The Second Sunday after Epiphany – Pr. Anderson sermon
St. John 2:1-11 “His Hour Has Come”
January 18, 2026 | Christ Lutheran Church
In Nomine Iesu
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Lord God, heavenly Father, we thank You, that by Your grace You have instituted holy matrimony, in which You keep us from unchastity, and other offenses: We beseech You to send Your blessing upon every husband and wife, that they may not provoke each other to anger and strife, but live peaceably together in love and godliness, receive Your gracious help in all temptations, and raise their children in accordance with Your will. Grant that we all might walk before You in purity and holiness, put our trust in You, and lead such lives on earth, that in the world to come we may have everlasting life, through Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary, by Veit Dietrich, p. 150)
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. (Rom. 1:7, etc.)
The sermon text for today is taken from the 2nd chapter of the Gospel according to St. John. We read selected verses in Jesus’ name:
On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with His disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.”
And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.”
His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.”
Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim.
This, the first of His signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested His glory. And His disciples believed in Him.
These are Your words, heavenly Father. Sanctify us by Your truth, Your Word is truth. Amen. (Joh. 17:17)
In Christ Jesus, who reveals the love He has for His people, demonstrating the perfect relationship of husband and wife, and living out its fullness for your salvation, dear fellow redeemed:
With the football season coming to an end, it is crucial for teams to be able to manage the clock in the game to attain the victory they are desiring. Time management is an essential tool because without it, you might not be in a position for that crucial two-minute drive to win the game. As we know, time management is needed in everything we do. There are certain jobs that need to be done in a timely manner. There are certain events, like parties and weddings that have a timely manner to them because they can takes months and years to plan them out. When we get their invitation, then we have locations we need to be in a timely manner. Speaking of weddings, this is the week we celebrate as marriage and family week. While Jesus blesses the marriage in our text with a truly special gift, He also points out His timing. He is all about His timing and everything happens exactly when it is supposed to happen. This is most certainly true, even when the time on our clock does not line up with His clock. And while we try to manage our time with the gift of marriage and family, we see our clocks do hold time because Jesus’ hour has indeed come. The hour where He demonstrates this perfectly for our salvation.
And this hour had its own timing. On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with His disciples. As we get to this most important hour, we see how close it is. Jesus’ ministry has begun as He has already called a few of His disciples. This is for the joy of those who have been waiting for the Messiah to come. Andrew would go and find his brother Simon and would say to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ) (John 1:41). Giving this title to Jesus is already believing with faith and hope that this Man is going to be special. He must be anointed by the Lord and He was with John baptizing Him. He was announced the lamb of God, the Father’s beloved Son. With the very announcement from God the Father, Jesus’ public ministry begins and He is going to work towards His great hour.
It starts with a prequel. Immediately after Jesus’ baptism, He was for forty days, being tempted by the devil (Luke 4:2a). As He beats back the tempter, this did not mean that the hour had come. And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time (Luke 4:13). As we have already covered how the devil has been attempting to stop Jesus, no one can stop the Father’s plans and dictate when and how His plan of salvation will go or stop it from coming to fruition at all. So, the devil is beaten back once more, and Jesus continues. Now as the reader, we see how special Jesus is. But there was someone who already knew how special He was. In our text, Mary reveals she has not forgotten what has been said by her Son. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart (Luke 2:51b). Now you might be wondering, “what does this all have to do with marriage and family?” This sets up the scene, that even with everything meant for good at a good event, there is always a thought to rush or stop Jesus’ timing.
We want to think that it is even a good thing to rush Jesus. We rarely have patience for anything. Even if we believe that we are so humble and our care for others is strong, we can move just fast enough and not realize what we are asking doesn’t always happen right away. Let’s just imagine waiting and watching the Lord grow to even get to this point. We see Jesus’ mother Mary as a model of faith. Jesus’ earthly life begins with her believing what the angel had told her. And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). She takes on her role to be His mother. Now it looks like the time has come. She knows Jesus is special and when this wedding has a gigantic problem, she believes Jesus can fix it. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.” Jesus is asking what these two issues have in common. She wants His job to be the one of saving the wedding, but Jesus knows His job truly is what He tells the Teacher of Israel, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up” (John 3:14).
To get to this hour, Jesus wants everyone to see that He is who His disciples confessed, that He is the Christ. He is anointed for this hour and for people to see Him, He will reveal that not only is He true Man, but He is also true God. He will care for His people with miracles, taking care of their physical needs. As these miracles are recorded, it is not about how special they are, but about the One who is doing them to save His people. They see that this Man truly is the Christ. Only unbelievers refuse to accept these signs. As they could literally watch someone be brought back from the dead and still not believe it, we also must realize how quickly our asks can turn into expected demands. Jesus fleshes this out when He says, The men of Nineveh will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here (Matthew 12:41-42). The hour was upon the people of His day and they didn’t realize it. We cannot bring about the hour, even with our greatest ambitions. We can only go to Jesus in prayer and watch as He comes and delivers to us the greatest miracle of all.
As the hour draws near to this miracle, Jesus reveals His power to purify and provide. He will do this with all people, and He starts out at a small wedding turning water into wine, for all things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made (John 1:3). We see this wedding gift in the marriage Isaiah expected. For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a burning torch. The nations shall see your righteousness, and all the kings your glory, and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will give. You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate, but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married; for the LORD delights in you, and your land shall be married. For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your sons marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bridge, so shall your God rejoice over you (Isaiah 62:1-5). He rejoices because He keeps His promises to His people by bringing about the hour of their salvation.
The hour of your salvation is found in the image of holy matrimony. Marriage is a divine institution and is well-pleasing to the Lord. It is in the agreement with His design. You witness Christ Himself as He honors it. He does not abandon His people when times were tough. As one of the marriage text points out, and though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken (Ecclesiastes 4:12). Jesus unites Himself to marriage, becoming the image of what a perfect marriage is. He gets married to you, His Church. He cares for her physical and spiritual needs. He continues to be visible and to reveal that He will never leave, the hour of the Father arrives for Him to give His holy and perfect life for His beloved bride. To come to the fullness of your marriage, He turns water into wine saving this couple’s celebration. This, the first of His signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested His glory. And His disciples believed in Him. And like the people at this celebration, your marriage celebration to Christ is in what you hear, see, taste, and witness. The Means of Grace given as your free marriage gift, pointing you to His gracious life laid down for you on the cross. In a world that wants to rush, a world that doesn’t have perfect marriages, here is where we rejoice in the perfect marriage with the Savior as the Bridegroom. Here is where the hour has come. The hour Christ has given for you. The hour where you see the blessings of your marriage forever. Amen.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen.
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