The Best Wedding
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· 1 viewFocus: Jesus has made the glory of God known to us Function: that the hearers who have seen and have been impacted by Jesus may shine that glory to others
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Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.
When you are planning a wedding there are so many things to make sure that things are planned out. When a planning a wedding nowadays - you go a check out the venue, you want to make sure that there is enough room for all of your family an friends to dance and celebrate you. When planning a wedding there is time and energy that goes into the picking of the wedding dress to make sure the bride looks nice. When planning a wedding you spend time crunching down the guest list to make sure that everyone important is invited. And you go through all the scenarios, if I invite this person, then I have to invite person. If you planning a wedding there are things that you want to be sure not to forget, there are things that you don’t want to leave off the checklist.
Well the big day was finally here. This was the big day for all the people in town of Cana, everyone in this small community was looking forward to this couple’s big day of celebration. The couple made sure to invite everyone important to them and this included Mary and her son, Jesus and all of His friends. The celebration of this wedding was going great (back then the weddings lasted multiple days, maybe even up to seven days). Everyone was having fun celebrating this couple, except something pretty big, a disaster was about to happen - they were about to run out of wine at party. How disappointing that would be for the family? How embarrassing that would be for the family who was hosting this party? Mary acted in time of need turning to her Son, Jesus and said, “They have no wine”. And Jesus although He tells Mary it isn’t His time yet, He steps up and does something miraculous. Jesus begins to do His first miracle where He turns simple water into wine to provide for this couple, to provide for the party, to cause them to avoid embarrassment. This is not the first mircale that we would expect for the Son of Man, from the King of Israel, or the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. But Jesus works in this ordinary place, amongst ordinary people at Cana turning water into wine. At this wedding, Jesus reveals a glimpse of His glory.
After Mary seemingly convinces Jesus to act, even though it is not His hour, Jesus uses this existing stone water jars that were for Jewish purification rites. He tells the servants to fill the Jewish jars of purification to the brim with water, and they do. And these jars of water, suddenly became wine for the party. These old jars for the old Jewish ceremonial washings now become the vessels of Jesus’ power and glory. And Jesus doesn’t just make a small amount, but Jesus provides in abundance for this wedding party. He fills up six of these jars which hold 20 - 30 gallons. That is roughly 120- 180 gallons of wine. Jesus leaves no room for doubt, He doesn’t provide just enough, He doesn’t give them enough to just get by, but Jesus for this couple and everyone there provides in abundance for the people. In the amount Jesus gives them He provides a glimpse of His glory. In the midst of this miracle, Jesus doesn’t fully reveal who He is. Jesus simply fades into the background. After this wine is taken to the master of the feast, and He tasted them the wine, our text says that the master of the feast did not know where the wine came from, so He gives credit to the bridegroom. Our text from John says:
When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.”
The master of the feast gives credit to the bridegroom for the wine and says this wine that is served is better than the previous wine. Jesus doesn’t stand up to claim credit for this miracle, although his disciples and servants knew who really was to credit for the wine. Jesus shows a Glimpse of His glory at this wedding of Cana.
In our lives, do we act like the master of the feast and do we simply miss out the glimpses of Jesus and His glory in our world and in our lives? Are there moments when we simply focus on the blessings God gives - the wine in our lives- , so much that we fail to credit God for the thing that you have received? Perhaps, we spend time enjoying the family that God has blessed us with, our time enjoying the finances that God has given us and those things become the sole focus for celebrating in our lives rather than the work of Jesus?
Or do we act like the master of feast and miss out on the way Jesus works in the world, miss out on the glimpses of His glory, because He is just one of the “guests” in our lives and He is not truly known by us. You know, you have a planned a wedding there are people there you don’t know super well. Perhaps there are distance family members that you never really talk to you. Perhaps there are people you invite, because you invited other people and to keep harmony you had to invite the other people. And those minor connections, you aren’t going to stick them at the head table of your wedding, but often times in the seating chart - you place those people in the back, in the corner, where they are there, but you don’t really interact with them. Perhaps in our lives Jesus is placed a table all the way in a corner of lives, where He is there in our lives, but far from us, not truly known by us. Is Jesus just in the background of our lives or is He truly known by us?
You know you are at a great party, and the great food is there - it is so great that you want nothing to go to waste. As you are scooping food onto your plate, you want to make sure not to spill because the food is good, you want there to be enough for everyone else, you want everyone to have enough to taste it. I imagine at this wedding in Cana, as this precious, great wine was brought to the party by Jesus, you didn’t want this wine to spill. These jars of purification, now filled with wine, I imagine as the guest dipped their cups in to get more and more wine, they didn’t want this precious wine to spill because they had just experienced this scarcity of wine and they didn’t want to waste this now great tasting wine. These jars were now vessels of Jesus’ glory. Jesus came to this world for you freely make God’s glory known. And unlike someone at a wedding or party carefully tasting food or drink in order not to spill, Jesus Christ the vessel of God’s glory for you - was freely shattered. He was freely broken to pour out God’s glory for you! Jesus was freely broken to pour out God’s forgiveness and mercy and grace upon your lives. He doesn’t just give you enough to get by, but He pours out His grace in abundance for you!
As people claimed by Jesus - you are now a glimpse of God’s glory to others in this world. As people who have been touched by the love and grace of Jesus - we are called to show Jesus to other people. Maybe it looks like providing forgiveness in abundance for other people in the world. Maybe it showing Glimpses of God’s glory means radiating this peace or confidence in Jesus no matter what you face or no matter what life throws your way. Or perhaps it sharing a glimpse of God’s glory means talking about the work of Jesus in your life. It doesn’t have to be these miraculous conversation stories, but maybe it means sharing Jesus in everyday contexts, everyday opportunities, ordinary interactions - like an ordinary wedding in Cana. Just like the jars at the wedding of Cana after hearing the word of Jesus - you aren’t the same, you are now a vessel of His glory to the world.
Now may the peace of Christ, which surpasses all understanding may it guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.