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New Exhilaration
John 2:1-11
Rev. Bernard Keels stated:
“When I tell the kids I grew up on welfare, when I tell them I had a single-parent family, they say, “It’s not possible.” They ask, “What made the difference?” I say, “Well, you know, I had a church. I had a community that believed in me. I heard sermons preached. I heard I could be transformed. And I realized I could do that, too. One day I looked back and – by God’s grace – I‘ve done it. I’ve become an elder in the United Methodist Church. I was the first person to go to college in my family.”
“For me, the issue is never to forget where I’ve come from, never to forget the transformation that happened in my life and to look a person in need in the eyes and realize he or she has the same possibilities for tomorrow as I do.”
Today, our church joins other United Methodist Churches around the world in acknowledging that today is Human Relations Day. This observance provides an opportunity to become actively involved in ministries of empowerment like the Methodist Action Program. In particular the ministry, “Sisters,” designed to provide guidance and a caring community for at risk young women ages 12 to 17.
Today’s offering on Human Relations Day, the Sunday before the National Observance of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday. The combined offerings will be used to assist United Methodist outreach to communities in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
You see, miracles do happen.
In Cana of Galilee, whereas it took 3 days to walk from where John the Baptist was baptizing to the home of Cana where Mary, Jesus’ mother, had already arrived. Hospitality in the east was a sacred duty. In fact, a wedding feast lasted for a week. It was during the span of the weekly festivities that the wine ran out, and this would be very humiliating to the bride and groom. This was perhaps a “low-budget” wedding feast. Mary, Jesus’ mother, came to him requesting a miracle – a public miracle.
Jesus was the oldest son of Mary and Joseph. Jesus’ father, Joseph, now deceased. He would perform one of those secret miracles (wonders) he had performed at home. Jesus’ hour had not come for him to declare Himself the Messiah. Jesus not wishing to disappoint Mary granted her request.
Quickly might we think of the deep and permanent truth, which John is seeking to teach when telling this story. Remember that within this simple story of a wedding is a deeper story. Why, John never wrote an unnecessary or and insignificant detail.
There were 6 stone water pots, that Jesus commanded the water in them to be turned into wine. According to the Jews, seven is the number which is complete and perfect, and 6 is the number which is unfinished and imperfect. Thus, the water pots stand for the imperfections of the Jewish law. Jesus came to do away with this law, and to put in their place the new wine of the gospel of grace. Jesus turned the imperfection of the law into the perfection of grace.
One more thing: there were six water pots, each held between twenty and thirty gallons of water; Jesus turned the water into wine, all one hundred and eighty gallons of wine. No wedding party on earth can drink 180 gallons of wine. New exhilaration! No need on earth can exhaust the grace of Christ; there is a glorious super abundance in it. John is not simply telling us what Jesus did once, but of things that He still does today. John wants us to see here today not only that Jesus turned water to wine; he wants us to see whenever Jesus comes into a human’s life, there comes new quality which is like turning water into wine.
Without Jesus, life is dull and flat, and stale; when Jesus comes into it, life becomes vivid and sparkling, and exciting. Without Jesus, life is drab and uninteresting; with him it is thrilling and exhilarating.
If you want the new exhilaration, become a follower of Jesus Christ, and there will be a change in your life like new wine.
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