AT A WEDDING
Lenten Series: On The Road With Jesus (4)
March 15, 2015
Rev. Richard P. Smith
Senior Pastor, Germantown United Methodist Church
John 2:1-11
On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his
disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him,
‘They have no more wine. ‘Woman, why do you involve me?’ Jesus replied. ‘My hour has not yet come.
His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ 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. Then he told them,
‘Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.’ They did so, and the master of the
banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from,
though the servants who had drawn the water knew.
Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, ‘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.’
What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory;
and his disciples believed in him.
This morning we look at a most intriguing scenario found only in the Gospel of John. Jesus travels
two days from the Jordan River area where he’s been with John the Baptist and attends a wedding in
Cana of Galilee.
Shortly after he arrives, a major faux pas occurs…the wine runs out. This was a huge and
inexcusable lapse for the bridegroom and his family. As one Biblical scholar explains it:
While little is known of how a wedding was performed in the Holy Land in the 1st century, we do know
that the wedding feast was very important for the whole community. These were typically week long
celebrations for which there were defined social standards. To falter in proper hospitality was a serious
social offense. When the wine was gone, this is more than a minor social embarrassment for the
bridegroom and his family. It was a deeply serious omission.
Many scholars also tell us that there is a good chance that the bridegroom involved was one of Jesus’
brothers. They say this both because Jesus traveled two days to get to the wedding and because of the
prominent role Mary plays in getting Jesus to produce more wine. When Mary pushes Jesus to act, he
initially hesitates but then complies. Six containers of 20-30 gallons of water are brought by the servants
and Jesus turns the water into wine; and it is the best wine yet.
This morning rather than focus on the story itself, on the miracle of turning water into wine, or on
other interesting aspects of this scenario, I want to talk about water into wine moments in our personal
lives. While I believe this story to be true, I want to approach it as a springboard for us to focus on those
times in our lives when it becomes clear that something special is happening to us; that God is doing
something exceptional in us and for us; that God is breaking into our ordinary lives and bringing that
which is extraordinary.
So, let me suggest three water into wine moments in your life and in my life.
When We Realize The Magnitude Of God’s Grace
Do you know what the most popular Christian hymn of all time is? I checked a variety of online
listings and in every single case the top hymn was “Amazing Grace.” In the five to six listings I reviewed
there were only two made which the top five in each listing…Amazing Grace and Holy, Holy, Holy. So,
throughout later Christian history the most affirmed hymn is about God’s grace.
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
T'was Grace that taught my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear
The hour I first believed.
You do know the story behind this hymn, don’t you? It was written by John Newton in 1779. Prior to
his conversion, his saving encounter with God, Newton was a raucous character.
While serving as a sailor, for example, he had a terrible reputation when it came to his language.
One biographer says this…
While aboard the ship Greyhound, Newton gained notoriety for being one of the most profane men the
captain had ever met. In a culture where sailors commonly used oaths and swore, Newton was
admonished several times for not only using the worst words the captain had ever heard, but creating new
ones to exceed the limits of verbal debauchery.
What’s more telling is that Newton was for many years a part of the slave-trade. He willingly and
gladly participated in that grand evil known as slavery. In fact, for a while he was the Captain of a slave
trade ship.
Thus, you can see why Newton was so deeply moved by God’s grace; he was a reprobate whom God
still loved and to whom God offered grace and the possibility of forgiveness.
By the power of God’s
grace Newton after his conversion would go on to become a priest in the Church of England and a strong
abolitionist against slavery in England.
Near the end of his life he wrote these telling words: "I am not what I ought to be—I am not what I
wish to be—I am not what I hope to be…Though I am not what I ought to be, what I wish to be, and what
I hope to be—yet I can truly say, I am not what I once was—"By the grace of God—I am what I am!"
I read recently that some contemporary Christians dislike the word “wretch” in Newton’s
hymn…”saved a wretch like me.” Well, you may feel that’s a spiritual overstatement in your life, but this
is true…none of us are deserving of God’s grace.
We are all the unworthy recipients of God’s truly
amazing grace and love. Ben Witherington, a noted New Testament scholar at Asbury Theological
Seminary, puts it this way: “God doesn’t owe any of us salvation. It is a pure gift; in spite of ourselves.”
So it’s a true water into wine moment when you and I fathom the depth of God’s love for us and
grace made available to us.
When We Recognize God’s Strength For Us In Times Of Extreme Challenge
On December 1, 1997, several of us pastors in Paducah, Kentucky received a call that we needed to
head as quickly as we could to Heath High School, just outside of Paducah. It was one of three large high
schools in that wider community. We got there to learn that a 14 year old freshman boy who had been
bullied had walked into that school with a .22 caliber semi-automatic pistol and opened fire. Three
students were killed and five were injured. It was, as you would know, a horrible time for that
community.
Among the critically injured was a 15 year old sophomore named Missy Jenkins. Missy was left
paralyzed from the chest down. She has written an amazing book titled, I Choose To Be Happy: A
School Survivor’s Triumph Over Tragedy.
Let me share with you her witness; please be patient given the length of this quote, but these words
are important:
My name is Missy Jenkins Smith. I am paralyzed from the chest down. I was shot in the 1997 Heath High
School Shooting. My memory of that day is sharp; it’s sharp because I am reminded of it every single day
— when I can’t stand face to face with my husband to give him a kiss or when I can’t when I can’t get
dressed or go to the bathroom or get in my car the way “normal” people do or when I can’t go running to
my two young boys when they call for their mama.
Despite what the shooter did to me, the morning of the shooting I told my mom that I forgave him. He took
away my ability to walk, but I wasn’t going to let anger or his rage dictate the rest of my life. I went
through a long rehabilitation process. With the help of my family and my faith in God, I found my will and
drive to move forward with my life.
I returned to Heath High School and graduated. I earned a degree in social work from Murray State
University. I became a day treatment counselor in a public school district to help students manage the
stresses of adolescence— if I could help one kid like the one who was so lost that he thought violence was
the only way out, I would be doing my part. I married Josh Smith, my college sweetheart, and we have
two beautiful boys (yes – a paralyzed person can have children). I started sharing my story a few years
after the shooting in schools, churches and businesses across the country, something I am still passionate
about doing today.
I have faced an uphill battle each day since the shooting. People think I have lost my mind when I say I
would not change what happened to me physically that fateful day more than 16 years ago. Do I wish I
could walk? Of course, but whether or not I take another step on this earth does not change the fact that I
will walk again when I get to Heaven. Until then, I will do everything I can with from my wheel chair
with God’s help to make this world a safer place.
The reason I tell you this story is because I married Missy and her husband Josh at First United
Methodist Church in Murray in 2005. It began when she and her fiancée, Josh Smith, began to attend
First Methodist in Murray, Kentucky where I was the pastor. After attending for a while, they came to me
about being married there and I began the journey of premarital counseling and the blessing of getting to
know Missy and Josh. Now keep in mind that Missy is paralyzed from the chest down. She lives her life
in a wheelchair. It astounded me during our pre-marriage sessions when she told me that she wanted to
stand to take her wedding vows. This meant wearing a back an waist brace under her wedding gown,
standing up with the help of others, having braces strapped on, and someone standing by to make sure she
didn't fall. She was absolutely convicted she wanted to do this.
I will never forget that day, that moment in 2005 when I performed the wedding for Missy and Josh. When it came time for her to speak her vows, she slowly and tediously, with the help of her father, rose
from her wheelchair, had the braces strapped on, and proceeded to say her vows with love, affection, and
devotion. There were many, many tears shed at that moment; as you might imagine. I witnessed then,
without question, a true water into wine moment. In fact, Missy’s whole witness is one of God turning
water into wine.
Now the extreme challenge you’ve faced or are facing in life may not compare with Missy’s story, but
we each have known those remarkable moments when God’s Spirit has given us strength beyond our
strength, power beyond our power, hope beyond our hope. Those truly are water into wine moments for
which we need to give profound thanks.
When We Get Courage For Faithful Moral Witness
The recent events on an SAE fraternity bus at the University of Oklahoma and its racist chants
reminds you and me that we still live in a society where sad, sick and unhealthy racial perspectives exist.
I was proud of David Boren, President of OU when he said:
To those who have misused their free speech in such a reprehensible way, I have a message for you. Your
comments are disgraceful. You have violated all that we stand for. You should not have the privilege of
calling yourselves ‘Sooners.’ Real Sooners believe in equal opportunity. Real Sooners treat all people
with respect. Real Sooners love each other and take care of each other like family members. Effective
immediately, all ties and affiliations between the university and the local SAE chapter are hereby severed.
I direct that the house be closed and that members will remove their personal belongings from the house
by midnight tomorrow. Those needing to make special arrangements for positions shall contact the Dean
of Students. All of us will redouble our efforts to create the strongest sense of family and community. We
vow that we will be an example to the entire country of how to deal with this issue. There must be a zero
tolerance for racism everywhere in our nation.
Thankfully the national SAE organization is also moving to disband that fraternity on the OU campus.
However, what about us followers of Jesus? What about our witness amidst such deplorable
behavior? Are we standing equally strong to challenge these attitudes and these actions?
I remember some time ago at another church a member of my congregation came to tell me about
something which had happened at his workplace. He came to talk to me about it and wondered what he
should do. I asked him, “What do you think Jesus would have you do?” He said, “He’d want me to do
something about it.” I said, “Well, pray about what you think Jesus wants you to; ask God to give you the
right words; and then pray for humility so you won’t come across as arrogant.” Some time later he came
to tell me that indeed he had spoken up. He said that when they started their racist language and racist
jokes, he said as kindly but emphatically as he could, "You know, I just don't want to be a part of that kind
of language and those kinds of thoughts. I think every person is a child of God." The response
immediately was, "Well, aren't you a goody two shoes." That moment of spiritual and moral courage was
a true moment of water into wine.
Now, let me share with you five insights for being morally courageous:
1. Pray daily for wisdom to know when to speak and what to speak
2. Pray daily for strength to be a Christlike witness
3. Pray for humility; so that you won’t come across as judgmental and overbearing
4. Be attuned to what the unhealthy words and issues are in your workplace, in your neighborhood, in
the civic gatherings in which you participate.
5. Actively do what you can where you can to change things.
Those times when God gives us the courage we need to stand up in our culture and speak a word for
Jesus are truly water into wine moments.
Closing
So Jesus attended a wedding in Cana of Galilee; perhaps the wedding of one of his brothers. At any rate,
the wine ran out and Jesus turned water into wine. So what are the water into wine moments in our lives?
1. When We Recognize The Magnitude Of God’s Grace
2. When We Realize The Strength God Gives Us For Life’s Greatest Challenges
3. When We Get Courage For Faithful Moral Witness.