Reflections...

Meditations, Reflections, Bible Studies, and Sermons from Kowloon Union Church  

Saving the Best – for First or Last? (John 2:12)


A sermon preached at Kowloon Union Church on Sunday 20 January 2013 by the Rev. Ewing W. [Bud] Carroll, Jr. The scriptures reading that day were John 6:56-69; I Kings 8 and Ephesians 6:10-20.


Something always seems to go wrong at a wedding.  Let me give you two examples:  One very personal.  I was privileged to perform the wedding ceremonies for both of my sons.  Older son John [who lives in Hong Kong] and Katie were married in a very small university chapel - filled with classmates, family and friends.  There was tenseness in the air; incredible expectation; a hush across the entire chapel.  As John and Katie stood before me, I looked at them, then to my service sheet – and - I couldn’t see a single word!  No, it wasn’t nervousness on my part.  I had forgotten my glasses!  I had left them in a suit coat.  People know stories where the bridegroom ran away from the wedding service, but never the pastor!  I whispered to John and Katie, “I’ll be right back.”  Within a few seconds I was back to the chancel area.  I could see the audience needed an explanation so I said, “Thanks for your patience with an over-excited father of the groom.  I forgot my glasses.  Now, let’s get on with the service.”

 Second example:  while counseling a young couple soon to marry, the pastor found the prospective bride very nervous.  Not knowing the couple very well, the pastor suggested that during the ceremony the Best Man read one of the NT lessons. The selected passage was I John 4:18. The Best Man knew the couple very well, but he knew nothing about the Bible.  On the appointed day, as the nervous bride and groom stood before the pastor and a packed church, the Best Man read – not from I John 4:18, [There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear.]; rather from the Gospel according to John 4:18 “You have five husbands and the one you have now is not your husband…”

Jesus, his mother Mary and his disciples were invited to a wedding feast in Cana, not far from Nazareth.  Such feasts were a taste of joy and excitement in people’s otherwise dreary and difficult lives.  They usually lasted nearly a week.  And economically poor as your family might be, you were expected to provide the best food and wine all that time.  But, like my two examples above, something went wrong!  Suddenly, all the wine was gone.  The bride and groom’s families must have been deeply embarrassed.  What in the world could they do to fix this problem?  Jesus provided the answer.

John tells us Jesus turned water in six huge 30 gallon stone jars into the finest wine imaginable. The waiters were grateful to Jesus and noted, “Usually people serve the best wine first, but you’ve kept the good wine until last.”  But when we look more closely, the miracle in this passage is not about Jesus changing water into wine, Ribena, grape juice or soya milk.  The miracle was/is, that through God’s generous and gracious love in Jesus Christ, the “Old Me” and the “Old You” can be changed into something incredibly useful and valuable for God and for society.  And so the question for us today:  “What happens when we allow Jesus to turn us from water to wine?”  Put another way, “What happens when we say, “Yes” to Jesus?”  Let me share two possibilities.

Firstly:  Christ wants to transform – or change our everyday actions in thought, word and deed. The six stone jars had probably been used the same way day in and day out; year in and year out.  But Jesus changed all that.  He not only saved a wedding feast from becoming a social disaster.  To this very day, this very moment, he also brings new hope, new possibilities and new life for all who are prepared to “Just Say Yes” -  and then to follow him.”

In the late 1800’s one of Russia’s last czarist rulers was walking through a palace garden. No matter the time of day or night, he noticed there was always a guard standing watch in one certain place. When he asked the guards, “Why are you standing there?” they replied, “Orders from above, sir.”  The same question was asked to many different army officers.  Finally, one was able to tell the czar, “When Catherine the Great ruled Russia over a hundred years ago, she had a rose bush planted on this spot.  Her instructions wereBe sure to guard my rose bush.’  We’ve been guarding this spot ever since.”  The rose bush was lone gone but nothing had changed.

Some of us are still guarding the same spots in our lives.  Little has changed in our thoughts and attitudes.  We still harbor old fears, old guilts, old angers, old pride and frustrations; old prejudices.  [Look at the recent anti-gay demonstrations held by a large number of HK Christians.    In my view of the Holy Bible, total distortions of God’s Words.  God, my friends, doesn’t make mistakes.] We find it difficult to “Let God and Let God.”  But Christ can change all that.  These words from an old Gospel hymn say it well:  “What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought, since Jesus came into my heart.”  On in the words of a much newer song, “Change my heart, O God…”

In Revelations 21:5 John also refers to the new life made possible by Christ:  “Behold, I am making all things new.”  Note the word “making.”  Not made. Christ is not finished yet!!  In the words of John Wesley, Christ is moving us on towards perfection.  He continues to be at work in our lives; at weddings; baptisms; funeral services, in classrooms and work places; in our homes, and hopefully right here in this church!  Christ comes not to inform us, but to change us.  [Repeat]  He doesn’t come to bring us new ideas; but to make us new people.  He doesn’t come to change our looks, but to change our hearts.

Secondly:  Saying “Yes” to Christ enables us to experience God’s extravagant love.  Sometimes we feel like we’re running on empty.  You who drive automobiles know what I’m talking about – that little needle that tells you the car is almost out of gas/petrol.  I don’t know about you, but sometimes when I have occasion to drive a car, I’m tempted to just keep driving and see how far the car goes before it runs out of fuel.  Do we not also do this in our own daily lives?  But the extravagant love of God in Christ Jesus, keeps us from “Running on empty.”  Call it abundance.  Call it fine wine or whatever – But know it for what it really is: God’s miraculous love at work in our daily lives.

In recent days, many people across the world are commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s birthday. They were recalling his remarkable life:  how, in a highly oppressive and violent world, he lived a life of non-violence. We give thanks for the sacrificial ways he preached, promoted and pursued God’s sense of racial equality; again, in non-violent ways.  Perhaps more than any other person in recent history, Dr. King’s dreams and actions continue to help change water stored in old stone jars of power and prejudice, control and cruelty, stubbornness and selfishness, into new wines of equality, justice and opportunity.  Because MLK, Jr. said “Yes” to God in the face of seemingly never-ending difficulties, you and I – and countless persons across the face of the earth, are now more able to experience God’s extravagant love.

A little girl’s visiting Auntie asked her, “What did you learn in Sunday School today?”  She said, she’d learned about Jesus’ miraculous changing of water into wine.  Her auntie then asked, ‘”So, what do you think is the meaning of this story? “ Without blinking an eye she replied, “If you’re going to have a wedding, make sure Jesus is there?” [Repeat].

You know, she was right.  Whether it’s a wedding, or the struggles, joys and difficulties of daily life, in whatever you are doing, make sure Jesus is there!  Amen.

# posted by Kowloon Union Church : Wednesday, January 23, 2013



<< Home

Archives

May 2004|July 2004|September 2004|November 2004|December 2004|April 2005|July 2005|August 2005|September 2005|October 2006|November 2006|December 2006|January 2007|February 2007|March 2007|April 2007|May 2007|July 2007|August 2007|September 2007|October 2007|November 2007|December 2007|January 2008|February 2008|March 2008|April 2008|May 2008|June 2008|July 2008|August 2008|September 2008|October 2008|November 2008|December 2008|January 2009|February 2009|March 2009|April 2009|May 2009|June 2009|July 2009|August 2009|September 2009|October 2009|November 2009|December 2009|January 2010|February 2010|March 2010|April 2010|May 2010|June 2010|July 2010|September 2010|October 2010|November 2010|December 2010|January 2011|February 2011|April 2011|May 2011|June 2011|July 2011|October 2011|November 2011|December 2011|January 2012|February 2012|March 2012|August 2012|September 2012|November 2012|December 2012|January 2013|February 2013|March 2013|April 2013|May 2013|June 2013|September 2013|October 2013|November 2013|December 2013|February 2014|March 2014|April 2014|May 2014|June 2014|July 2014|August 2014|September 2014|October 2014|November 2014|December 2014|January 2015|February 2015|March 2015|April 2015|July 2015|August 2015|October 2015|November 2015|December 2015|January 2016|February 2016|March 2016|April 2016|May 2016|June 2016|July 2016|August 2016|September 2016|October 2016|November 2016|December 2016|January 2017|February 2017|March 2017|April 2017|May 2017|June 2017|July 2017|August 2017|September 2017|October 2017|November 2017|December 2017|January 2018|February 2018|March 2018|April 2018|June 2018|July 2018|August 2018|September 2018|October 2018|November 2018|December 2018|January 2019|February 2019|March 2019|May 2019|June 2019|July 2019|August 2019|September 2019|October 2019|November 2019|December 2019|January 2020|February 2020|March 2020|April 2020|May 2020|June 2020|July 2020|August 2020|September 2020|October 2020|November 2020|December 2020|January 2021|February 2021|March 2021|April 2021|May 2021|June 2021|July 2021|August 2021|September 2021|October 2021|November 2021|December 2021|January 2022|February 2022|March 2022|April 2022|May 2022|June 2022|July 2022|August 2022|September 2022|October 2022|November 2022|December 2022|January 2023|February 2023|March 2023|April 2023|May 2023|June 2023|July 2023|August 2023|September 2023|October 2023|November 2023|December 2023|January 2024|February 2024|March 2024|
Archived sermons by the Barksdales

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?