The Second Sunday after Epiphany

January 17, 2010

“Did You Get for Christmas What You Had Hoped For?”

John 2:1-11

Preached at Providence Lutheran Church in Holland, Ohio

By Pastor Dennis R. King

The Grace and Mercy of the Lord, Jesus Christ, be with you all.

Through the Gospel of John we glimpse through the back door of a wedding feast, hardly noticed by the guests and unseen by the bride and groom. Our attention is focused more in the kitchen than on the feast-table, much like a child sneaking into the kitchen to eye the food. Mary’s eyes were on the food too! That is why she was the first to notice that the wine was running low. Mary was a guest, but she saw the shortage even before the servants who where responsible. So she said to Jesus, “They have no wine left.”

There is really no indication of the spirit or purpose of this request. It could have been one of those tactful hints that it is time to leave. Or it could have been an eager mother’s effort to show off her son’s powers. Either way what followed is that Jesus, the Son of God, the one proclaimed as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, is now seen in another role. Jesus is seen as a servant of servants.

John Stott writes a poem entitled, “I have a Dream.” One of the verses goes like this: “I have a dream of a church which is a serving church which has seen Christ as the servant and has heard His call to be a servant too which is delivered from self-interest, turned inside out, and giving itself selflessly to the service of others whose members obey Christ’s command to live in the world, to permeate secular society, to be the salt of the earth and light of the world whose people share the good news of Jesus simply, naturally, and enthusiastically with their friends which diligently serves its own parish, residents and workers, families and single people, nationals and immigrants, old folks and little children which is alert to the changing needs of society, sensitive and flexible enough to keep adopting its program to serve more usefully which has a global vision and is constantly challenging its young people to give of their lives in service and constantly sending its people out to serve….”

May each one of us recognize Jesus as servant of servants! He is the guest who lowered himself to help servants in the kitchen. No one would have expected a King to manifest His Glory in this fashion and yet from Jesus point of view it was to result in a miracle no earthly King could perform.

Oh how God’s perspective is different from ours. What we see as right is sometimes foolish, and what we decide is foolish is often good from God’s perspective.

When Joseph was thrown into a pit by his brothers, he could see no good in it. When they sold him to a passing caravan, he could see only evil. When he was falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife and thrown into prison, matters were just getting worse from his perspective. But Joseph never was completely discouraged, and when his moment came he seized it and became the second most powerful man in Egypt. When his brothers came during the famine to get food, Joseph told them who he was, and they were afraid that he would punish them. They fell before Joseph, begged for forgiveness, and said, “We will be your slaves.” And it was then that Joseph forgave and fell on their necks weeping. He said, “You meant to do me harm, but God meant to bring good out of it.”

One Friday some people like us nailed the Son of God on a cross, and left Him to die. From their perspective the cross was the final defeat of Jesus. It must have seemed so different from Jesus perspective. We hear Him agonizing in the garden. “Father, if possible, will you take this cup from me?” To everyone else the way of the cross led only to disaster, but Jesus alone had the faith to say, “Not My will but Thine be done.” But the empty tomb that third day proved that what seems like utter defeat from our perspective was preparation for a miracle from God’s perspective.

God can take your greatest defeat and transform it into a victory.

Back in the kitchen we are about to witness a miracle by Jesus the servant of servants. The scene centers in a man called, “the steward of the feast.” He is the wedding director. He is the one who was responsible for making sure everything progressed smoothly through out the ceremony and the reception.

Jesus told the servants to “fill six jars with water,” and they filled them to the brim. How strange that the servants asked no questions and made no complaints! They were obedient to the servant of servants! Remember the jars which they filled without complaint were used to wash hands and feet, a Jewish ceremony to remove pagan defilement and the hot Galilean dust.

Then Jesus told the servants to take some of that dirty old jar water to the steward. Obediently they did so, probably thinking this might be the end of the road for them.

But instead the steward is delighted and he calls to the bridegroom, “Everyone serves the best wine first, and waits until the guests have drunk freely before serving the poorer sort, but you kept the best wine till now.” Somehow in the act of faith a miracle took place, and that dirty old jar of water was transformed into the best of wine.

The Apostle John was an obedient servant of Jesus, the servant of servants. He never tried to hide that fact and he was quick to urge his followers to be obedient servants too. To do as Jesus said was to be transformed, to experience life, to know forgiveness, and to fellowship with God.

A small boy was sailing a toy boat on a pond. The boat drifted beyond reach, and the lad became frightened. His cries of distress were heard on the shore by an older boy who began throwing rocks toward the little craft. This only frightened the child more until he realized that none of the rocks were hitting the boat. They were only coming close. The rippling effect of the rocks skimming the water near the boat gently nudged it back toward shore. The boy on the shore was a servant of the boy whose boat was endangered. He heard the cries for help and rushed to the rescue. Jesus certainly did that at Cana. But not only there—that is what He does for us, only a million times more. He is our servant.

God saw our human frailty and He made provision for it in Jesus, our servant of servants. He is says John, “the expiation for our sins.” Certainly we should be obedient to Him and do what He tells us!

One life for another… isn’t that what Christ Jesus has done for us. In perfect, holy obedience to the Father, Jesus takes our place before the judgment seat of God. He makes confession and forgiveness possible. There is however a warning, “He who says ‘I know Him’ but disobeys His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. We should do as He tells us.” To claim to know God while refusing to be obedient is to move into the realm of unreality and nothingness and to become a liar. Obedient faith, on the other hand, is like a nurturing incubator where love for God can grow. If you would obey God, then hear Jesus. Follow His teaching, keep His word and walk in His footsteps. The Living Bible puts it this way; “Anyone who says he is a Christian should live as Christ did.” We are to be obedient to God as Christ was obedient to God. If you think that an intellectual acceptance of Jesus Christ will get you off the hook of service then you have never really known Him at all. How you live today will make a difference tomorrow.

In ancient times the abbot of a monastery surrounded by water had put a bell on a dangerous rock to warn all incoming vessels. A pirate sacked the town and threw the bell into the sea. Years afterward on a wild and stormy night the same pirate tired to steer his way into the harbor. He listened in vain for the bell on the rock which would have given him his bearings. It wasn’t there. He and his ship went down to an ocean grave. How you live – who you hear and obey today – will make a difference tomorrow.

To do as Christ Jesus, the servant of servants says today, “to walk in the same way in which He walked” is our highest calling. The more faithfully we follow, the more His Spirit can “disinfect” us from our sins so that we may grow in greater knowledge and love of God. I use the word grow here because to grow is a process that requires attention and devotion and commitment by those involved.

Many oaks from acorns do spring but not overnight. They grow. With nourishment, rain, and time they inch upward and outward. They grow. Sometimes it is growth that is temporarily stymied as roots seeking water meet with underground barriers. But if the tree is to live it must surmount these obstacles. If our faith is to grow, it must surmount the temptations that cause us to fail to be obedient to the Servant of servants. “Listen to Jesus!” Amen.