January 21 Sermon: Invite Jesus to Your Party

The Wedding at Cana - John 2:1-12

Back then a Jewish wedding was not just a brief ceremony. It was a celebration for the whole village that might last for days. Weddings, and the accompanying feasting were so joyful that in the Old Testament they are used as a metaphor for the coming of the Messiah, the Christ. So in the gospels many of Jesus’ parables are about weddings - and in each case the wedding banquet is a symbol of the kingdom of God. So the story of the wedding of Cana can be understood within that symbolic tradition - it teaches us something about Christ, and the Kingdom of God.

*

I read about a wedding that went just beautifully until the very end of the ceremony, when the pastor said, “You may kiss the bride.” In that tender moment, when the bride and groom kissed, the five-year-old ring bearer let out a loud “YUK”.

And in years to come, when people think of that wedding, the one thing they’ll remember is YUK

That sort of thing almost happened at the wedding in Cana. The one thing they might have remembered about that wedding is they ran out of wine during the reception.

+

But Jesus was at the wedding and transformed water into wine. That water was in six stone jars, to be used for the Jewish rite of purification. But now Jesus transforms it into fine wine.

The Old Testament route to purification before God will be transformed by Jesus. Now, as scripture says, the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from our sin. 1 John 1:7

As the wedding steward says in an ironic punch-line, You have kept the best until now. Not only is the New Covenant different from the Old, but better. In the new, the Spirit will be given to all and there will be abundance and joy.

+

Jesus had those six stone jars filled to the brim - and gave them more then a hundred gallons of wine - more than they could possibly drink. Where once there was shortage, now there is abundance; where there was lack, now overflowing extravagance.

Jesus beckons us into a renewed, expanded, more abundant world. When Christ comes among us, there is abundance - an abundance of love, of glory, of the remarkable.

There is no cautious, careful restraint with Jesus. He shows up at the party and manifests his glory with overflowing abundance.

+

But do you believe that’s true for you and me?

We don’t ask God for big things, and keep our prayers cautious and careful. We don’t really expect the Spirit to work big changes in our lives - or in our church. You know how limited, how frail and finite are our resources.

*

Years ago a talk-show host interviewed an eight-year-old boy. He had been in the news because he rescued two friends from an abandoned mine in West Virginia. As they talked, the host asked if the boy went to Sunday School. The boy said yes, so then was asked “What are you studying?”

“Last week our lesson was about when Jesus went to a wedding and turned water into wine.”

“And what did you learn from that?”

The boy hesitated - apparently he had not thought about that.

Then he smiled and said, “If you going to have a party, make sure you invite Jesus.”

Maybe the boy was on to something. Invite Jesus.

If you think your faith isn’t strong enough - Or if we think we don’t have the resources - then we’re thinking about what we can do on our own.

But if we don’t have enough, we could invite Jesus - and he might turn our water into wine - better wine then we asked for - and not just enough to get by - but an overflowing abundance.

+

Is our vision too limited? Are we too easily discouraged in prayer?

When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine’. And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, how does that concern you and me? My hour has not yet come.’ John 2:3,4

Mary might have agreed with Jesus and let it drop. After all, this is just the very beginning of Jesus ministry. He has yet to heal anyone or perform any miracle. He has only a few brand-new, would-be disciples. Maybe his time has not come.

But Mary doesn’t give up and tells the servants Do whatever he tells you. v. 5

She simply leaves the problem with Jesus. She has faith he will do the right thing. She doesn’t suggest what he should do, thus acknowledging that he is Lord.

If you flip through the gospels you can find other examples of persistence in the face of Jesus’ initial refusal. Such persistence almost always wins Jesus over to acting - although perhaps what he does is not what was expected.

Why? Mary’s words to the servant stress the lordship of Jesus and not her relationship to him. Maybe it’s this willingness to simply rely on Jesus as Lord - trusting him to handle this in His way - that prepares for the miracle.

Be persistent and bold in your prayers. But acknowledge that Jesus is Lord - in charge - and be open to His will, possibly a new direction that is a different answer to your prayer.

+

The wedding at Cana is a parable of abundance - a promise of that God will give you what you need to be a faithful resourceful disciple.

And God will give us what we need to be a church that is faithful to His mandate to make disciples. He blesses us with abundance.

Now to each member is given the manifestation of the Spirit as a means of building up the church. 1 Corinthians 12:7

Our congregation is filled to overflowing with talents and abilities - a rich diversity of members and gifts.

Paul emphasized not only the diversity of the gifts, but the unifying relationship among them.

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts... different ways of serving... different types of work.. but the same Spirit works in us... and the same Lord is served... Corinthians 12:4-6

Those abilities and talents come from the same source - the Holy Spirit - and they have the same purpose - building up the church.

Taken together, the gifts the members have make the church and define its mission. We do what God gives us the resources to do.

Paul sees the hand of God working behind all this. Each one of you was guided to the congregation with your God-given talents and abilities, according to the wisdom of God’s Spirit. The Spirit guided you to this church for a reason. You are needed so we can do whatever it is that God wants this church to do.

Our challenge is to discern our talents and abilities - and then use them as God intends - so that our abundance might bring glory to his name.

+

On that day in Cana, the wine did not simply arrive: water was transformed into wine. That’s God’s method.

When Christ came, he did not appear as an angel, some other order of being. He came in the flesh, as a man. It was this real and actual human nature that He transformed into the divine.

That’s God’ method for us too. We are to take the water of our lives - as we find it - and let Christ transform it into wine - good wine.

Our lives may seem incapable of fulfilling a divine purpose; yet it is through us that the divine purpose is to be fulfilled.

Maybe God is there, wanting to give us even more faith, more love, more energy to be His disciple. Is your vision of what God would do for you - and for us - is too small, too narrow?

The good news is that Jesus is the life of the party - He is the one who livens things up, brings abundant life for all. He did it for an anonymous bride and groom, and their wedding guests at an out-of-the-way village in Galilee. And he could do it for you and I - and for our church.

Invite Jesus into the difficult parts of your life - and like Mary don’t be discouraged, but rather be persist in prayer.

Invite Jesus into your personal struggles - and recognize he is Lord by being open to what he might want to do in your life - and in our church.

Invite Jesus into your life - and be ready to be surprised, for he has a habit of doing what we don’t expect.

Invite Jesus into your plans for the future - and remember to pray, not my will, but Thy will be done.