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

The Miraculous Sign of Jesus

Rev. Harriette Cross First United Methodist Church of Wilmington August 1, 2021 John 6:24-35 10th Sunday after Pentecost Year B The Miraculous Sign of Jesus Opening Song Welcome (no need to print) Leader: Today we give thanks to God for our musicians and for their faithful service in the ministry of music. Called in baptism and equipped with musical gifts, they have led the people of God in singing the new song of eternal life in Jesus Christ. Call to Worship O Lord, open our lips, and our mouth will proclaim your praise. It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High, to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night. Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. - Psalm 92:1-2; 95:1-2 Stewardship Moment In the life of every congregation, the recognition comes of the variety of gifts which have been given to different individuals. Some gifts might be over-looked until they become necessities. Knowing how to use a wet vac may seem superfluous until the basement floods! Aptitude with a tow truck may seem an unlikely gift until the church van breaks down with five youth and their sponsors on board. And who knew how important You Tube and Facebook would be for a functioning congregation until COVID closed down our “normal” means of communicating and sharing worship! Every individual has received gifts for the purpose of equipping the saints for the work of ministry! How will you share the gifts you’ve received? Perhaps in direct action, and perhaps also in monetizing your gift and sharing financially from the work of your hands/hearts. As we receive our morning offering, consider how your gift/s will build up the body of Christ. Without you and your gift/s, we cannot come to maturity, Paul writes. It takes ALL of us, working and sharing together, to help reach the full stature of Christ! Let us receive our morning tithes, gifts and offerings. Prayer of Thanksgiving Holy Giver of every good and perfect gift, Thank you for this opportunity to claim the gifts we’ve been given. Challenge each one of us to recognize what we have received and how we can best use these gifts to proclaim our love for you. Thank you for this time to offer our gifts to build up of the body of Christ. AMEN Song In Christ there is not East or West UMH 548 Scripture John 6:24-35 John 6:24-35 Common English Bible 24 When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus. 25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” Bread of life 26 Jesus replied, “I assure you that you are looking for me not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate all the food you wanted. 27 Don’t work for the food that doesn’t last but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Human One[a] will give you. God the Father has confirmed him as his agent to give life.” 28 They asked, “What must we do in order to accomplish what God requires?” 29 Jesus replied, “This is what God requires, that you believe in him whom God sent.” 30 They asked, “What miraculous sign will you do, that we can see and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, just as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”[b] 32 Jesus told them, “I assure you, it wasn’t Moses who gave the bread from heaven to you, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 The bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said, “Sir,[c] give us this bread all the time!” 35 Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. Sermon The Miraculous Sign of Jesus So it looks like the COVID saga continues – we continue to struggle with what it means to return to normal. I hope that as we each work to answer that question for ourselves that we all stay safe. One of the favorite pastimes of the COVID era has been eating. Statistics say that most people have gained 10 -20 pounds more this past year – because what do we do when we are stressed – we eat. Eating is a basic need in life for all of us. And the basic staple of any meal? Bread. I think that most of us at some point in this last year has went to the store to get a loaf of bread ( even if it is a low carb bread – we still have some sort of bread. At $2 a loaf, many of us take the loaf of bread for granted. But in reality, throughout human history it has been one of the most important things in life. Perhaps that is why When Jesus was trying to tell others about who God is – the first metaphor that he can think of – a loaf of bread. When people want to know who he is – he says I am the bread of life. The lectionary spends 5 Sundays on this one symbol of God. We are only going to look at the gospel lesson this one Sunday. This is the only chapter in the bible that is stretched out this long. Usually, when John 6 comes up I wonder, how you can get 5 sermons out of one metaphor. But this year as I reviewed this lesson, I got so much more out of it besides bread, food, being hungry and being fed by Jesus. There is a whole story behind this metaphor. John’s point in telling this story is that there are two levels in every situation in life. There is the obvious things that we see with our eyes, and there is a sub story to look at where the real message is. Jesus is traveling throughout the countryside teaching and meeting needs. When he feeds the people when they are hungry – they want to make him king. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could be fed all of the time. This is a man of God with special powers, we need him in our lives. Jesus wants no part of this plan, first he escapes with his disciples. When that doesn’t work, he hides by himself. And the people still find him. Give us this bread all of the time! Moses gave the people manna when they were hungry. Give us the same signs so that we can believe in God. Jesus has to explain to them that Moses did not give them bread – God provided for them. All throughout the new testament Jesus tells his followers not to look for signs. God is not in miracles and signs, God is in our faith. Time and time when Jesus tries to explain who God is, the people get so caught up on the obvious story they get it wrong. When Jesus tells us that he is the temple of God – the people start to look at a building, when Jesus tells Nicodemus about being born again – we tries to figure out how to go back into his mother’s womb. When Jesus tells the woman that he is living water, she looks at Jacob’s well looking for water. So when Jesus says I am the bread of life – the people think he is a bread maker that will produce bread at will. This story would be funny if it didn’t apply to all of us – still looking for a sign and a miracle. We still pray that God will end COVID, we are still hoping that once it is over that God’s gift will be losing 10 pounds without doing exercise. If God will just give us brighter days – our problems will be over and we will praise him. Jesus says that He is the bread of life – but Jesus also tells us what that does not mean – it does not mean a lifetime of free bread. It does not mean the answer to all of our prayers. It doesn’t mean someone who constantly gives in order to justify going to church. The miracles of life and the hope is deeper than that. O Benjamin Sparks, “We are accustomed to inviting people into the community of faith for all the wrong reasons: for the "right" kind of worship; for political engagement on behalf of the poor and downtrodden; for the sake of a Christian America; for a strong youth and family ministry; for the opportunity to practice mission in a downtown location, or to go on mission trips to Africa or Central America. Yet what we have to offer—in Christ and by Christ and because of Christ—first and foremost is "soul food," which lasts forever and does not change with the changing circumstances of the church or the world. It is soul food that we desire, and soul food in which we will rejoice, long after our bellies are full of rice and our lives know justice in a free society.” Feasting on the Word – Year B, Volume 3: Pentecost and Season After Pentecost 1 (Propers 3-16) A few years ago, there was this bread company called Great Harvest bread company – they had stores in a few places that I used to live. Actually, I really don’t care much for bread. But I would love to go to this store – because whenever you went in there was an employee who would cut any piece of bread that you wanted and let you put butter on it and eat it right there. That is what the church is – a bread store – giving out free pieces of Jesus – butter and all! All of us come to church for many different reasons, we are looking for different things, we have different expectations. Jesus is here for us all – not with easy answers, but with faith answers. When the people are looking for bread in this lesson, Jesus tells them that he is the bread of life. all we have to do is believe. Believe God. Believe that Jesus is the son of God. We don’t know when this saga will end, we do not know anything about the future. But we do know that God is the God of peace, of wholeness, of love. That all things come to be in God’s time. Jesus is the bread of life – if we believe then we will be hungry no more. As we take communion – let us remember that Jesus is the bread of life – if we believe we will have more than enough to get by. Amen Prayer and acknowledgement of all who are a part of the music Ministry Creator God, because you make all that draws forth our praise and the forms in which to express it, we praise you. Because you make artists of us all, awakening courage to look again at what is taken for granted, grace to share these insights with others, vision to reveal the future already in being, we praise you. Because you form your Word among us, and in your great work embrace all human experience, even death itself, inspiring our resurrection song, we praise you. Yours is the glory. Amen. Lord Jesus Christ, In the waters of baptism you have gifted us for ministry in your church and in the world. We give you thanks for the ministry of music and faithful service of these your children. To all whom they have inspired in the arts, bring your blessing. Strengthen them in every future endeavor and bring to fruition their work to enliven your Word in us through music. Empower us to sing your resurrection song with fervor and to regard music as a lively expression of your gospel and a gift of your making. Amen All join together: Be with all your servants who make art and music for your people, that with joy, we on earth may glimpse your beauty, and bring us to the fulfillment of that hope of perfection, which will be ours as we stand before you. Amen Song One Bread One Body 620 Communion Invitation to Communion (from John 6:35) (don’t print) For many, bread has become part of the “eat sparingly” list, because of gluten, calories or too many other good things to fill our bellies. But for most of the world today, and for the people of Jesus’ world, bread is/was an essential — a basic part of every meal. So it makes sense Jesus uses “bread” as a way of describing his essential nature – “the bread of life”. When we come to the Table today, we find the essentials here: some symbolic or emblematic form of food and drink. Behind these simple elements is the solid truth of Jesus as essential to life. For those present in the sanctuary, our bread is ________________. If you’re worshipping online, I hope you have some essential elements (bread, cracker, chip, cookie, along with wine, juice, milk&honey). Together, let us “come to Jesus”, sharing these emblems of life, and actively remembering our Lord as our hungry hearts are satisfied. Announcements Closing Prayer Creator God, you have made us in your image to reflect your goodness. You have called us to use our gifts to build your kingdom. As we begin this day, we seek to reflect your image. Help us not only to focus on how to develop our creativity, but also to seek the wisdom to use our skills to your glory, and for the building up of the people we serve. In the name of Christ and through the Holy Spirit we pray. God of majesty, whom saints and angels delight to worship in heaven: Be with your servants who make art and music for your people, that with joy we on earth may glimpse your beauty; and bring us to the fulfillment of that hope of perfection which will be ours as we stand before your unveiled glory. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Benediction Children’s Sermon God's recipe John 6:42 Object: a bowl of flour Good morning, boys and girls. (Show them the bowl of flour.) What do you think I have in this bowl? (Let them respond.) It's flour. What is flour made from? (Let them respond.) It's made from wheat. It grows in the field and when it's ready, the farmer harvests the wheat and grinds it into flour. What is flour good for? (Let them respond.) It's good for cooking! It looks pretty ordinary to me. What can we cook with flour? (Let them respond.) We can make bread, gravy, cookies, crackers, pancakes, waffles, cakes and pies. We can also make a play clay from flour and even paste can be made from flour. How can I do that with just an ordinary bowl of flour? (Let them respond.) We have to add other things to the flour to make different foods from flour. If I had an egg, some milk and a little oil, I can make pancakes. If I add the same things; egg, milk and oil, it can also become cake! Does a cake LOOK like a pancake or TASTE like pancakes? (Let them respond.) No, it doesn't. So what is it that makes it a cake or a pancake? (Let them respond.) It's how many eggs, how much milk and how many spoons of oil that makes it a cake or a pancake. But it all starts with plain, old, ordinary flour! Our lesson today is a story about Jesus. He was talking to some people that knew him when he was just plain old ordinary Jesus. The people were surprised at the things he said. They talked to each other and said, "Isn't this Jesus? We know his parents. Who does he think he is?" They knew Jesus and decided that Jesus was ordinary. They decided that ordinary people wouldn't say the things he did. They wouldn't listen to him. They got angry with Jesus. They didn't realize how special Jesus was! Sometimes we think and act like we're ordinary. But we're not ordinary like the people thought Jesus was supposed to be. We're special because we have some other ingredients mixed up with us just like this flour gets other things added to it to make different foods. What do you think we have added to us? (Let them respond.) We have a special ingredient - it's love. Just stir us up. Add a little love from God and mix well. That made Jesus special, too. He was following God's recipe and we can, too. God's recipe says to add love and mix well. Love makes us all special and not ordinary at all. CSS Publishing, Lima, Ohio, , by CSS Additional Illustrations • . • Sometime this week you will make a trip to the grocery store to get a loaf of bread. It will be readily available on the shelf. There will be quite a variety to choose from. You will pay little attention to the price, not realizing that the packaging that the bread is wrapped in actually costs more than the wheat that is in the bread. All in all, you will think it a very uneventful trip, but you will be wrong. • • It is quite difficult for me, as an American, to understand the importance of bread unless I turn on my TV and watch what is going on in so many parts of the world today. When there is no staff of life there is suffering and famine. A simple loaf of bread: Something, which we do not give a second thought, but in certain parts of the world it means life itself. • • It is only as we comprehend that situation that we can really begin to understand the importance of bread not only now but also in the time of Jesus. Just think for a moment how so many significant theological events in the Bible revolve around the subject of bread. The most important event in the Old Testament of course, was the Exodus event--the trip from Egypt to the Promised Land. But what caused the Hebrews to be in Egypt in the first place? It was for want of bread you will recall. The wheat crop had failed due to drought, and the Hebrews had migrated to the land of the Pharaoh because there was a surplus in storage there. It was bread, or the lack of it, that initiated this whole chain of events... • One of everyone’s favorite past times during this past Covid year and a half, especially during lock down, was food! Eating. And eating. And eating. And eating. • • The average person reported gaining 10 to 20 pounds during the past year in the US alone. Some even more. Why? Three factors stand out. 1) Increased stress about the virus or to be exact “stress-eating,” 2) lack of gym access and general exercise, and 3) lack of socialization (loneliness, isolation, depression, and separation from loved ones and friends). Never before have we realized just how much we depended on each other for our mental and physical and emotional and spiritual health. • • Covid not only reminded us about what happens economically and culturally when we function in the extreme as individual units instead of as communities but what happens to us mentally, spiritually, and emotionally when we are confronted by isolation, when our relationships are cut off and socialization shuts down. • • In 1943, a psychologist by the name of Abraham Maslow in his paper on human motivation, laid out a chart called the human hierarchy of needs. Maslow’s theory tells us that our most basic human needs are physiological. We need food, water, and rest to live....

The Greatest Gift

January 20, 2013 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 John 2:1-11 2nd Sunday after Epiphany Year C “The Greatest Gift” Pastor turns water into wine One day a young girl was helping out in service, as a communion steward. The pastor got ready to wash his hands, so he called the young girl over. As he was washing his hands, he saw that the liquid was purple. He whispers to the little girl, I thought I told you bring me water, this is wine. It was water when I bought it to you…replied the little girl. The inaugural event of Jesus Today we can celebrate that this is the official inauguration of the 57th president of the united States. This is a new day for him, a new day for us. We can only anticipate the good things ahead for the next 4 years. This familiar story of Jesus turning water into wine, is in many ways, the inauguration of jesus as the messiah. The first demonstration of his power. What is the meaning of this story? John does not give a whole lot of explanation of why he was at this party, why his mother thought it was so important for him to help out, it does not even tell us how he was able to turn water into wine. Maybe John feels that this story does not need any explanation – the story is a point within itself. From this story, we learn that Jesus likes to party. He likes to have fun and to celebrate. We see that God is a God of joy and of celebration. But we also see that God is also a God of mercy – who will supply our needs and who will help us when we ask. John the Baptist speaks of a God of justice who judged, but he is also a God of mercy who helps. When we give what we have, God gives us more – that is the point of my sermon today. God doesn’t come to us in extraordinary ways, but in the simple ways in our life. Most of the times in places where we are not expecting anything great to happen. Sign vs. miracle If you read the other gospels, there are 35 miracles that Jesus performs during his ministry on earth. But interestingly enough – John is not concerned about miracles. In the book of John there are seven signs of Jesus power – this is the inaugural sign. I am trying to get you all out of here early, so that the district superintendent can come. Every time I say that I am going to give just a short sermon – more and more good things that you need to know come up. I don’t want to give you a list of all seven signs in the book of John – but if you need to know ask me I have them listed. 1. Water into wine – chapter 2 2. Healing of the officer’s son – chapter 4 3. Healing of the cripple – chapter 5 4. Feeding the multitude – chapter 6 5. Walking on water – chapter 6 6. Healing of a man born blind – chapter 9 7. Raising of Lazurus – chapter 11 Sign is God coming into your life in a meaningful way The point for john is that God is not always in the unusual – but the usual. We don’t have to look up in the sky and look for money to fall out of the sky - God does not usually work that way – God works within our lives. Speaking of money falling out of the sky – this is a true story A knowledge of the Bible can be rewarding, as any Bible college professor can attest. Especially Richard McNeely of Biola College in suburban Los Angeles. Somehow he got picked as a contestant on the television game show “50 Grand Slam.” The show is based on the contestants’ knowledge of the given topic of the day. On McNeely’s day, the topic was the Bible. When it was over he had won the top prize of $50,000. God usually works within the confines of our lives. A sign is a act of our everyday lives that brings wonder and meaning to the event. Something that happens in your life, and you know that only God could make that happen. A sign of God’s presence is not a quick fix, not a big thing but a bunch of little things, a sign is not always in the estatic – but in the purposeful. Paul does not want us to be ignorant Speaking of knowing the difference between a sign and a miracle. I thought it was interesting that the first line of the scripture in 1 Corinthians says – now concerning spiritual gifts, I don’t want you to be uninformed. The King James says it better – I don’t want you to be ignorant. Now, let me pause for a moment to point out something interesting . . . Paul used that particular phrase--“I do not want you to be ignorant”—six times in his letters. . . twice in reference to the Jewish people, whose disobedience brought judgment, once in reference to his plans to visit the church at Rome, once regarding the sufferings he and his team had endured throughout Asia, once in reference to the end times and the resurrection of the dead, and here, where he says “I do not want you to be ignorant” about spiritual gifts. Excitement not necessarily a sign of God As I was researching this sermon, many people were saying that in Paul’s time there were a lot of charismatic people. People who believed that their excitement and charisma meant that they were holy. And Paul wanted new Christians to understand that excitement and charisma was not always from God. Sometimes their water is just that – water and not wine. There excitement is not infused with the presence of the holy spirit. Charismata – excitement and meaning That is why he says that no one speaking by the spirit of god ever says Let Jesus be cursed. If their actions don’t demonstrate the love of Jesus – then it is not from God. Then he goes on to talk about spiritual gifts. Or charismata as they are called. Along with excitement, there has to be meaning and understanding – the two have to go hand in hand. Paul goes on to give a list of spiritual gifts – once again this is a sermon within itself. I just want to say that it is not an exhaustive list – it is just a list of sign in your life that the holy spirit is present with you. Gift from the common good Paul says that to each is given the manifestation of the spirit for the common good. Gifts are given to you for the good of the community, not just for you. When people say that god gave them a gift, you ask and what are you doing to help others with it? Gift is not a talent A spiritual gift is not a talent. A spiritual gift is not really what you do – it is why you do it. Does what you do glorify God? Scripture says that we all have talent – we don’t all realize where that talent came from or why we were given it. How do you get a spiritual gift? – through prayer and through practice, but most of all honoring the grace of God. Discernment How do you know if your gift is from God, or man or the devil? The community has the gift of discernment. God gives us joy and excitement, but he also gives us knowledge of right and wrong in the scriptures. Remember Paul says I do not want you to be ignorant. – He makes important statement that the most important gift that we can have is to be able to say that Jesus Is Lord. We can only say that if the holy Spirit is present amongst us. True faith – is to be like Jesus mother Mary – to have faith in Jesus to complete the task. Faith produces results Faith calls forth the presence of the holy True faith is from God Whatever we do, whatever our gift (and we all have one) – we have to be faithful in our service to God. 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 fo 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. In community our gifts matter Paul’s point for us – is that in community all of our gifts really do matter, and that God has given us all a gift or two. But they are only useful when we are faithful to Jesus as the Christ. Jesus is the wine of our celebration! Jesus us the life of our party! Jesus is the source of our faith! This week as we celebrate the contributions of Martin Luther King, as we celebrate the second inauguration of our President. Let us also 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…… Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant (1 Corinthians 12:1, NIV). 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!” Nearly one hundred years ago, there was an American inventor named Louis Enricht who announced that he had discovered a cheap additive that would turn ordinary tap water into automotive fuel. At the time World War I was raging in Europe and gasoline was enormously expensive. Enricht claimed that his new additive would bring the per gallon cost down to a single penny. That certainly got everyone’s attention. Enricht even gave a demonstration to a crowd of reporters. He had the reporters check that his jug was full of ordinary tap water, then poured in a small amount of greenish liquid, stirred it up, and invited everyone to test this miraculous mixture in their own vehicles. They did and it worked! Enricht’s demonstrations were so convincing that even the world famous automaker Henry Ford offered him millions to buy the rights for his additive. And no wonder. We’re still looking for such a cure to our energy ills today. Actually, Enricht had merely discovered that if you add a very cheap chemical called acetone to water it will run an engine for a while. Then it will destroy it. But before anyone found that out, Enricht had managed to convince not only Henry Ford, but several other famous American businessmen who should have known better, to give him millions of dollars for his worthless invention. Enricht was a scam artist. His invention looked convincing, but ultimately it destroyed the engine it was supposed to power. The power of Christ, on the other hand, took that which was inferior ordinary well water and made it rich and full and delightful. Anything Christ touches is going to be improved by that touch. The water was not only going to be transformed to wine. It would be the best wine possible. In this he was but reflecting the nature of God. God is a giving God. The God who has given us a beautiful and a bountiful world does so because that is God’s nature. Andreas Schroeder, Scams, True Stories from the Edge (Buffalo. NY: Annick Press Ltd., 2004), p. 1., adapted by King Duncan,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.