John 2:1-11 January 12, 2014 Everyday Miracles
Today’s sermon also included showing the awesomely fun video we made this summer about supporting River of Hope financially.
Today’s miracle is really kind of ridiculous. It’s the first miracle Jesus performs in the book of John. Not casting out demons – now that’s a miracle. Raising the dead? Holy miracle, batman! Giving the blind sight? Healing a hemorrhaging womb – incredible and life giving miracles.
But water to wine? This is how Jesus chose to reveal his glory?
Now first let me say this: if you are a person who struggles with alcohol consumption and are living in recovery or struggling to live in recovery or not living in recovery well at all: this story is for you too.
Because it’s not about the wine. It’s a miracle story that points to the power of God. But it does more than point: it makes the power of God present and accessible. It’s a miracle that is earthy and real and every day. It’s drinkable.
Yet, it’s not about the wine, it’s about a gift that anticipates what is to come. The writer of John is foreshadowing the strange gift that is death on a cross. Jesus points toward this time when he will give the world the best wine and he himself will drink the sour stuff. [1] It is a lavish gift.
It’s not about the wine. It’s about God’s staggering abundance. It’s proof that what we have to offer to God will be multiplied with lavish abundance. Simple water used for hand washing turned into gallons and gallons of the best wine. It’s not so ridiculous, really. It’s an every day kind of thing, this water. It’s an every day miracle. And it astonishes the wedding guests. And it astonishes us.
This is news for all of us: whoever we are is enough. We are enough. Because God doesn’t leave us alone. God takes what we have and, just as Jesus’ mother indicates in this story, does what God does. God doesn’t leave us the way he found us. God takes what we have to give and transforms it with mercy and grace through Jesus Christ, through ridiculous, every day miracles.
It’s an every day kind of miracle that we gather together for worship here as this church called River of Hope. In the fall, we were prepared to ask you to contribute to this miracle, this worshipping community. And then we moved and things got crazier than usual which is saying something for us. But we made this very straight forward video, starring Ruth Hamlow and narrated by Ron Johnson. Now, at the beginning of this new year, we ask you to consistently give your plain, old ordinary selves and financial gifts to River of Hope, to be multiplied by God.
SHOW VIDEO (click on that link – dare ya!)
There is a cost to gather together. My salary, Jim’s salary, Shyann’s hourly wage. And then, the rest is for reaching out, for the future of River of Hope. How will you help RoH reach out to people in Hutchinson who don’t know about everyday miracles? How will you help River of Hope reveal God’s glory in Hutchinson through every day kinds of miracles?
[1] I pretty much stole the last sentence of this paragraph from Professor Craig Koester from Luther Seminary. Working Preacher Podcast.