There’s a story about G. K. Chesterton traveling on a train, absorbed in a book. He suddenly awoke to his surroundings and discovered that he was on a train, but he had forgotten where he was going. He got out at the next station and sent a telegram from there to his wife. The telegram said, “I’m here; where ought I to be?” The reply came back from his wife; “Look at your ticket.” Now that is our predicament as Christians. We’ve not only forgotten where we are going - many of us have even forgotten that we have a ticket.

It’s significant that on this Communion Sunday we come in our preaching through John’s Gospel to His first miracle — turning water into wine at a wedding feast. Someone has suggested that while the first miracle of Jesus was that of turning water into wine, ever since his followers in the church have turned wine into water — that is we have diminished Jesus’ power, watered down the wine of the gospel until it is flat and tasteless.

Let’s look at this first miracle of Jesus because it will put us in touch with the glory of the faith of which we are a part, and the nature and power of the one whom we say we follow. There is a sense in which we will be looking at our ticket — seeing where we are and where we might be.

I think we can appropriate the meaning of this section of scripture by looking at 1: Jesus Mother, 2: Jesus’ Ministry, and 3: Jesus’ miracle.

I

JESUS’ MOTHER

First, Jesus’ mother, one of the most celebrated persons in the drama of our Christian faith. I have a conviction that we Protestant Christians don’t give enough attention to Mary. Let’s take a brief, though intensive look at her in this story.

A casual examination of the Scripture would indicate that Jesus is discourteous, rude, even hateful to his mother. When Mary told him the party had run out of wine, he responded, “Woman, what have you to do with me?”

He addresses his mother as, “Woman” but remember this is the same address He used at the Cross when he expressed His love and concern by putting his beloved mother and his beloved disciple, John, in a caring covenant. “Woman, behold you son; Son, behold your mother.” So the word for woman, Gunai, in Greek is not a rough and discourteous address, but rather one\ of deep respect.

But even when we get beyond that seemingly disrespectful response of Jesus, still His word is sharp and has a feel of defiance to it: “Woman, what have you to do with me?” Then He adds, “My hour has not yet come.”

There’s mystery here, and we will say a bit about it in a moment, but here our focus is on his mother. No matter how it came through to her, her response is that of total trust and confidence. She said to the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.”

What transparent faith and what submissive trust. We need that, don’t we? We don’t always understand what Jesus is doing. Sometimes we are asked to walk an unclear path with a yet undisclosed destination. To trust Jesus when everything is clear takes commitment, of course. But to trust Him when nothing seems clear, and we can’t see the sense of it, requires a double portion of faith and a depth of commitment tacking in most of us.

It happened with me when I was working on our Counseling arid Family Life Ministry. There came a time in that process when I was at a dead end. Despite the desperate need, and the charge of our Staff—Parish Relations Committee to define it and work it out, it didn’t seem right, It just wouldn’t hang together in the context of our description of need and the funds avail able. I was ready to lay the whole idea to rest. But the Spirit kept saying, “Forget money, forget available resources. Define the ministry and design the church’s response.” I thought it was useless, but I did. And when I had finished, I was prepared to report to our Staff Parish Relations Committee, and to Ed Horton that we simply couldn’t pull it off.

On the very next two successive days, two laypersons of this congregation who didn’t even know what we were working on in the way of this particular ministry, initiated conversation with me, independent of and unknown to each other — each offering financial assistance for this ministry to the degree that I knew the Lord was saying, “Move on! Trust me!”

We need Mary’s faith. Even when we don’t understand and the way is uncertain, her word comes: “Do whatever He tells you;” and when we do it great things happen.

Two, the miracle itself was a miracle of transformation. Common water was changed to the best of wines. This shows the nature of Jesus’ ministry. This was the big signal: everything Jesus touches He transforms. You’ve heard the old story of the fellow who sat in a circle of people who were arguing about this miracle - whether Jesus could actually change water to wine or not.

What do you think?” someone asked him. “I can’t argue the point about Jesus changing water to wine,” he said, “But I can tell you this: He has changed wine and whiskey and a debauch life into bread and clothing for my children, and a life of joy and peace for me.”

That stopped the argument. His friends knew he was the town drunk until he was converted the year before.

The miracle in Cana was the signal for Jesus’ primary ministry transformation.

1. Facing death – anxiety – peace.

2. Lost husband – pain of loss into comfort and confidence.

Three, the miracle is celebrative and joyous — it is a part of the most festive of all occasions — a marriage feast.

And Jesus said that’s what the kingdom of heaven will be like. He gave the vision to John in the book of Revelation: “Blessed are those who are invited to the Marriage Feast of the Lamb”. (Rev. 19:9) In Matthew 8: 11 Jesus speaks of many “coming from the North and the South and the East and the West and sitting down with the patriarchs in the kingdom of God.” The word which is used for sitting down is the word for reclining at a meal. The picture is the picture of all men sitting down at a Messianic banquet of God. When Jesus was with his disciples at the Last Supper, as He drank of the Cup, he said that he would drink it again, until He drank it a new in His Father’s Kingdom (Matt, 26:29). Jesus was looking for ward to the great Messianic banquet in the Kingdom of God. (Barclay, The Revelation of John, Vol. 2, p. 225).

And that’s what we are coming to this morning. Very early in the church’s life, this Communion meal, this sacrament of Holy Communion, was seen as a Messianic banquet, a joyful occasion when we celebrate the presence of Christ here and now, but also claim the promise of His ultimate triumph. So we say, “Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again — Hallelujah!” So, come to the Table this morning “The marriage of the Lamb is Come” the wedding festivities at Cana extended for many days, but the Feast of Salvation and the joy of the life Jesus provides will go on forever.