The Second Sunday after Epiphany – Pr. Anderson sermon
St. John 2:1-11 “The Perfect Wedding Gift”
January 19, 2025 | 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:
And [Jesus] said to [the servants], “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.”
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 lived even the life of marriage for you, giving you its perfect gift, His life for yours so you may enjoy the marriage celebrations forever, dear fellow redeemed:
In the spirit of the New Year, we witness that life is full of celebration. Every culture has a time to celebrate the positives that have happened in life. We don’t realize all of them until we begin to count them off. We enjoy the current holidays we are in of Christmas and the New year. We celebrate the birth of our country. We even celebrate the day of our birth. During the spring and summer months we will get invites to confirmation and graduation parties. And we can’t forget how when the month of June rolls around, we begin the great wedding season. In the celebration of our Savior and His coming to earth, this is our next stop as we explore His great glory. Jesus is the guest at a wedding in Cana and it is at this wedding feast, He reveals to us the perfect wedding gift.
Now this perfect wedding gift is not something we can give. This is the gift that Jesus gives to us. After Jesus had begun His ministry with His baptism and a fight in the wilderness against the devil, He began to call some of His disciples. On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now this wedding was not a wedding of great size or importance. Mary most likely was related to the family or a close friend, so she was there to lend a helping hand. We know for ourselves that weddings, while fun, are stressful and help is always needed to make sure they run smoothly. Since Mary was there, Jesus also was invited to the wedding with His disciples. The people there most likely would have known Jesus since His mother was there. While there, they are about to learn how special He is.
This lesson is a lesson we all need to hear. God doesn’t disappear when times get tough, and He isn’t meant to show up only when we need to be bailed out. He is there during the good times. The question is, would you consider our text for today a happy and good text or a bad one? Here we see the Son of God attending a wedding celebration. As He is celebrating with this couple, for the family, this might have turned into a not-so-great celebration when a key ingredient for a good time has run out. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” For the most part, this isn’t a big deal on a life and death level, but for the family, this is potentially the scene of great embarrassment. A wedding celebration usually lasts for a week. To run out when there is still a lot of celebration to go, well, it’s something you would want to avoid. So, yes, it is a joyous time, but there is still a problem.
Now with this problem and knowing how important it is, Mary goes to the one person she believes can help at such a short notice. With the close tie to the family, we see, and we know this is done out of love. With the stress a wedding brings, no one wants to see the added pressure of trying to find more wine. While we don’t know what caused them to run out, the fact of the matter is, Mary is on the right track when it comes to how this problem can be solved. So, she asks Jesus to help. The answer Jesus gives us a surprising one. And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.” Why would Jesus say that? Does He even care about this couple? Well, we know the answer, He does care. The problem we have with stomaching this answer is because the answer He gives to His mother also is given to us at one point or another. Jesus is reminding His mother about God’s timetable, His plan, and His answers to our problems.
So many times, we think how gross it is when we have gotten ourselves in a jam, that God should just bail us out. He loves us, right? He does love us, we never want to forget that, but when the tough times come, even when it is something small on a good day like running out of wine at a wedding, “God is love” can start to slip away. We can’t order Him around. He answers according to His will how best to help our needs. The devil tries to sway us to think that even in the small moments, God does not care about our needs. God knows exactly what we need for every situation we are in. And while He knows the situation, we will disagree and think we know better. As we look at ourselves and see our imperfect lives or even in the context of our text, our imperfect marriages if we are married, that gift looks so far away. While we question God’s will, His Son never did. He knew when the right time was. His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.”
While it looked like the newlyweds would see their special event spoiled, this day of joy would keep its joy as Jesus fixes the situation. Jesus tells the servants to fill up water jars with water. This seems like a task that does not help the situation. How will water make anything better? And He said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. The brave servants did as Mary told them and listened to what Jesus said all the way. They didn’t hesitate even though I’m sure they were thinking about it. They scooped up that water and went to the one in charge of the feast. This is the moment of truth. The biggest test for this couple was now in the hands of the master from a jar of water. When it looked like the impossible was about to happen, the master tasted the water turned into wine.
When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. The words from the master hang in the balance. The master, however, tastes the perfect wedding gift. Now people might think that what he is tasting is the gift. This is not what Jesus has done. The gift that Jesus has given this couple is the gift that He is the One who knows what they need, and He supplies them with it. This is a happy day. This couple is celebrating their new lives together. While it could have been wrecked, Jesus isn’t going to stand there and watch their day be ruined. For this feast, wine was needed. Jesus blesses this couple as they start their married lives together with perfect wine for all to drink in celebration.
The master exclaimed, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” While it looked like the celebrations were over, Jesus on His timetable keeps the celebration going with a great blessing. We have no idea who this couple is. We don’t even know what kind of people they were. We do know their marriage wasn’t ever going to be a perfect one. They don’t deserve this gift. Jesus reveals His mercy. It is a heavenly mercy that we don’t deserve, yet we see it every day in our lives. For this wedding, Jesus turns the water into perfect wine, revealing He is the Son of God. In our lives He provides for us and in our blessings, we see His work and His power. He has this power because, All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made (John 1:3).
With the Son of God is actively working in your lives, like the people at the wedding you can Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do (Ecclesiastes 9:7). He approves because on your own you see how bad things can get. Jesus is there in your small victories, and He is there in your trials because He is the only One who can get you through both. Like this first miracle He reveals His perfect wedding gift to you. His timetable and gift reassure you in your imperfect marriage as Scripture points you to what the perfect marriage is. As writes for wives to submit to their husbands, Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish (Ephesians 5:25-27). The perfect marriage is Jesus sacrificing His life for you on the cross. The perfect wedding gift that never questioned God but followed His will for your salvation.
As the perfect marriage gift brings you salvation, the world will try to convince you it isn’t enough. What about the times when your timetable is falling apart? What about the problems that take place in marriage? Is it really going to be alright? Jesus didn’t go into retirement after making the best wine. This, the first of His signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested His glory. And His disciples believed in Him. When you read Scripture, the more you see how Jesus reveals His glory. You see how He is the Son of God and He does have your best interests in mind. He isn’t going to abandon you. While you have made mistakes Jesus gives you the perfect marriage gift. It is the gift of His life as the bridegroom. He laid down His life for you, and because of His work, you won’t just experience a portion of the marriage feast. You won’t just taste one glass of perfect wine. The conditions of this marriage are perfect, and the celebration won’t be for a week, but it will be 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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