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Good morning. My name is August Fern, and I am a member of the Berkeley, El Cerrito, Richmond, and Kensington Community Group, but we'll have to let me know.
Today's scripture reading is from the Gospel of John, chapter 2, verses 1 through 11, as printed in your liturgy.
A reading from the Gospel according to John.
On the third day, a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee.
Jesus' mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.
When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him,
They have no more wine.
Woman, why do you involve me? Jesus replied.
My hour has not yet come.
His mother said to the servants,
Do whatever he tells you.
Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for a ceremonial washing, each holding from 20 to 30 gallons.
Jesus said to the servants,
Fill the jars with water.
So they filled them to the brim.
Then he told them,
Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.
They did so.
And the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine.
He did not realize where it had come from,
though the servants who had drawn the water knew.
Then he called the bridegroom aside and said,
Everyone brings out the choice wine first,
and then the cheaper wine,
after the guests have had too much to drink.
But you have saved the best till now.
What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory,
and his disciples believed in him.
This is the gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Good morning.
I decided to wear my wine-colored sweater today.
Because it was cold and because of this text.
But, you know, if you were here on Christmas Eve,
we began that night looking at this gospel of John, the fourth gospel.
And we looked at the prologue,
which really kind of tells you everything you need to know about what's coming.
And there at the very beginning of John 1,
it says,
In the beginning was the Word.
The Word was with God.
The Word was God.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.
No one has ever seen God,
but the one and only Son who is himself God,
and is in closest relationship with the Father,
has made him known.
And see, John, when he begins this gospel,
he doesn't bury the lead.
Right?
He just puts it right there on the front cover,
on the top of the page,
the most important story,
the most essential news,
the most crucial information
that we need to know.
And basically what John is telling us there,
he's saying,
if you're a person who wants to know
who God is,
look at Jesus.
And further,
John says,
if you're a person who wants to know
who Jesus is,
then follow my gospel,
follow my biography of Jesus
very, very closely.
So we get another clue
about Jesus at the end of John 1.
And if you want to pick up your Bible
in the pews,
you can see where Jesus says
at the end of John 1,
he tells one of his newest disciples,
a guy named Nathaniel,
he says,
Nathaniel,
you will see heaven open,
and you'll see the angels of God
ascending and descending
on the Son of Man.
What Jesus is saying there
is that to people who are watching
with just even a little bit of faith,
you'll see that the angels of God
are actually going up
and they're coming down
at the place where Jesus is.
Wherever Jesus is,
that's where heaven is opening up.
He says that there are going to be
all these moments of
when the transforming power
of God's love
bursts into the world
where it's as if heaven
will be coming down
upon the earth.
And this wedding in Cana
is such a moment, right,
where the Word of God
made flesh shows up,
where He's present,
and wherever He goes,
He brings with Him
a different dimension of reality.
He brings that into being.
He creates new possibilities
for people to enjoy
the abundant life
that comes through Him.
And so that's what we're going to look at
with this text today.
We're going to talk about
the Lord of the Feast,
and then we're going to talk about
the hour to come,
and we'll close by talking about
the foretaste of joy.
So the Lord of the Feast,
the hour to come,
and the foretaste of joy.
But first of all,
the Lord of the Feast.
When we look at this text
starting in verse 1,
it says,
On the third day,
a wedding took place
at Cana in Galilee,
and Jesus' mother was there,
and Jesus and His disciples
had also been invited
to the wedding.
This Cana is a Jewish,
little Jewish village.
It's about eight miles northeast
of Jesus' hometown of Nazareth.
So this is the hometown,
Cana is the hometown of Nathanael,
the latest disciple
that Jesus has just called
at the end of John chapter 1,
and the bride and groom
of this wedding
are part of Nathanael's
extended community,
and it seems that
Jesus' mother
is probably friends
with the parents
of the bride and the groom,
which is why she's so involved
in this story.
It's just eight miles away
from where she lives.
And it's important
to remember that,
you know,
in ancient cultures
cultures,
and in traditional cultures
today,
they emphasize the family,
they emphasize the community
over the individual
so that, you know,
your meaning in life
is not so much found
in your individual achievements,
the meaning in life
is found in being
a good husband
and a good wife,
being a good son
and daughter,
being a good mother
and father.
And the purpose of marriage
is not so much
the happiness
of the two individuals
involved in this event,
but the purpose of marriage
is to bind
the whole community together,
is to raise up
the next generation together.
And that meant
that weddings
were quite different
than the kind of weddings
that we go to today
because each wedding
was a public feast
for the entire town,
right?
Because marriage
was about the whole community
and not just merely
this couple.
But it did involve
the couple, okay?
The couple had to be there.
And this was
the biggest event
in their personal life,
the personal life
of the bride and groom.
This is the day
when they come of age.
This is the day
when they become
full adult members
of society.
And so it's really
no surprise
that with these
ancient wedding feasts,
I mean,
they didn't just have a day.
They had a week, right?
It lasted a whole week long
worth of celebration.
And when you think
about that context,
when you think about
that background,
our text opens abruptly
on a great crisis,
right?
A massive disaster
because we assume
that there may be
one or two days
into this wedding festival
and the wine runs out.
Which essentially means
that the party
is over.
And
in an honor-shame culture
particularly,
this is a disaster, right?
This is a catastrophe.
And that's why
the mother of Jesus
comes to him
and wants him
to step in,
wants him to intervene
and to save the situation.
And so it says
in verse 3,
when the wine was gone,
Jesus' mother said to him,
they have no more wine.
And then if you look down
in verse 11,
it says,
what Jesus did here
in Cana of Galilee
was the first of the signs
through which
he revealed his glory
and his disciples
put their faith
in him.
And this is the key
to understanding
this whole text.
Right?
It's not called
merely a miracle.
It's called a sign.
And a sign
is a symbol.
A sign is a signifier.
A sign points
to something
beyond itself.
Every day
we look at signs.
Signs that say,
get on here.
Get off there.
Go into this place.
Go over there
to that place.
This signpost
at this wedding
in Cana
reveals
the glory
of Jesus.
Right?
It's this special
display of his power
that's pointing us
to a deeper reality.
It's pointing us
and saying,
this is Jesus'
true identity.
This is who he is.
This is why he came.
And we've got to remember
that this is the beginning
of Jesus' career.
Right?
It's the beginning
of his public ministry.
And so,
if you're a candidate
for public political office
or if you are an entrepreneur
and you're wanting
to launch your brand,
you know,
if you're a musician
who's releasing
a major recording,
you are going to choose
your first public presentation
with enormous care.
Some of you have done this.
Right?
Every detail
that you say,
every detail
about what you do,
it needs to convey
the message
of who you are
and why you're here,
what you offer.
Think about
Jesus
and his calling card.
Think about
the brand
that Jesus is launching.
Why would Jesus
decide to signify
that the main thing
that he's all about
is throwing
a good party?
Why?
The first of all
the miracles
he could have done,
why would this sign
that reveals
the glory
of who he is,
why would he decide
to bring a supernatural
supply
of not just
quantity wine
but quality wine
that will sustain
a wedding feast?
Why would he do that?
I mean,
does Jesus not
read the newspaper?
Is he not aware
of all the major threats
and crises
and dangers
that are facing
the human race?
Why in the world
would Jesus decide
not to do something
here about
disease?
Why isn't he doing
something right now
about hunger
or poverty
or the climate
or
death itself?
War?
All these
problems that we have.
When you look at
verse 9,
it says
that we're introduced
to this guy
who's called
the master
of the banquet
and he's having
a very bad day
by the way
because he's in charge
of making sure
that all the elements
of the celebration,
the food,
the drink,
the music,
the entertainment,
that all of these things
are ready to go
and to keep going.
His job
is to make the party
a wonderful celebration.
And so when Jesus comes
and he turns
the water
into wine
that brings salvation
to this wedding feast,
don't you see
what Jesus is saying?
He's saying,
I'm the true master
of the banquet.
I'm the real
Lord of the feast.
And if you know
your Bible,
you might say,
well, wait a minute,
I thought Jesus came
to be
the word of God
made flesh.
I thought he came
to humble himself,
to take on our sin
and our suffering
and our sorrow.
I thought he came
to be rejected
and to go to the cross
and all these
really hard things
and sad things.
And that's right,
but Jesus in this sign
is putting all of that
terrible humiliation
and all of that awful pain
into a larger
and much more wonderful context.
He's saying,
yes, I'm going to deny myself
and yes, I'm going to suffer.
Yes, I'm going to sacrificially
give my life
and all of my followers
will give something
of themselves as well.
But all that is
just a means
to a greater end.
And the end
is the banquet.
Right?
The end is the feast.
The end is the wine.
The end is the joy.
That all of the humiliation
and all the pain
that I'm going to go through
and that my people
are going to go through
is in order
to bring about resurrection.
In order to bring about
new creation.
Where heaven and earth
finally come together.
where they intersect
and they overlap.
And in that moment,
I'm going to wipe away
all the tears
from your eyes.
Right?
In that moment,
there's going to be
no more crying.
No more pain.
No more tears.
There's going to be
no more disease
and hunger
and war
and poverty
and death.
Right?
The old order of things
is going to pass away.
The new order,
the new creation
is going to come
and when it comes,
it will bring about a joy
that will absolutely overflow
and explode your heart.
You see,
Jesus has read his Bible
very closely
leading up to this moment
and he treasures
God's word,
particularly
those places
in the Bible
that talk about
this eternal feast
of joy
when the Messiah comes.
And I'll just give you
a few examples.
This is from
Genesis 29.
First book in the Bible
and it says,
the scepter will not
depart from Judah
nor the ruler's staff
from between his feet
until he to whom
it belongs
shall come
and the obedience
of the nation
shall be his
and get this,
it says,
he will tether
his donkey to a vine,
his colt to the choicest branch
and then it says,
he will wash his garments
in wine
and his robes
in the blood
of grapes.
What does it mean
if you're washing
your garments
not in water
but in wine?
What does that mean?
That is a sign
of extreme abundance.
Extreme riches
and wealth
and prosperity
and blessing, right?
I didn't wash
my clothes in water,
I washed them in wine.
Amos chapter 9
says this,
it says,
the days are coming
declares the Lord
when the reaper
will be overtaken
by the plowman
and the planter
by the one
treading grapes
and it says,
new wine
will drip
from the mountains
and wine
will flow
from all the hills.
There will be rivers
of wine
when the Messiah comes.
This is my favorite,
Isaiah 20, 25
says this,
it says,
on this mountain
the Lord Almighty
will prepare
a feast
of rich food
for all peoples,
a banquet
of aged wine,
the best
of meats
and the finest
of wines.
It's hard to capture
that in English
but here it kind of
sounds,
it rhymes
in Hebrew.
It sounds like
a feast of filet,
a banquet
of cabernet.
Filet mignon,
cabernet sauvignon.
Right?
That's what it sounds
kind of like in Hebrew.
It says,
there will be such a feast
that the Lord Almighty
will prepare
for His people
that on this mountain
at that feast
He will destroy
the shroud
that enfolds
all the peoples,
the sheet
that covers
all the nations.
He will swallow up
death forever
and the sovereign Lord
will wipe away
the tears
from all their eyes.
and He will remove
the people's disgrace
from all the earth.
And Isaiah says,
let us rejoice
and be glad
in this salvation.
Do you see
what Jesus
is doing?
Chez panie
and French laundry
cannot hold
a candle
to the coming
Messianic feast
because it has
to do
with the
wiping away
of the tears
from our faces.
It has to do
with the destruction
of death itself.
It has to do
with the ridding
of our disgrace
and the salvation
of joy
and gladness
that only the Lord
Almighty
can accomplish.
Jesus is saying
that those who believe
in Me
can have within them
this transporting joy.
Right?
They can have within them
a deep heart fulfillment
moment that
is not only
for later
it's for right now.
That if you
trust in Me
a stream of joy
a river
of wine
will flow
within your heart.
At the end
of The Lord of the Rings
Samwise Gamgee
!
wakes up
and he
realizes
he's been rescued
from the fires
of Mount Doom
and he sees
that Gandalf
is somehow alive
and he says
Gandalf
I thought you were dead
but then I thought
I was dead
and then he says
is everything sad
going to come
untrue?
And what Jesus
is saying
is that
if I'm the master
of the banquet
who stepped out
of eternity
and into time
if I'm the Lord
of the feast
who's come down
from heaven
to earth
if I've come
to defeat
sin and death
if I've come
to be resurrected
and to launch
a new creation
then
you can be sure
that everything sad
is going to come
untrue.
You can be sure
that everything wrong
is going to be put right.
You can be sure
that
the wine
is going to flow
without ever
coming to an end.
Dostoevsky
put it like this.
I know a few of you
are reading
or would like to read
the Brothers Karamazov.
Dostoevsky says
I believe like a child
that suffering
will be healed
and made up for
that all the humiliating
absurdity
of human contradictions
will vanish
like a pitiful mirage
like the despicable
fabrication
of the impotent
and infinitely small
Euclidean mind
of man
that in the world's finale
at the moment
of eternal harmony
something so precious
will come to pass
that it will suffice
for all hearts
for the comforting
of all resentments
for the atonement
of all the crimes
of humanity
for all the blood
that they've shed
that it will make it
not only possible
to forgive
but to justify
all that has happened.
I want to encourage
us not to sentimentalize
this wedding
at Cana
to think that
Jesus has just come
to save this family
from social shame
or to think that
he's just come
to make this little
Jewish community
happy for a few more days
of wedding celebrations
because what Jesus
is saying
is that I am
the Lord
of the feast
that's my calling card
that is my brand
my first sign
to reveal
my glory
is that I've come
to bring joy
to the whole world
and I've come
to take this
sad and miserable world
and set everybody
laughing again
that's what I've come
to do
so that's point number one
the Lord of the feast
point number two
is the hour to come
the hour to come
you know
Jesus adorns
the institution
of marriage
with his presence
with his action
at this wedding
as if to say
and I think he's
very intentional
in doing what he did
where he did it
as if to say
that the creator
God's original design
and direction
for male-female
relationships
and for families
at the beginning
is very very good
Jesus is going
to go on
and he's going
to elevate
our vision
of marriage
and our vision
of singleness
in the kingdom
of God
but the main point
of our text
is not so much
about our marriages
in our extended families
the main point
of our text
is about the marriage
covenant
between God
and his people
throughout the Old Testament
we hear about
God as the bridegroom
and his people
as the bride
that God is such
that he wants
a love relationship
with us
like a husband
and a wife
have with each other
he wants that profound
permanent union
and intimacy
and joy
of bride and groom
and this is why
when Jesus comes
he refers to himself
over and over
as the bridegroom
he says in Matthew 22
the kingdom of heaven
is like a king
who prepared a wedding
banquet for his son
the apostles
pick this up
in Ephesians 5
Paul talks about
Jesus being the husband
who gives himself up
for his bride
the church
and the very end
of the Bible
carries this image
all the way
to the end
it says there's going
to be a great
heavenly wedding feast
that's prepared
at the end of time
it's called
the marriage supper
of the lamb
and it says
that the people
of God
will be like a bride
that's dressed
for her husband
and the question
when you look
at that whole
arc of scripture
the question is
how will that be
like how will that
happen
how will Jesus
come
and bring about
the wedding
of God
and humanity
how will he bring
about the marriage
of union
and intimacy
and joy
between God
and his people
and that's what
brings us to this
tense and somewhat
awkward conversation
that Jesus has
with his mother
because she comes
and she tells Jesus
she says the wine
has run out
and Jesus says
woman why do you
involve me
and that seems
a little strange
right
it seems kind of
cold
and insensitive
like the fifth
commandment
of the ten commandments
is honor your mother
honor your father
and I went
and I looked
for like more
nuanced and softer
translations of this
and I couldn't
find any
they all basically
say the same thing
but we know
that in the gospels
Jesus is not
easily irritated
right
we know that
he never says
things that he regrets
and has to come back
and say I'm sorry
for that
we know that even
when he was tortured
he didn't say harsh
and angry words
so what in the world
is going on here
well something
something's weighing
heavily upon Jesus
at this wedding
it says in verse 4
woman why do you
involve me
Jesus replied
my hour has not
yet come
and if you read
the gospel of John
closely
Jesus refers to this
hour many times
and every time
he's speaking about
the coming hour
of his death
right
his hour
is the moment
of his death
on the cross
now how does this
make any sense
his mother Mary
says help
there's a disaster
they've run out of
wine
and Jesus says
why are you telling me
this
I'm not ready
for my hour of death
I'm not ready to die
and it just seems
like a non sequitur
what is Jesus
thinking at this moment
what he's thinking
is I'm about
to perform
a powerful sign
of what I've come
to do
and what is needed
what is needed
to turn the misery
and the sadness
of this world
into joy
what is needed
to bring
God
and his people
together
like bride
and groom
what is going
to have to happen
for that to transpire
and Jesus is thinking
it's the coming hour
of my death
and we don't know
how much Mary
understood this
in the moment
but she understood
enough to say
in verse 5
she tells the servants
do whatever
he tells you
I know enough
to say
do whatever
Jesus tells you
to do next
and it says
in verse 6
nearby stood
six stone water jars
the kind used
by the Jews
for ceremonial washing
each holding
from 20 to 30 gallons
and Jesus said
to the servants
fill the jars
with water
so they filled
them to the brim
and then he told
them now draw out
some and take it
to the master
of the banquet
why would Jesus
create new wine
in jars
that are used
by Israel
for ceremonial washing
why use jars
for ceremonial cleansing
and purification
is this a total accident
is this complete coincidence
no what Jesus
is communicating here
is that
what the hour
of my death
is all about
is the kind
of washing
that will make
possible
the union
of God
and his people
in intimacy
and love
and joy
and if you know
your Old Testament
like Jesus did
you know it contains
many many rights
and regulations
of purification
that
what was required
were many
and various courses
of cleansing
that point
us to our
most basic
spiritual need
right
these washings
vividly got across
the idea
that God
is holy
God is righteous
God is perfect
that we
are stained
we're polluted
we're deeply
flawed
and that
in order to even
come in contact
with him
much less
become his spouse
become his bride
there needs to be
some kind of
cleansing
some kind
of purification
right
some kind
of atonement
and pardon
we cannot
just
walk right
into the presence
of a holy
God
as we are
and so Israel
had these many
purification rights
that led up
to their blood
sacrifices
and that's what
these jars
are normally
used for
and by
employing
these jars
that are used
for ceremonial
washing
Jesus is saying
that he's come
into the world
to accomplish
in the hour
of his death
once and for all
what all the
ceremonial
and sacrificial
laws of the
Old Testament
are pointing to
that we can't
really understand
the wedding
feast of
marital union
and intimacy
and joy
with God
that Jesus
came to bring
without the hour
of his death
and the way
that his death
was to deal
with our sin
you see
instead of
Jesus telling us
that sin
doesn't really
exist
and you're all
pretty much
okay the way
you are
Jesus
in his entire
ministry
his entire
teaching
he's telling us
you're defiled
by sin
you need to be
rescued and
purified
from sin
and there's
this interesting
statement at the
end of
John chapter 2
he says
it says
many people
believed in his
name but Jesus
would not entrust
himself to them
for he knew
what was in
them
what does
Jesus know
about what's
in us
what is in
us
it's this
capacity for
self-centeredness
it's in all
that we think
and all that we
say and all that
we do
to serve
ourselves
it's this dark
power that causes
us to love
ourselves more
than we love
God
to love
ourselves
more than
we love
our neighbor
and the
consequence
of all that
is that we
are alienated
from God
and we're
enslaved to
ourselves
and we're
in conflict
with each
other
and so when
Jesus says
to his mother
my hour
has not yet
come
he's saying
woman
I can bring
the wine
I can bring
the joy
of the great
wedding feast
to this world
and I can unite
God as the
bridegroom
with his people
as the bride
in a relationship
of loyal love
I can cleanse
them from their
sin and their
selfishness
and their guilt
and their shame
but oh dear
woman
I'm going to
have to die
to do it
he says
mother
for my
people to
drink the
cup of
wedded love
and marital
joy
with God
I'm going to
have to drink
the cup
of their
sin and
their death
how does
Jesus bring
us joy
by losing
his joy
by going
to the cross
and dying
in our
place
friends
Jesus
at this
moment
of great
joy
in the
midst
of a
wedding
feast
he's
thinking
about
his
death
which means
that he's
thinking about
his death
all the
time
every
moment
of every
day
Jesus
has not
come
to be
a good
teacher
or a
moral
exemplar
or a
social
reformer
he came
to die
he came
for the
hour
of his
death
to shed
his blood
to take
that cup
of God's
justice
and his
punishment
so that we
could raise
the cup
of God's
love
and God's
joy
it's the
greatest love
story ever
told
the bridegroom
came
to win the
heart
of his
bride
by giving
his life
up for
her
and every
love story
that you
enjoy
it's just
a hint
it's a whisper
it's a sign
post
to this
love story
and the
hour
that Jesus
knows
is coming
to win
the love
of his
bride
so we
talked about
the Lord
of the
feast
we talked
about the
hour to
come
and I
want to
just close
briefly
talking about
the foretaste
of joy
the foretaste
of joy
our text
says that
the wine
is gone
the wine
ran out
the wine
was no
more
and that's
the one
thing that you
can be sure
about in this
life that
no matter how
secure you
feel
no matter how
healthy you
are
no matter how
much wealth
you've accumulated
no matter the
successes you've
had
no matter the
relationships
that you
enjoy
the wine
will eventually
run out
every joy
will be
gone
every celebration
will come
to an end
it will not
last just as
the wine
at this
wedding
failed
but the
message of the
gospel is that
with Jesus
there's a
different
reality
he says
they filled
the jars
to the
brim
this is
180
gallons
which is
about
a thousand
bottles
of wine
that is a
ridiculous
amount
of wine
that's way
more wine
than they
were going
to drink
that's way
more wine
than they
needed
and it
indicates
to us
the overflowing
nature
of God's
generosity
toward us
the inexhaustible
bounty
and the
abundant
life
that Jesus
wants
to pour
out on his
people
for us
to enjoy
if we'll
just trust
and obey
that he
can do
it
and we
notice in
the story
that the
majority
of the
guests
they're
clueless
the guests
are here
they're enjoying
the best
wine
that they've
ever had
the best
wine
that they
could ever
imagine
drinking
but they
have no
idea
where it's
come from
they don't
even know
who to
thank
only the
servants
who obeyed
the command
of Jesus
only the
disciples
they're the
only ones
who know
the secret
and it says
in verse
11
that through
the sign
Jesus
revealed
his glory
and his
disciples
put their
faith
in him
that's the
pattern
the disciples
behold the
sign
and they
believe in
Jesus
this is the
invitation
and the
challenge
to all
who would
read this
gospel
behold the
signs of
Jesus
believe in
the person
of Jesus
pay attention
to the
wonderful
works of
Jesus
and then
put the
full weight
of your
trust
on
Jesus
and it
poses
this
question
to us
as we
close
are you
a wedding
guest
who does
not know
the glory
of Jesus
and does
not believe
in Jesus
or are you
a servant
and a
disciple
who wholeheartedly
entrusts
yourself
to Jesus
and if you
consider yourself
a disciple
I want to
encourage you
as we
close to
think about
the wine
of holy
communion
for a
moment
this table
we're about
to come
to
Jesus
the one
thing he
gave us
to keep
remembering
him by
is this
feast
where we're
to keep
coming to
him
our living
Lord
we're
to keep
taking the
blood
of the
true
vine
we're
to keep
drinking
the wine
of his
joy
we're
to keep
abiding
in him
whose
blood
of the
new
covenant
he
poured
out
to give
life
to the
whole
world
and as
we come
to this
feast
we've
got to
remember
that
in the
midst
of the
joy
of that
that
wedding
feast
in Cana
right
when
everybody
is
enjoying
themselves
while
everybody's
having
the best
wine
of their
life
Jesus
in that
moment
he's
tasting
the coming
hour
of his
death
that lays
before him
but we
don't have
to do
that
right
Jesus
sat
amidst
all
the
joy
of that
wedding
feast
and he
was
sipping
the
coming
sorrow
so that
today
you and
I
who
believe
in
Jesus
we
can
sit
amidst
all
the
world's
sorrow
and there's
so much
sorrow
but we
can be
sipping
the
coming
joy
every
time we
come to
the
Lord's
supper
by faith
we get
a foretaste
of that
coming
feast
and that
coming
joy
so that
even
those of
us
who
right
now
are in
the
midst
of
some
deep
sorrow
some
terrible
suffering
you can
come to
Jesus
and you
can sip
the wine
of the joy
that's coming
for you
and if you
know that
if that's
the thing
that you
possess
today
that will
enable you
to go
out
and put
into
practice
these
very
simple
words
of
Jesus
mother
when she
says
in
verse
five
do
whatever
he
tells
you
to
do
and
that's
the
question
as we
come
to
this
feast
is the
attitude
and the
heart
by which
you
approach
the
Lord
at
his
table
are
you
saying
to
Jesus
I'm
listening
to
everything
you're
telling
me
everything
you're
saying
in
your
word
I'm
listening
and
whatever
you
tell
me
to
do
that's
what
I
want
to
do
right
your
wish
is
my
command
I'm
going
to
trust
you
I'm
going
to
obey
you
whatever
you
tell
me
to
do
is
that
how
you
come
to
this
table
because
that's
the
faith
that
Jesus
requires
of
his
disciples
the
servants
show
us
that
it's
only
through
trusting
!
obedience
in
the
Lord
that
we
will
actually
experience
his
power
the
only
way
we
can
really
experience
his
mysterious
wonder
working
power
in
our
lives
is
not
just
to
hear
the
word
of
Jesus
but
to
obey
Jesus
fill
the
jars
draw
some
out
take
it
to
the
party
they've
got to
obey
him
in
all
the
particulars
and
all
the
details
and
it's
only
when we
step
out
in
faith
and we
obey
Jesus
in
the
particulars
and in
the
details
that he
will
enable us
to
experience
firsthand
a different
dimension
of reality
but you
have to
step out
in
faith
you have
to
obey
if you
want to
experience
all the
new
possibilities
of
abundant
life
that he's
offering
to you
so
friends
when you
come
to the
Lord
of
this
table
are you
ready
to do
whatever
he
says
are you
ready
to respond
to him
with
wholehearted
trust
and
unwavering
obedience
are you
ready to
rejoice
that
whatever
we're
about
to
taste
here
at
this
table
is
just
a
foretaste
that
Jesus
likes
to
hold
out
the
choicest
wine
for
last
and
that
means
that
when
we
come
we're
remembering
the
best
is
yet
to
come
I'm
sipping
the
coming
joy
of
the
kingdom
of
God
the
banquet
the
feast
that
God
has
prepared
for
me
let's
come
with
that
spirit
and
that
attitude
and
that
heart
in
the
name
of
the
Father
Son
and
Holy
Spirit
Amen