John 6:35-40

John 6:35-40 

English Standard Version 

  What do you believe the ultimate will of God is towards humans?

  It's a serious question that we all need to come to terms with, because the answer will tell us what we believe is the central truth about God.  Some people believe God is eager to judge.  If that were so, I think humans would've been wiped from the face of the earth long ago.  We've given God plenty of reasons to judge us, and most of those were long before reality TV came along.  Nowadays, a few minutes on social media would be enough to support any theory that God has ample reasons to cast us out.

  Do you believe God is eager to judge?  If so, it's probably going to be a very short admission line into heaven.  

  Do you believe God is a scientist, running various experiments to see what happens as a result of something else?  Some believe God is like a clockmaker who has set things in motion and abandoned creation to run while God goes off to try something else.  

  Jesus is telling us what the will of God is here.  Jesus says that God's will is to gather people to God.  The will of God is to raise people to eternal life.  That's the mission of Jesus, plain and simple. 

  That means that Jesus' goal is to raise you to eternal life, and then if we are to join Jesus in that mission, we're called to tell and show the people around us that God wants to raise them to eternal life.

  So if we believe Jesus and take seriously what the eternal Son of God says, which would be wise, then we should get busy living within the will of God.

  Easier said than done, sure, but the first thing is to convince ourselves that we understand the true will of God is to gather people to God.  If we can bask in how amazing that is, that we receive grace instead of the judgment that we deserve, then perhaps it makes it a little easier to go out with a spirit of awe and gratitude.

John 6:25-34

John 6:25-34 

English Standard Version 

  Imagine that you're lost.  You're trying to find a restaurant, but you're hopelessly lost.  In frustration, after missing what should have been your turn for the 5th time, you wander into a storefront and ask for directions.  You've got a map (remember those?) unfolded on the counter, and you're imploring the owner of the store to help you find where you're trying to go.

  Meanwhile, the store you've happened to walk into is a 5-star restaurant offering the finest dining you could ever imagine.  The owner, who has been cooking there since she was a child, is amazed that you haven't noticed the aroma of the fantastic food she's cooking.  She's trying to help you realize that you're standing in a place offering far richer food than the place you're going, and she's going to give it to you for free, but all you can focus on is her giving you directions to the place you're certain that you need to go.  You keep asking, and she keeps trying to shift your vision, but you're dead set on getting to where you think you need to be.

  That's sort of how Jesus works with us in this story.  The people have been fed by Jesus, and they want to continue being fed by Jesus, but all they can think of is literal bread.  They can't imagine anything more than that.  They simply want Jesus to tell them what to do to keep getting free bread. 

  Jesus, meanwhile, is trying to give them eternal life.

  They just want free bread.

  Jesus is constantly trying to help us experience more than we can ask or imagine.  He's trying to give us eternal things, richer treasures than we can think to ask for. 

  The challenge for us is to be still and recognize that all we can do is receive, and that we need to open our minds and hearts to let God stretch our imaginations and help us lean into the gifts from our Father in heaven.  There are greater riches than the mind can comprehend.  Just receive.

John 6:16-21

John 6:16-21 

English Standard Version 

  One of the soundtracks of our current life is the sound of a child screaming as though a hand has been caught in a power tool whenever the slightest injury occurs that might have the possibility of drawing blood.  It's important to calibrate expectations, because I've found that I don't want to be dismissive of such injuries, but I can't overreact either, because I don't want to enforce the behavior that leads to screaming at the volume of a jumbo jet because two drops of blood have released from a tiny cut.  It's a fine line.  

  There's always a gap between the injury and the band-aid, though.  Healing doesn't happen immediately, and sometimes we try and encourage the child to wait a second and see if it'll heal on its own.  

  I think the same is true of all the challenges we face, and it's true of our prayer life as well.  When the disciples are rowing on the lake, they make it 3 or 4 miles in rough waters before Jesus appears to them.   It must've been a slow ride, especially in the dark of night.  They were likely nervous, wondering where Jesus was.

  But Jesus was coming.  Jesus hadn't forgotten about them, and he would bring them safely to the destination.

  The same is true for you.  Just because prayers haven't been answered or there is still suffering, Jesus is still coming.  Jesus hasn't forgotten about you.  Jesus will bring you safely home.

Sermon for Aug 28, 2022

John 6:8-14

John 6:8-14

English Standard Version 

  Can you hear the ripple of excitement passing through the crowd, as the realization of what's happening slowly dawns, as the amazement of baskets that aren't depleted catches like a fever, growing in ardor until the entire crowd is shouting in wonder at what is happening in their midst?  What would it have been like, to hear the whispers and the questions and wait anxiously to see the basket, to take bread and know that there is still plenty for your neighbor?  You'd marvel at that for the rest of your life, telling the story to anyone who would sit still long enough to listen.  

  And because Jesus can't help always giving us a deeper glimpse into God's amazing love, there is a lesson for us -- there is more than enough, and it is gathered up, because Jesus is focused that nothing should be lost. 

  The Good Shepherd is always trying to show us how he has come to gather the lost.  You who feel like broken fragments, far from the source of the miracle, forgotten amidst the world's fervent rushing -- Jesus sends people out so that you may not be lost.  

  This is the one who has come to the world, that the world may be saved!

John 6:1-7

John 6:1-7 

English Standard Version 

  We're used to what we're used to.  When we're looking to come up with solutions, we often think of what's been done or used before.  It's hard to imagine something completely different that's never existed.

  The disciples were having a hard time thinking about a world based in abundance that was possible when Jesus was around.  They weren't living in the midst of scarcity, trying to scrape by and thinking about how to live with limited resources.  Jesus is abundance personified, and there was sufficient resources.  Jesus could feed the crowds because Jesus fed the Israelites for 40 years in the wilderness.  Jesus is accustomed to making a way where there is no way.

  What's hard for us to accept that just because we cannot see a way forward, there is still a way forward.  As Christians, we submit ourselves to Christ, and we trust that the God of abundance will point us forward, and we'll follow the path, wherever it may lead, even if it appears to be impossible, because we worship a God who makes the impossible possible!

John 5:39-47

John 5:39-47 

English Standard Version 

  There are people that say Jesus was a nice teacher and nothing more.  I think these people have never actually read the Bible.  If they had, they'd see the audacious claims that Jesus Christ was making.  Our choices are that he was either completely insane, or he was who he said he was -- the Son of God, about whom Moses wrote about a thousand years before he was born.  Jesus is telling us that the Scriptures (which is all the Old Testament, because that was all they had at that point) are writing about him.  If I were to tell you that the Scriptures were written about me, you'd assume that I had one or two screws loose, because I don't fulfill the prophecies and have a lack of miracle-working powers.  Jesus, on the other hand, has all those things and more, so his bold claim that he is the fulfillment of Scriptures turns out to be true!  

  Jesus is far more than a nice teacher -- he is one who is worthy of our allegiance, our devotion, and our love, and he will never disappoint us.  Thanks be to God!

John 5:30-38

John 5:30-38 

English Standard Version 

  If I were to tell you that I was the Son of God, you'd likely look at me with some skepticism.  The first century Jews were no different.  If anything, they were probably less likely to believe that someone was the son of God, for they had a firm belief in the separation between humanity and God.  The holiness of God was such that God's name wasn't even pronounced!  The elaborate system of ritual offerings was a constant reminder of the gulf separating us from God.

  So if someone was going to claim to be the Son of God, they better be able to support that claim.  They'd need to fit with historical prophecies.  They'd need to demonstrate power through miracles.  They'd need to have God affirm their identity.  

  Jesus had all these things.  Jesus fulfilled prophecies that were made hundreds of years before his birth.  Jesus performed many miracles, from turning water into wine to raising the dead.  At his baptism, and again at the Transfiguration, God confirms Jesus' identity publicly.  

  Jesus leaned on far more than just his own word -- his identity was confirmed in numerous ways for the world to see and hear.

John 5:25-29

John 5:25-29 

English Standard Version 

  The crucifixion and resurrection came as a surprise to so many, but Jesus was announcing his plan well before the final weekend of his life.  Jesus is telling us here that he will preach the Gospel to the dead at some point -- this is what we mean when we proclaim that Jesus descended into hell when we recite the Apostle's Creed.  Even those who are in the tombs will hear the voice of Jesus Christ, who has power over life and death. 

  One thing I love is that when Jesus goes to raise Lazarus from the dead, he cries Lazarus' name into the tomb, because if he hadn't been specific, every dead person in that cemetery might have come out, such is the power of Jesus' voice.

  This is the Savior we worship -- one who can override death with a word.  Who else would you rather set your hopes upon?

John 5:19-24

John 5:19-24 

English Standard Version 

  Sometimes people think that a church committee came up with the idea of the Trinity.  But it didn't work like that -- it's here, rooted in Scripture, and once the church examined everything in Scripture, there was only one explanation left, as hard as it was to imagine.  The Father and the Son cannot be separated -- they have lived for all of eternity in perfect harmony, with interpersonal loved, giving and receiving.  Those who hear Jesus and honor him are honoring God.  It's not simple, but it's beautiful.  God the author of creation wrote himself into the story so that we might know the fullness of God's love for creation.  And so we marvel at what God has done for us, and trust that there are even greater marvels than what we can see beyond this.  

  There are many flowers that await us over the ridge...

John 5:10-17

John 5:10-17

English Standard Version  

  We can get things pretty backwards at times.  Here, the Jews are upset that Jesus is healing people on the Sabbath.  He's healing people, which is great, but he's doing it on the wrong day.  Any healing should be a reason to rejoice, right?  But they're just trying to be upset.

  There are people in the world who just want to be angry.  They're everywhere, and they're constantly angry!  We can get lost in that... or we can look for the healings, for the lives being changed, and rejoice in what God is doing in the world.

  We can always choose what to focus upon.  May we feed our souls wisely!

John 5:2-9

John 5:2-9 

English Standard Version 

  Do you really see needy people?

  They're all around us.  Sometimes they're standing by the freeway off ramps.  Other times they're living out of their cars, moving around to find safe spots to stay.  Needs vary, as circumstances do.  No one has the same story.  

  What's amazing about these stories is the way that Jesus always sees people.  It's a little word here, but remember that this man has been an invalid for 38 years.  For how many of those years did people just walk by without seeing him?  What's hope look like when you're stuck for 38 years and people don't notice you anymore?  If it's been 38 years, will anything really change?

  But Jesus sees.  He sees, and he knows.  The same way he heard the Israelites when they cried out in Egypt, Jesus sees because he cares.  

  Friends, Jesus sees you in your struggles.  He sees, and he cares.  The healing may not be as instant as it was in this case, but even after 38 years of suffering for this man, there was hope and restoration.  None of us are beyond hope -- it's always there for each of us.  And it starts because Jesus sees us.

John 4:46-54

John 4:46-54 

English Standard Version 

  What comes first, the belief or the miracle?  Is the belief the miracle?  Does Jesus see enough faith in the man to grant the miracle?  Or does he know that a miracle will lead him to belief?  And who needs to believe -- the father, or the son?  

  So many questions... but the beginning and the end are clear.  In the beginning of the story, a boy is sick to the point of death.  Then Jesus enters the picture, and the boy is saved, and the entire household believes that Jesus is the Messiah.  Does it necessarily matter what order the pieces went into the puzzle, or is it simply enough for the pieces to be added and the picture is made?

  I don't know the exact path to a faithful life.  It's different for each of us, and what I thought was true in my life ten years ago isn't still true.  I've changed.  The world has changed.  

  But what is true for each of us is this -- we were lost and sinful, and Jesus has entered the picture, and now we are redeemed.  The steps in between aren't always clear, and sometimes I feel like I'm walking backwards on the path and there's some familiar ground that I thought I'd covered long ago.  But what truly matters is the salvation of Jesus Christ that is a free gift, and so I keep walking on the path, because I have read the picture Scripture tells me about, the one that comes at the end, when all the pieces have been put together, and it's beautiful, and it's worth everything.  Thanks be to God.  

John 4:39-42

John 4:39-42 

English Standard Version 

  It's interesting to have children of different ages at the table for meals.  The older ones definitely can get up and get their own drinks, and we've been moving in this direction for a while -- they used to rely on us to get everything, now they only need us when the milk is particularly full.  They definitely prefer when we wait on them, but they're learning to care for themselves, which is valuable as they grow, as Rachel and I are unlikely to continue pouring their milk when they're 30.  We change as we grow.

  In the same way, we see the faith of the Samaritans growing.  They heard about Jesus from the Samaritan woman, and so they explored faith on their own -- they asked him to stay for two days while they asked all their questions.  She provided the introduction; they then had the chance to learn for themselves.  What was initially a faith learned through her became a direct faith through their exposure to Jesus Christ.  

  And may we serve as the same conduit, pointing others to Jesus through our life and our story.  May we invite others to come and see for themselves, trusting in Jesus to show them the truth and God's power!

Sermon for August 14, 2022

Summer 2022 Book Review

 Well, I'm a little behind on book reviews... so here's some one-sentence book reviews on books I've been reading since mid-June.  Honestly, you should just skip to the end... lots of mediocre books, a few strange ones, and one incredible book.

The Lioness, by Chris Bohjalian:  The story of a Hollywood star who travels on a safari in Africa that goes terribly wrong.  I was hoping for some wild twist or something unexpected.  There were some moments of suspense, but I never really connected with the characters.  It was ok.

The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, by Robert Heinlein: Supposed to be one of the original sci fi novels about an uprising on the moon.  The most interesting character to me was the super computer that had a personality.  My expectations were too high here, I think.  It was fine.

The Investigator, by John Sandford:  Letty Davenport is an investigator, sent to solve unique problems by a senator.  In this one, she's trying to solve some oil thefts and ends up uncovering a scheme to cause chaos at the border.  Really liked the main character, thought the novel was a fun read.

The Bone Orchard, by Sara Mueller:  Um.... this was strange.  It's about a house of ill repute where the proprietor has grown several different bodies and there's a rebellion because a king has died and there are a number of things I still don't understand.  This was a little odd.

Forever and a Day, Trigger Mortis, and With a Mind to Kill, by Anthony Horowitz:  I first came across Horowitz when he wrote Moriarty in the style of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  These three are James Bond books, written in the style of Ian Fleming.  They're great James Bond books -- I read them all years ago, and these were enjoyable in the same tradition.  If you like James Bond, these are great.

Sea of Tranquility, Emily St. John Mandel:  A time-travel novel.  Another where I never really connected with the protagonist.  The central question is whether we're living in a simulation or not.  It's interesting to observe these arguments when Christian values are removed.  If there is no resurrection, if the Gospel is not true, does it really matter?

The Diamond Eye, by Kate Quinn:  THIS WAS FANTASTIC.  YOU SHOULD ABSOLUTELY READ THIS BOOK.  THE BEST BOOK I'VE READ THIS YEAR!!!!  The fact that it's based on a true story is even more incredible.  It's the story of a sniper in the USSR army in WWII who eventually becomes besties with Eleanor Roosevelt.  I thought everything about the book was great -- I cared about the protagonist, wondered where the plot was going, was amazed at the hardships she overcame and the things that she did...  the whole book was fantastic.  Highly recommended.

John 4:31-38

John 4:31-38 

English Standard Version

  Rachel and I were talking about how much time we spend planning meals.  Even when we're on vacation, there's a ton of time spent planning out lunch and dinner and snacks.  It's never ending -- as soon as you're done with one meal, there's another coming, right?  

  We're physical beings, and we focus on the physical realities... but Jesus is here reminding the disciples that there is a greater reality.  Jesus is eating another food, a spiritual food, and there's a whole other realm that we live largely in ignorance of.  We can't neglect our physical bodies, but we can ensure we're feeding ourselves spiritually, trying to take in the food that Jesus is talking about here.  May we recognize God is feeding us, body and soul, and that life is more than food.  May our eyes be focused on God's Kingdom as much as on our own kingdoms, that we may join in the reaping and sowing Jesus is talking about, joining in the labor of the Kingdom of God.

John 4:27-30

John 4:27-30 

English Standard Version 

  I think this is the most honest and possibly the best model of evangelism in Scripture.  This woman has had this incredible conversation with Jesus where she starts with shock that he's talking to her and ends with the revelation that he's the Messiah.  She goes forth, amazed at Jesus' knowledge of her life, and she's completely honest about her uncertainty as to his ultimate identity, but she knows he is remarkable, and so she simply and straightforwardly invites others to come and experience Jesus for themselves.  Her story is simple and authentic, and she doesn't claim anything more than what has happened, and yet she's so amazed that she cannot keep it for herself.  The woman also grasps that it's not her story of what happened that would change the minds of others -- they need to consider it for themselves, but they need to do so when hearing it directly from Jesus.

  It's not your responsibility to make someone else believe.  All we can do is point to Jesus and invite them to come and see for themselves what is so remarkable.  May we put ourselves in a position to hear from Jesus directly, and may we then go forth and invite others to do likewise!

John 4:16-26

John 4:16-26 

English Standard Version 

  If you had to draw up a plan to design a religion and have an end goal of it reaching every continent, what would your strategy be, especially if it had to be centered around one person?  What kind of influencer or leader would that person be?  Would she be an international business leader, or major politician?  Would he be an athlete or a dynamic speaker?  How would their message reach the world?

  Or would you have that person spend the afternoons chatting with a woman living in scandal, ostracized in her own rural village far from the center of the world, helping her see the reality of the Kingdom of God?

  Well, we know which path God chose, and Christianity can be found in every country on earth, so the foolishness of the Gospel shames all of the world's wisdom!

  So when you look at something in the world that doesn't make sense, or you wonder how the church will survive, remember this story.  Remember Jesus taking the time to explain the global impact of the church to a woman who simply needs to her that she is ok, even though life hasn't turned out like she planned.  Remember that the Gospel takes little steps when looked at from the world's perspective, but these have eternal impact and will grow in ways we can scarcely understand.  

  When you look at the world and get discouraged by the state of affairs and wonder what the future of the church is, remember that the Gospel doesn't always spread through internationally known people, but it can spread in a noontime conversation, even if some of those participants are the farthest people down the list of powerful individuals.  God is at work, friends, and when God is on the move, no force can thwart God's aim!

John 4:8-15

John 4:8-15 

English Standard Version 

  Have you ever read a book twice?  You pick up on a lot more the second time.  There are very, very few books that I've read twice, but I've read The Count of Monte Cristo three times, and each time is a richer treasure, because it's a new understanding every time I read it.  It actually gets better each time, a feat I didn't believe was possible.  

  This is a little how this conversation between the Samaritan woman and Jesus goes.  When he first mentions water, she assumes Jesus to be a fool, because he offers her water without having any means of reaching the bottom of the well.  This is a practical woman who sees things as they are, and she doesn't look beyond the simple truth that Jesus seems to possess none of the water he's offering her.

  When he tells her what this water can do, she's willing to slide by the fact that she can't see where the water is coming from, because she sees the practical value of not having to come to the well at noon when it's hot, of not having to endure endless trips to the well -- Jesus offers something of practical value to her.  It's moved into the realm of intriguing based on the temporal worth it offers her.

  The more time we spend around Jesus and around Jesus' church, the more time we spend in Scripture and prayer, we uncover a little more.  So many of us want instant gratification -- we want to show up at the well and receive everything we've ever asked for as soon as we get there, and then when that doesn't happen, we end up wondering where Jesus is and why he hasn't shown up.  Society is very instant, so we want that from Jesus... but discipleship is a process, where we learn and grow a little, day by day, so that with every conversation, every layer, we come a little closer to the truth.  

  Step by step, we grow, but only if we're willing to remain in the conversation, to continue to listen and to hear, to linger and see what God might have to say to us today.  

Sermon for August 7, 2022 from Luke 12

John 4:1-7

John 4:1-7 

English Standard Version 

  The Bible makes me think of a mine -- there's a lot of material at the surface level, but the deeper you dig, the more there is, only this mine is inexhaustible, such that there are treasures greater than we can imagine at every level, and you can spend your life exploring the depths, and there are still greater riches.  To read Biblical scholars who have studied individual books in depth is a treat, because they pull out so many riches, bringing them to the treasure for everyone to savor.  My friend was texting me the other day about a preacher who spent 12 years preaching through the book of Romans.  

  The encounter here takes place around the 6th hour, which is noon.  And if a woman is coming on her own to the well at noon, it means she's an outcast, because the other women would have come at the break of day, when it was cooler, and they would have helped one another.  This woman comes along, in the hottest part of the day, so she doesn't have anyone to help her, and she's isolated, likely due to some stigma that's attached to her.

  But this ostracized woman is precisely who Jesus is there to meet.  

  Isn't that interesting?

  Jesus seeks out someone with shame in their life.  He isn't afraid of it the same way other people are.  He doesn't shrink back.  It would've been easy for him to avoid her, but he doesn't.  He goes to where she will be and waits for her.

  He does the same for you, friends, no matter what is in your past or present - he waits with grace, arms and heart open wide, for he loves you.  No matter what.

John 3:16-21

John 3:16-21 

English Standard Version 

  Do you ever read a book and wish you could ask the author all your questions?  I've had a few of those lately where I haven't been clear, and there are plenty of other people I could ask, but the author would be the best source of information, right?  Same way with movies -- do you remember, at the end of Inception, when the top was still spinning?  What did it mean??  Who better than Christopher Nolan to answer that question?  

  Remember, John 3:16 is God answering why Jesus came to earth.  It's not someone else's attempt to clear up why Jesus came to earth.  This is God telling us directly.

  So if you ever wonder why, remember that this is the clearest answer as to why God went through all this effort.  God has great love for God's people, and great love for you -- love enough to die for.  And we know this because the author of creation, the author of humanity, loves us enough to write himself into the story and show us all the depths of God's love for us.  

  It's direct from the source, and so we know it's reliable.  

John 3:9-15

John 3:9-15 

English Standard Version 

  So in the wilderness, back in Numbers 21, the people spoke out against God, complaining that he freed them from slavery in Egypt.  Then the Lord sent serpents among the people, and eventually God tells Moses to make a bronze serpent and lift it up among the people, and if they were bit by a serpent, they could look upon the bronze serpent that Moses made and be healed.  

  Here is Jesus, in John 3, saying that he is the bronze serpent -- he will be lifted up among the people, and he will save the people from the things that plague them and bring them to death.  He will be lifted up, the real hero, and he will deliver the people.  

  The Old Testament is all pointing ahead to Jesus, we just have to know where and how to look!

John 3:1-8

John 3:1-8 

English Standard Version 

  What do you think someone from Jesus' time would have thought of the automobile or the airplane?  Imagine if you told them that you'd inject them with a needle and they'd be safe from a disease.  Or point at the moon and tell them that one day, a man would play golf there.  They'd look at you like you were crazy, the same way people do when I tell them that one day, the Cincinnati Reds will actually try and be competitive.  It just doesn't compute.

  Nicodemus was a ruler of the Jews, and yet he saw something in Jesus that made him curious.  He was compelled to come to Jesus, and yet he wasn't certain that Jesus was free of scandal, so he came by night.  (Little did he know how much scandal Jesus would one day bring, and yet how that scandal would free all of humanity from sin and death!  What a stumbling block the cross will be, as Paul phrases it!)  Jesus was explaining that Nicodemus would need to be born again, and yet Nicodemus cannot wrap his mind around the concept -- it's as foreign to him as a gas station would be.  

  And yet Jesus patiently explains to him that Nicodemus needs to accept that there are things he cannot comprehend, and yet that doesn't mean that his faith is flawed, but rather that God is simply at work in ways and levels Nicodemus cannot fully understand.  Like an infant before a parent, there is a level of trust required -- we turn to God, and we accept that God is wiser than we are, and that perhaps we will one day understand in full, but for now, we see in part, and there is enough evidence to lead us to understand that Jesus is who he says he is, and that he has done what he has said he has done, and that helps us believe that he will do what he has said that he will do.

John 2:6-12

John 2:6-12 

English Standard Version

  I bet people were glad to follow him after this!  Who knows what beverages might be transformed next?!

John tells us that the disciples believed in him after this, for it was a manifestation of Jesus' glory.  I heard someone once say that the water looked at the Lord of the universe and blushed.  I love that image.

  The disciples didn't know what was coming.  They likely didn't understand a lot, and if we believe Mark's Gospel, that held true for most (if not all) of Jesus' public ministry.  They hadn't grasped the fullness of the Trinity, and they probably didn't understand the necessity of Jesus' sacrifice for the atonement of sin.

  But they knew majesty when it was in front of them.  They understood power.  They saw water transformed into wine.

  Some people will tell us that people of that age were more ready to believe in magic, but I think we're underestimating them.  People know what water is like, and they know what wine is like.  This may have been 2,000 years ago, but people knew the difference between water and wine.  They saw something incredible, something that couldn't be explained, and they began to understand who Jesus was.

  And so we stand... we've seen and read some, and we know the end of Jesus' story, but we still have a lot of questions.  We don't know everything.  But we know a lot.  

  Is it enough for you to believe?  To trust that he is who he says that he is?  Will you follow wherever he might lead, though the road may be tough?  Will you give everything for Jesus?

John 2:1-5

John 2:1-5 

English Standard Version 

  Can you imagine the look Jesus received when he told his mother, "Woman, what does this have to do with me"?  I imagine it communicated something along the lines of "The Holy Spirit may have brought you into this world, but I will take you out of it..."  

  I love the way the Gospels portray the humanity of Jesus.  Here is the Son of God, attending a multi-day wedding celebration.  These things matter to God, and the people know it.  Jesus' mother knows it.  It's not a matter of simply coping and Jesus only shows up when something bad happens.  The Gospels are telling us that even our celebrations are richer when viewed through the lens of the Kingdom of God.  Everything is better, deeper, purer.  Even the wine will taste better, and when we fall short here on earth, God notices, and God cares.  

  Friends, may we celebrate the things in this life worth celebrating, and do so with the confidence of a people certain that God is near!