|
Morning Worship - 1/17/10 - Filled to the Brim with Glory
Filled to the Brim with Glory
John 2:1-11
A Jewish Wedding Festival and the religious rite of purification. These are the paths that cross with ours for the first miracle of our Lord. Throughout the gospels, we are put on alert that something holy is about to happen whenever Jesus is around a banquet or celebration. I wonder what that might be?
The Jews attached great importance to the high moments of life. So 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 this wedding in Cana 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.
It is remarkable that Jesus chose to start his ministry with this miracle; it’s not one of the more flamboyant. His miracle was simple. Fill six large ceramic jars with water. Dip a cup. Take the cup to the wedding coordinator. Let him taste. Suddenly there were 180 gallons of excellent wine. That was no doubt enough wine for the rest of the reception.
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. The water is intended for the crucial religious practice of external cleansing before eating and even a wedding feast had to honor the burdensome rituals of cleansing. Prophets like John the Baptist preached judgment. Jesus' first miracle, though, was one of tender mercy.
In this, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus revealed his glory in a miracle that defined his ministry. It is not packed with persuasive power; it is rather, driven by humble acts of service.
So what does all this mean?
In the context of this story of Jesus turning water into wine, I find this one of the most beautiful lines of literature I have ever heard:
"The conscious water, saw its Master, and blushed." - Alexander Pope (18th century English poet)
Why do people blush? It is usually out of an embarrassed sense of humility. When a girl is told she is lovely, she may blush because she is flattered, because in a way she feels she doesn't deserve it but accepts it anyway. The water...if conscious…didn’t deserve to be turned into wine. But it felt God's presence, his overwhelming love for even the water, and blushed.
Jesus shows us his glory and his power and the power to use us. He himself doesn't fill the jars with water, he asks the servants to:
Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim.
Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet." - John 2:7- 8
He gives the servants an opportunity to shine. An opportunity to obey the master results in great things. The servants are blessed through this experience - not because they were praised for the wine or because they could pride themselves in making wine - but because they got to experiences Christ's power first hand. Our strengths only bring us glory. God’s strength in our weakness reveals God’s glory.
Sometimes, people are asked to do crazy things, like fill stone jars with water so the water can be changed into wine. Sometimes, we’re asked to crazy things like respond to needs following an earthquake in Haiti.
You’ve seen the video and heard the ‘live’ reports of the chaos. What difference can one person possible make? What difference can my prayers make? What difference can my donation make? But fret not, God has purpose for your ridiculousness.
We don’t deserve to be used to reveal God’s glory – but we can accept the opportunity to be used, anyway. We can feel God’s presence and his overwhelming love for the people of Haiti.
Let's all take time to blush today...to feel our humility…and allow Jesus to reveal his glory through our willingness to help in the aftermath of an earthquake.
View previous sermons here... (295 total)
|
