesus, who turned water into wine, and inspires us to turn our bottled-up natures into ever-flowing springs. AMEN Passing of the Peace Scripture John 2:1-11 Common English Bible Wedding at Cana 2 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and 2 Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration. 3 When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They don’t have any wine.” 4 Jesus replied, “Woman, what does that have to do with me? My time hasn’t come yet.” 5 His mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6 Nearby were six stone water jars used for the Jewish cleansing ritual, each able to hold about twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water,” and they filled them to the brim. 8 Then he told them, “Now draw some from them and take it to the headwaiter,” and they did. 9 The headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine. He didn’t know where it came from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. The headwaiter called the groom 10 and said, “Everyone serves the good wine first. They bring out the second-rate wine only when the guests are drinking freely. You kept the good wine until now.” 11 This was the first miraculous sign that Jesus did in Cana of Galilee. He revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him. Sermon – Miracles Abound There are 25 recorded miracles of Jesus in the bible. The book of Matthew tells us of 20 miracles of Jesus, the book of Mark records 18, Luke tells of 20 miracles. The book of John is much more conservative. And yet the miracles in John are not even mentioned in the other three gospels. John only tells 7 miracle stories. This is the first on them. It is not very flashy or even significant. No one is saved or healed, or even has a change in life. As a matter of fact, John does not even like the word miracle. For him, these are signs – events the direct us to the wonder of God. They are very subtle ways that we can tell that God has entered into history and is on our side. Usually, when we think of the word miracle – we think of something that happens that defies the laws of reality in order to make things go our way. Repealing the Laws Author Jay Kesler says that shortly after he got his driver's license he wrecked his dad's car. The crash tore away the front fender, two doors, and the rear fender. After Jay found out everyone was okay, he stood in the ditch and prayed, "Dear God, I pray this didn't happen." He opened his eyes and saw that the car was still wrecked, so he closed his eyes, squinted real hard, and prayed again, "Dear God, it didn't happen." Then he opened his eyes, but, he says, it happened anyway. Have you ever been there? Have you ever asked God to move Heaven and Earth over something trivial, something impossible, something absurd? "Oh, Lord, please don't let it rain for my daughter's wedding," (ignoring the fact that there are others who are depending on rain for their wellbeing.) "Lord, please let the answer to question 8 be four hundred years," (Do we really expect God to change history so that we can pass an exam?). "Oh, God, please let mine be the lowest bid." (Yes, Lord, take your heavenly eraser and blot out everyone's bid and make them higher than mine.) Have you ever asked God to repeal the laws of gravity, undo the past, change weather patterns or something equally as absurd just for your convenience? I suspect we all have at sometime or another. So, we can appreciate our lesson from the Gospel. King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com We have all hoped for those kinds of miracles, and everyone once in a while we get lucky and those kinds of things happen in our life. But in reality, have those things really taught us anything of value about our faith or about the true nature of God. Delmonico told on radio: A man seated in a wheelchair at the Vatican suddenly got up and walked away. Everyone was amazed and shouted and praised God for the miracle. But the man hadn’t been ill. He was just resting for a little while in a vacant chair. God is accustomed to doing miracles every day and they appear quite commonplace. On the other hand, some things which seem miraclulous just aren’t explainable yet. God most often works within God’s own natural law. John uses this story to introduce us to the signs of God’s presence to help us to see the true miracles are very subtle. As I have looked back, I don’t choose to preach on this story very often. But this year I thought it fit into the epiphany theme of looking for signs of God’s presence in our lives. In this story we get to see the human side of Jesus. Jesus comes to a party to have fun and to forget about his work of saving the world. He even tells his mom, to leave him alone because a his time had not come. We also get to see firsthand his relationship with his mom. How did she know that he had the means to save the party by bringing more wine? Wine at a party was a sign of abundance, or celebration, of joy in life. Somehow she knew that the messiah would have all of these qualities. One thing that I learned just this year about this story - Jesus used the stone jars to store water for purification rites. These 25 gallon jugs would have been filled with water so that the guest could wash their hands and feet before entering into the party. By the time Jesus came to help, the jugs would have been empty, but the story says that Jesus filled them again. And the water tasted just like wine. Jesus is not just turning water into wine, he is calling for a whole new age. He is taking the water for obligation, and sin and guilt and turning it into something new and fun. He is turning a burden into a celebration. He turned a dead ritual into a live party. The point of John’s story – is this new wine made all of the difference in the world. The true miracle is that big changes start with small changes of the heart. This is the first sign of a new day. For John, Christ is the first sign of new life. Jesus loves to party, and when we invite him in it makes all of the difference in the world. When we look for Jesus we are never disappointed. Give Your Delimma to The Lord Dr. Charles Stanley, a prominent minister of a large church in Atlanta, tells the story of a time when their church needed two million dollars to relocate to a larger facility. The only problem was they didn’t have the money. One day, the board members told Dr. Stanley to get a loan from the bank because the deal sounded good. However, Dr. Stanley told the group that they needed divine direction, so they all packed their gear and took off for a state park for the weekend for a time of prayer. All weekend they prayed earnestly that God would give them direction and help them resolve the problem that they were facing. When they finally left the park, they still didn’t have any clear direction about how to purchase the building. But they were committed to waiting on God. A few days later, Dr. Stanley had a message to call a man He had never met. He lived in another state. The man said that he wanted to help Dr. Stanley’s ministry. Immediately, Dr. Stanley called him back, and the stranger said, “I have had you and your ministry on my mind the past several days. I notice that you never ask for money on the broadcast, and I was wondering if you have any needs.” Dr. Stanley explained the situation about the building and how they needed two million dollars to purchase it. The stranger said, “I think I can handle that.” And he gave that church two million dollars. That church had a problem; they gave their problem to Jesus; and their problem was solved. Keith Smith, Anything Is Possible With Jesus My point for the story is not to focus on the 2 millions dollar donation, but to focus on the fact that the gift came out of everyone going to God in prayer. Years ago when Johnny Carson was the host of The Tonight Show he interviewed an eight year old boy. The young man was asked to appear because he had rescued two friends in a coalmine outside his hometown in West Virginia. As Johnny questioned the boy, it became apparent to him and the audience that the young man was a Christian. So Johnny asked him if he attended Sunday school. When the boy said he did Johnny inquired, "What are you learning in Sunday school?" "Last week," came his reply, "our lesson was about when Jesus went to a wedding and turned water into wine." The audience roared, but Johnny tried to keep a straight face. Then he said, "And what did you learn from that story?" The boy squirmed in his chair. It was apparent he hadn't thought about this. But then he lifted up his face and said, "If you're going to have a wedding, make sure you invite Jesus!" The little boy was on to something. Weddings are time of Joy. Have you invited Jesus to your party? Or are we like the town who Whole town bought water There was a town, who had a tradition that whenever there was a wedding, you were supposed to bring a jug of wine from home, and put in the collective pot – so that there would be enough wine for everyone. Well times have gotten tough for this one particular family – and they decided that instead of bringing wine to the wedding, that they would bring a jug of water. Their little jug of water would not make a difference in the collective pot of wine – so they thought. It turns out every family felt the same way – everyone bought water instead of wine. Jesus is the wine of our celebration! Jesus us the life of our party! Jesus is the source of our faith! Let us celebrate our faith in Jesus Christ – be in service to the world, but be in all that you do, be in faithful service to God! Let us pray….. Prayer Lord of Light and Joy, the daylight hours are becoming longer for us. Evening comes a little later, and the dawn is earlier, but the darkness in our hearts persists. We continue to look at the miraculous ways you work in our lives as mere stories or happenstance. How foolish we are! From the beginning of all that is, you have poured your love and light into this world and into our lives. You have offered us countless blessings and opportunities for service, some of which we have followed, and others that we have ignored. You have forgiven and healed our spirits. We continue to bring before you the names and situations of people that are in direst need. We ask for your healing mercies and yet we wonder if you really are with us. Turn our moaning and crying into songs of praise and hope. Give us spirits of trust and rejoicing, that we may truly be your people all of our days. Prepare us for joyful service in your world; for we ask this in Jesus' Name. AMEN. Lord’s Prayer Song They’ll Know we are Christians by our love TFWS 2243 Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook Look around you, dear people. God's joy is poured out for you so that you might be a blessing to others. God will continually walk and work with you, relieving your burdens and giving you strength. Go into God's world, rejoicing! AMEN. Community Time Benediction And now, from the One who is indeed the giver of all good gifts: go and share what God has given you; go and proclaim that God's love is here; go in the power of God's Spirit to make all things new. Children’s Sermon Hello, children of God! Have you ever seen a miracle? Do you know what a miracle is? It’s something that just shouldn’t be physically possible. It might even seem sort of like a magic trick. I want to show you a little trick now. I’m going to take this ordinary water (hold up water in a clear glass or bottle) and transform it into something new! Does that sound strange? Just watch. I mean, I like drinking water and all, and it’s great for hydration, but sometimes it can be a little boring. Sometimes I want something more exciting and flavorful. Well, what if I took this plain boring water, and I poured it into another glass? (As you speak, pour the water into another clear cup with drink powder hidden at the bottom. Watch as the liquid and powder blend to make a new juice.) Wow! It’s something completely new now! This will be a much more interesting beverage to enjoy. Well, that was not exactly a magic trick or a miracle, was it? In fact, that was just the trick of a little drink powder in the bottom of a glass. But there are a lot of times in the Bible when we read of Jesus doing amazing miracles. He did things to help people that may have been impossible. Yet nothing is impossible with God’s help! Do you know the first miracle that Jesus ever did? He transformed water, too! Only He didn’t use drink mix. You see, Jesus was at a wedding, and in those days weddings lasted a few days and included a lot of eating and drinking in celebration. Well, something unfortunate happened: the wedding ran out of wine! That would be like going to a birthday party and not having any cake. It would make the host look bad, and make the guests a little upset. Now, running out of wine might not seem like the most important thing to be concerned about, but Jesus’s mother Mary knew that He would care, and that He could do something about the situation. She came to Jesus and told Him what was going on. At first, He tried to tell her it wasn’t yet His time to be demonstrating God’s power. But Mary believed in Him. She knew He could do anything, and she told the servants to obey His instructions and do whatever He told them to do. Jesus told the servants to fill some large jars up with water, and serve it to the master of the house. They did what He asked, filling the jars with water. Only instead of plain water, when they served the master, he drank wine! Not only that, but the best kind of wine, and he commended the groom for saving the better wine for later in the celebration. With the belief of Mary and obedience of the servants, Jesus kept the guests well supplied! This miracle, the first one we read about in the Bible, reminds us of a couple of special things. First, it tells us that God truly cares about our lives, even the little details. He wants us to enjoy life, and even something like running out of drinks matters to Him. We also see how important it is to trust that Jesus can do anything. Do you know what else is awesome about this story? This was not the last miracle Jesus did! He did a lot of amazing things during His life on Earth, but did you know He continues to do miracles now? When you think about it, there are many marvelous little miracles that happen every single day. Even just waking up in the morning or taking a breath are miracles in a sense. Jesus is still present with us. He loves us and cares about us. He can make amazing things happen in our lives. Whether it’s something as simple as finding your favorite flavor at the ice cream store, or healing after being hurt or sick, God is working in every aspect of our lives. And He’s already done the greatest miracle, conquering death to pay for our sins! So we can give thanks each and every day for all of the moments, big and small, in which we recognize the presence of Christ. Let’s pray and thank God for marvelous miracles every day… Additional Illustrations Sermon Opener – Saving the Best Till Last The Jews attached great importance to the high moments of life. Thus a wedding was not just a brief ceremony, but an experience shared by the entire community. The typical wedding feast could last up to seven days. That sounds strange to our modern way of thinking, but this offered a bright interlude in an otherwise dreary existence. The ceremony would begin on Tuesday at midnight. After the wedding the father of the bride would take his daughter to every house so that everyone might congratulate her. It was a community experience. Weddings were a time of joy. At the wedding, which Jesus attended in Cana of Galilee, there was great joy but a problem developed. There was a shortage of wine. Not only was that a social embarrassment, it was also a symbol. For a wedding to run out of wine was an omen that there was little chance of this particular marriage reaching its full potential, maybe joy was not meant for this couple. So Mary approaches Jesus and asks him to do something. His response? "Why do you involve me woman?" Sounds harsh, so unlike him, and it has long puzzled biblical scholars... Inviting Christ Brings Joy Why do we bring Christ into the wedding ceremony? Because if we would only bring Christ into our marriages, we would have better marriages! A few years back psychologist Dr. Joyce Brothers was quoted as saying that for about half of all American couples, marriage is a “quiet hell.” Many other marriages have degenerated into a “tired friendship,” as someone put it. I submit to you that this is a tragedy, and in order to prevent such tragedies, we ought to take the traditional marriage ritual seriously and invite Christ to be a guest at our weddings, just as He was invited to the wedding at Cana in Galilee. Above all, in this quaint and lovely little story, John is proclaiming the Good News that Jesus Christ is the Life of every party, that he is the one who livens things up, brings life abundant for all, even anonymous brides and bridegrooms in an out-of-the-way peasant village located somewhere (where, we are not sure) in the Galilee. As William Barclay put it in his commentary on this passage: “...whenever Jesus comes into our lives there enters a quality which is like turning water into wine. The trouble with life is that we get bored with it. Pleasure loses its thrill. There is a vague dissatisfaction about everything. But when Jesus enters our lives there comes a new exhilaration!” Donald B. Strobe, Collected Words, www.Sermons.com A Whole New Era What about the underlying meaning? What did this strange first miracle signify? In a departure from custom, John fails to interpret for us the miraculous "sign," which for him almost always means a symbol, a kind of acted parable. Some commentators see in it a preview of the last Supper, when Jesus transforms not water into wind but wine into blood, his blood shed for all humanity. Maybe. But, I think not. I prefer a more whimsical interpretation. Tellingly, John notes that the wine came from huge thirty-gallon jugs that stood full of water at the front of the house, vessels that were used by observant Jews to fulfill the rules on ceremonial washing. Even a wedding feast had to honor the burdensome rituals of cleansing. Jesus, perhaps with a twinkle in his eye, transformed those jugs, ponderous symbols of the old way, into wineskins, harbingers of the new. From purified water of the Pharisees came the choice new wine of a whole new era. The time for ritual cleansing had passed; the time for celebration had begun. Prophets like John the Baptist preached judgment. Jesus' first miracle, though, was one of tender mercy. The lesson was not lost on the disciples who joined him at the wedding that night in Cana. Don't let it be lost on you! Adapted from Phillip Yancey, The Jesus I Never Knew, Grand Rapids: Zondervan 1995, p. 168. _________________ In the middle ages, Thomas À Kempis wrote: "When you have Christ, you are rich. He is enough. He will provide everything you need so you won't have to count on others without him. People change and fail. You can't depend on them. Those that are for you today may be against you tomorrow. They are as variable as the wind. But Christ is eternally faithful." Mary Trusted. Mary knew that she could count on Jesus and so can we. Billy D. Strayhorn, Wedding Bell Blues Celebrating the New I once heard a speaker criticize the Lutheran Church by saying, "We have all the right words to a party, but we haven't learned how to pull it off, yet." Seldom do our worship services feel like wedding celebrations -- where 180 gallons of wine would be served during a week-long celebration. Maybe all this talk about 180 gallons of wine can encourage us to be more celebrative and joyful in our receiving and sharing of God's grace. At the same time, I often wonder what Sunday services would be like if we put in as much time, effort, and money as we do for weddings. The six stone water jars, each holding 20-30 gallons equals 120-180 gallons of wine! That's a lot of wine. I noted above that an abundance of wine was an OT eschatological symbol. The abundance of God's grace is a theme that can flow out of these huge jars. Something I hadn't noticed before is that these jars were empty. The servants have to fill them with water before the miracle occurs. Jesus is not transforming the purification water that was in the jars into the wine; but he is transforming new water that has been placed in the old containers. O'Day suggests: "New wine is created in the 'old' vessels of the Jewish purification rites, symbolizing that the old forms are given new content." Brian Stoffregen, Exegetical Notes Humor: Miracles There is a time-honored story about a skeptic who was continually harassing the local pastor. His one delight in life seemed to be making the pastor appear inadequate intellectually. The pastor bore these challenges to his theology and faith with great restraint. One day the skeptic was heckling the pastor about his views on miracles. "Give me one concrete example of a miracle," the skeptic taunted. "One concrete example." Whereupon the pastor hauled off and kicked the skeptic furiously on the shin. The skeptic couldn't believe it! The pastor asked, "Did you feel that?" "Yes," the man said as he nursed his sore leg. "If you had not," said the pastor, "it would have been a miracle!" King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com