“2020 Vision”
John 2:1-11
Cana in Galilee was a village near Nazareth.
In Cana, there was a wedding feast and, it seems, Mary had something to do with the arrangements, because she was worried when the wine ran out; and she had authority enough to ask the servants to do whatever Jesus told them to do.
Some think that the groom was none-other than John himself, and that his mother was Salome, the sister of Mary.
It’s interesting to note that there is no mention of Jesus’ father, Joseph.
Most scholars think the reason is that Joseph was dead by this time, and that this is one of the reasons why Jesus spent eighteen long years in Nazareth.
Jesus took it upon Himself to support His mother and His family until his brothers and sisters were old enough to look after themselves.
This not only shows that Jesus was a good boy, but that He can sympathize with those who lose parents and have to take on big responsibilities at a young age.
In any event, Jesus and His disciples are invited to this wedding feast.
And a wedding feast in Jesus’ day could go on for a week or ten days.
It was a huge celebration!
And wine was absolutely essential.
Without wine, the Rabbis said, “There is no joy.”
So, imagine the terror that would have shot through Mary’s veins when she was told that the wine was gone!
How could she let her sister down on the biggest day of her life?
So, Mary went to Jesus to tell Him what was wrong.
Then, she said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
It’s been said that Mary’s words to Jesus are pertinent to us all.
“Do whatever he tells you.”
Isn’t that the key to life?
If we want God to move in our lives, we must be prepared to do what He says.
It’s not always easy.
And it will probably take a lot of missteps and mistakes to get it right—if we ever do—but when and if we do—we will find ourselves living within a miracle.
So, the servants take Mary’s words seriously, “Do whatever he tells you.”
We are told that “Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.
Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water’; so they filled them to the brim.”
And when they took some out to the master of ceremonies, he tasted the water that had been turned into wine…and it was the best, most choice wine!
Jesus turning ordinary water into the best of wines, signals to us the effect that Jesus can have and does have on people’s lives.
There can be no doubt that throughout history, the influence Jesus has had on the lives of people has never been surpassed.
No other great leader has inspired so many positive changes in the lives of his or her followers.
People who encounter the Risen Christ are totally transformed.
Their outlook on life is altered forever.
Staying true to their faith, they dedicate their lives to serving others.
I have no doubt, that the decision to follow Jesus Christ--to do what He says-- is the single most important thing a human being can do.
It is the key to everything!!!
And it is the glue keeping this world together.
But, there are times, throughout history, when that glue starts running in short supply.
Oftentimes, this is the fault of the Church, which is, of course made up of faulty human beings.
We get off course.
We might get too involved in worldly politics, thinking that salvation is found in human governments, policies, political candidates and parties.
We might have scandals and abuses that understandably turn people away from the Church.
We may become complacent.
Lazy.
Burned out.
Frustrated.
We may forget Mary’s words in today’s Gospel Lesson: “Do whatever he tells you.”
“Do whatever he tells you.”
“Do whatever he tells you.”
You know, this is one of the most amazing stories.
Jesus goes to this wedding.
He has no plans to do anything, but to relax, enjoy Himself and take part in the festivities.
But then, the wine runs out.
What would you do?
Would you try and collect money from as many guests as possible in order to make a wine-run to the nearest vineyard?
Would you turn around and go home?
Or would you make the best out of a, seemingly, hopeless situation?
That’s the difference between Jesus and so many of us, is it not?
Jesus, obviously looks at the glass as half-full rather than half-empty.
He looks around and the first thing He sees are six stone jars, standing nearby.
The kind used for ceremonial washing.
Each jar holds from twenty to thirty gallons of water.
So what?
What in the world does that have to do with wine?
It’s kind of like trying to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.
It doesn’t happen.
These two things have nothing in common—water and wine.
But this doesn’t stop Jesus.
Jesus takes an empty and inadequate situation and makes the best out of it.
He takes the water they have and makes the wine they need.
Have you ever looked at your life and thought…
“Gosh, I’m kind of inadequate.”
“After-all, I’m too old to make much difference anymore.
I might as well hang it up!”
Well, that’s a bunch of malarkey!
You can visit the homebound.
You can pray.
You can write notes to those who need to be lifted up.
You can share your resources.
You can come over to the church and get involved in whatever is going on—making a true and real difference.
And it’s the same for those who feel too young, or too uneducated, or not ‘spiritual enough.’
Listen, I got news for you—none of us are spiritual enough.
But God has a habit of using the ordinary and turning it into something extra-ordinary!
Imagine taking plain, old ordinary water—and transforming it into the best wine the world has ever known.
That’s what Jesus can do with your life, my life, any life—no matter who you are, how much money you do or don’t possess, whether you consider yourself multi-talented or deficient in too many areas.
Nothing is impossible for God.
No one is a lost cause.
Everything and everyone is filled with potential.
All we need do is “Do whatever he tells [us].”
If you've ever visited great cathedrals with those amazing stained- glass windows, you'd think the apostles were larger-than-life stained-glass saints with shining halos.
But actually, they were very, very common human beings.
It's a shame they have so often been put on pedestals as magnificent marble figures, or portrayed in paintings like some kind of Roman gods.
That dehumanizes them.
They were just twelve completely ordinary people—human in every way—and we shouldn't lose touch with that.
So, what qualified those people to be apostles?
The truth is, it wasn't any inate ability or outstanding talent of their own.
They were Galileans.
They were not the elite.
Galileans were considered low-class, rural, uneducated, people.
They were commoners, nobodies.
But those nobodies would become the leaders of Jesus’ Church—it’s very foundation!
Do you ever become discouraged and disheartened when your spiritual life and witness suffer because of personal sin or failure?
We sometimes tend to think we're worthless nobodies.
But be encouraged—worthless nobodies are just the kind of people God uses.
If you think about it, that's all He has to work with!
And that’s because we are all the same.
We are all in the same boat.
No one is any better than anyone else.
2019 was an amazing year in the life of this church.
We have become involved in our community in ways I could only dream about.
God has used us—normal, everyday people to do some extraordinary things!
Think about it.
The Red Bank Community Food Pantry, which was just an idea a year ago, has partnered with 14 different churches in our community, along with many businesses and schools.
We have raised $20,000, procured tons of enthusiastic volunteers and fed approximately 1,500 in our first two months of operation.
Wednesdays in the Park, brought out many new faces and got us outside our building.
We went from two services to one—something that was hard to do—but we did it.
New folks are joining the church.
We are becoming known in the community.
God is working through you!!!
I love the part in our Gospel Lesson where Master of Ceremonies—not knowing what is going on—takes the bridegroom aside and says: “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
Some nay-sayers may look at the decline in membership in churches over the past few decades and say, “The best is in the past,” or “I wish we could return to the ‘good old days,’” and I’ve said that myself.
But you know what?
God knows what God is doing.
We can trust Him.
And this community is changing.
There are lot’s of new, unchurched folks who have moved in to our neighborhoods.
Many of them are lonely.
Lots are looking for places to connect; other people to bring meaning, laughter and fun into their lives.
Jesus was perfectly at home rejoicing at a party.
There is no reason why cheerfulness, openness, and overflowing love and generosity should not be one of the main attributes of His people.
There is no reason why His Church shouldn’t be one big party for God!
People need meaning.
They are searching for authenticity.
And they are begging the church to be authentic.
My friends, that is YOU!
We are ordinary folks.
God loves and uses ordinary folks.
Mary instructed the servants at the wedding: “Do whatever he tells you.”
And that’s what they did.
And Jesus transformed regular old water into sparkling wine.
2020 is upon us.
Jesus has saved the best till now.
Praise God!
Amen.
