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“St. John 2:1-11 Epiphany 2” 15 January 2023 *Click for Audio* Pastor Schultz Trinity Lutheran Church Paola, Kansas GRACE, MERCY, AND PEACE BE TO YOU FROM GOD OUR FATHER THROUGH OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST. AMEN. The Gospel reading from St. John shows Jesus at a wedding in Cana for His first miracle. When He changed the water into the wine, Jesus manifested, revealed, `epiphanied' His glory. There are plenty of remarkable aspects that stand out in this miracle: the number of characters interacting in so few verses, the immense quantity of wine provided, the master's rebuke to the bridegroom, and Jesus' brusque reply to Mary. Together, all these parts show that God's ways are not our ways, that His thoughts are not our thoughts. But not only are God's thoughts loftier, higher, and more heavenly, but they are the opposite of how Man thinks. God's way is not our way when it comes to marriage. God first created and blessed marriage in the Garden of Eden. When no fit helper was found for Adam amongst all the many animals, God put Adam into a deep sleep. He took a rib from his side and formed Eve. Then Adam declared, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh" (Gen. 2:23). Eve was greater, better, more precious, and more perfect for Adam than any other creature. God had fashioned a woman who was distinct from the man, but together they were perfect. But that perfection did not last. My Catechism students could tell you some of the gross and sad and sinful stories already in Genesis of how mankind corrupted and abused God's gift of sex and marriage. This has not stopped since Genesis. In fact, with all our improvements since the Stone Age, we have only invented new ways to abuse God's gifts and His grace. Just last month, the Congress of the United States of America passed the Respect for Marriage Act that chips away and slowly seeks to redefine marriage so that "Adam and Steve" or "Madam and Eve" can get married. Beyond this, homes are broken by divorce. Pornography runs rampant through your kids' phones, your Netflix shows, and every highway billboards. Marriage has been replaced by cohabitation. And too many couples spend too much time trying to afford their home rather than build up their home and raise their children. Our ways are not God's ways. We want instant gratification. We want to scratch the itch. We want to live without consequences or commitment. God's designs for marriage and the family have been abused and mocked by man. In the realm of marriage and sexuality, our modern world — and yes, even our own lives — are tragically broken. But God does not give up on us. Still, He seeks and saves the lost. Jesus could have looked at the sins and shortcomings of that couple in Cana and politely declined the invitation. But quite the opposite happens. He comes to Cana and blesses the marriage with His presence. Why? Because God still loves marriage and blesses the sinful man and sinful woman getting married. This is a truth for us Christians to speak and confess in thought, word, and deed. We cannot submit to the world's definitions and affirmations and regulations for marriage. We confess God's truth and design for marriage and sexuality. Our Epistle reading from Ephesians shows this beautifully. To be honest, Paul's words are quite counter-cultural. "Wives, submit to your own husbands" he says. Submit? That sounds oppressive! Why does Paul say that? Because he's not, first and foremost, looking at the women around him and saying "Submit." Paul is looking at Christ and His bride: that's you and me, the Church. We submit to Christ. We listen to God's Word. We follow our Lord. We should not try to tell God how it is or how it should be. Man is not the measure of reality. This is God's world. His ways are not our ways. His design for marriage is a picture of Jesus Christ and His bride. Jesus loved the church and gave Himself up for her. He laid down His life, His comfort, His future to die on the cross for His bride. He has redeemed you, o Church, with His own body and blood. As His bride, He has washed you and made you to be without any spot or wrinkle or stain. Jesus with His bride gives us the picture that every other marriage reflects. So husbands, take up your cross and follow Jesus. Man up. Defend your wife. Sacrifice your time, your leisure, and your life to show her love. Be a man worth submitting to and following. Then Paul's words are not oppressive, but sacrificial. In marriage, both man and woman sacrifice themselves, and still there's no such thing as a perfect marriage on this side of glory. So why does Jesus bless marriage? Martin Luther said that "marriage is an estate that promotes faith in God and trains us to love our neighbor through all kinds of trouble, work, displeasure, cross, and all kinds of adversity." I Basically, marriage is a small picture of the Christian life. Your husband or wife is your closest neighbor. You'll sin and be sinned against. You'll forgive and need forgiveness. Marriage gives you a chance to learn and practice this forgiveness daily so that you can know it better here at church. When you walk into this Church, you forgive and you are forgiven as you submit to God's Word. Submitting to God's Word is not always easy or simple. Sometimes, oftentimes, God's Word tells you something you don't want to hear. I'm sure Mary was surprised by Jesus' response. "They have no wine," she said. "And Jesus said to her, 'Woman, what does this have to do with me?" (John 2:3-4). That's a rather rude way for Jesus to talk to His mother. What does Mary do? She trusts. She knows her son. She lays out the need and believes that God will be gracious. God's ways are not our ways. He does not always answer our prayers how we want Him to. We lay out our complaints, our temptations, our needs before Him, but life doesn't immediately get better. What do you do? You trust that God is gracious. Look at this miracle in John! Even though Jesus initially appears rude and uncaring, He provides an immense amount of wine for the feast, more than Mary could have imagined, more than the entire town of Cana could even drink! So when your prayer isn't answered immediately, repent and trust that God will give far more abundantly than you can imagine right now. God is faithful and He will follow through. Compare this to Man's ways. Juxtaposed against Jesus' generosity is the master of the feast. "When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine ... [he] called the bridegroom and said to him, 'Everyone serves the good wine first, and when the people are drunk, then the poor wine" (John 2:9-10). Did you catch that? Man starts out strong but gets stingy fast. He promises plenty, but the poor wine is coming before you know it. The master of the feast gave the bridegroom a thinly veiled rebuke. He might as well have said, "You fool! You're wasting the good stuff. The people can't taste this. The people can't appreciate your gifts. The people can't be worthy of this fine wine. They can't tell vintage from vinegar." Martin Luther, A Year in the Gospels with Martin Luther: Sermon's from Luther's Church Postil vol. 1 (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2018): 303. Compare Jesus with the master of the feast. Jesus seemed harsh initially but gave more than Mary expected. The master praised the fine wine but judged its late arrival. God gives grace upon grace. Man runs out of grace. These actions move opposite of each other. God's ways are not our ways. How wonderful, especially in a world of broken homes, sinful spouses, and stingy grace. God takes this picture of a wedding feast to reveal His love of sins forgiven, of grace unbounded, of families restored. That's what you have before you today. Jesus has sacrificed His life, His heavenly comfort, His eternal bliss to die for you, His bride. He gives you more than you could ever expect. And He spreads a magnificent table before you. Can you tell all the love given in this bread? Are you worthy of the sacrifice in this wine? Can you fully appreciate what this Supper is? Of course not. But the gifts you receive from this altar give grace upon grace. You come as a condemned sinner, but depart in peace. You taste bread and wine, but receive forgiveness, life, and salvation. You see your fellow Christians left and right, but you commune with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven. So come. The wedding feast is prepared. Jesus provides the wine. He gives grace upon grace unto life everlasting. Amen. NOW MAY THE PEACE THAT PASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING GUARD AND KEEP YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS IN CHRIST JESUS UNTO LIFE EVERLASTING. AMEN. Return to Top \| Return to Sermons \| Home \| Email Church Office

“St. John 2:1-11 Epiphany 2”
15 January 2023

Click for Audio

Pastor Schultz
Trinity Lutheran Church
Paola, Kansas

GRACE, MERCY, AND PEACE BE TO YOU FROM GOD OUR FATHER THROUGH OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST.
AMEN.

The Gospel reading from St. John shows Jesus at a wedding in Cana for His first miracle. When He changed the water into the wine, Jesus manifested, revealed, `epiphanied' His glory. There are plenty of remarkable aspects that stand out in this miracle: the number of characters interacting in so few verses, the immense quantity of wine provided, the master's rebuke to the bridegroom, and Jesus' brusque reply to Mary. Together, all these parts show that God's ways are not our ways, that His thoughts are not our thoughts. But not only are God's thoughts loftier, higher, and more heavenly, but they are the opposite of how Man thinks.

God's way is not our way when it comes to marriage. God first created and blessed marriage in the Garden of Eden. When no fit helper was found for Adam amongst all the many animals, God put Adam into a deep sleep. He took a rib from his side and formed Eve. Then Adam declared, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh" (Gen. 2:23). Eve was greater, better, more precious, and more perfect for Adam than any other creature. God had fashioned a woman who was distinct from the man, but together they were perfect.

But that perfection did not last. My Catechism students could tell you some of the gross and sad and sinful stories already in Genesis of how mankind corrupted and abused God's gift of sex and marriage. This has not stopped since Genesis. In fact, with all our improvements since the Stone Age, we have only invented new ways to abuse God's gifts and His grace. Just last month, the Congress of the United States of America passed the Respect for Marriage Act that chips away and slowly seeks to redefine marriage so that "Adam and Steve" or "Madam and Eve" can get married. Beyond this, homes are broken by divorce. Pornography runs rampant through your kids' phones, your Netflix shows, and every highway billboards. Marriage has been replaced by cohabitation. And too many couples spend too much time trying to afford their home rather than build up their home and raise their children. Our ways are not God's ways. We want instant gratification. We want to scratch the itch. We want to live without consequences or commitment. God's designs for marriage and the family have been abused and mocked by man.

In the realm of marriage and sexuality, our modern world — and yes, even our own lives — are tragically broken. But God does not give up on us. Still, He seeks and saves the lost. Jesus could have looked at the sins and shortcomings of that couple in Cana and politely declined the invitation. But quite the opposite happens. He comes to Cana and blesses the marriage with His presence. Why? Because God still loves marriage and blesses the sinful man and sinful woman getting married. This is a truth for us Christians to speak and confess in thought, word, and deed. We cannot submit to the world's definitions and affirmations and regulations for marriage. We confess God's truth and design for marriage and sexuality.

Our Epistle reading from Ephesians shows this beautifully. To be honest, Paul's words are quite counter-cultural. "Wives, submit to your own husbands" he says. Submit? That sounds oppressive! Why does Paul say that? Because he's not, first and foremost, looking at the women around him and saying "Submit." Paul is looking at Christ and His bride: that's you and me, the Church. We submit to Christ. We listen to God's Word. We follow our Lord. We should not try to tell God how it is or how it should be. Man is not the measure of reality. This is God's world. His ways are not our ways. His design for marriage is a picture of Jesus Christ and His bride. Jesus loved the church and gave Himself up for her. He laid down His life, His comfort, His future to die on the cross for His bride. He has redeemed you, o Church, with His own body and blood. As His bride, He has washed you and made you to be without any spot or wrinkle or stain. Jesus with His bride gives us the picture that every other marriage reflects. So husbands, take up your cross and follow Jesus. Man up. Defend your wife. Sacrifice your time, your leisure, and your life to show her love. Be a man worth submitting to and following. Then Paul's words are not oppressive, but sacrificial.

In marriage, both man and woman sacrifice themselves, and still there's no such thing as a perfect marriage on this side of glory. So why does Jesus bless marriage? Martin Luther said that "marriage is an estate that promotes faith in God and trains us to love our neighbor through all kinds of trouble, work, displeasure, cross, and all kinds of adversity." I Basically, marriage is a small picture of the Christian life. Your husband or wife is your closest neighbor. You'll sin and be sinned against. You'll forgive and need forgiveness. Marriage gives you a chance to learn and practice this forgiveness daily so that you can know it better here at church. When you walk into this Church, you forgive and you are forgiven as you submit to God's Word.

Submitting to God's Word is not always easy or simple. Sometimes, oftentimes, God's Word tells you something you don't want to hear. I'm sure Mary was surprised by Jesus' response. "They have no wine," she said. "And Jesus said to her, 'Woman, what does this have to do with me?" (John 2:3-4). That's a rather rude way for Jesus to talk to His mother. What does Mary do? She trusts. She knows her son. She lays out the need and believes that God will be gracious.

God's ways are not our ways. He does not always answer our prayers how we want Him to. We lay out our complaints, our temptations, our needs before Him, but life doesn't immediately get better. What do you do? You trust that God is gracious. Look at this miracle in John! Even though Jesus initially appears rude and uncaring, He provides an immense amount of wine for the feast, more than Mary could have imagined, more than the entire town of Cana could even drink! So when your prayer isn't answered immediately, repent and trust that God will give far more abundantly than you can imagine right now. God is faithful and He will follow through.

Compare this to Man's ways. Juxtaposed against Jesus' generosity is the master of the feast. "When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine ... [he] called the bridegroom and said to him, 'Everyone serves the good wine first, and when the people are drunk, then the poor wine" (John 2:9-10). Did you catch that? Man starts out strong but gets stingy fast. He promises plenty, but the poor wine is coming before you know it. The master of the feast gave the bridegroom a thinly veiled rebuke. He might as well have said, "You fool! You're wasting the good stuff. The people can't taste this. The people can't appreciate your gifts. The people can't be worthy of this fine wine. They can't tell vintage from vinegar."
Martin Luther, A Year in the Gospels with Martin Luther: Sermon's from Luther's Church Postil vol. 1 (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2018): 303.

Compare Jesus with the master of the feast. Jesus seemed harsh initially but gave more than Mary expected. The master praised the fine wine but judged its late arrival. God gives grace upon grace. Man runs out of grace. These actions move opposite of each other. God's ways are not our ways.

How wonderful, especially in a world of broken homes, sinful spouses, and stingy grace. God takes this picture of a wedding feast to reveal His love of sins forgiven, of grace unbounded, of families restored. That's what you have before you today. Jesus has sacrificed His life, His heavenly comfort, His eternal bliss to die for you, His bride. He gives you more than you could ever expect. And He spreads a magnificent table before you. Can you tell all the love given in this bread? Are you worthy of the sacrifice in this wine? Can you fully appreciate what this Supper is? Of course not. But the gifts you receive from this altar give grace upon grace. You come as a condemned sinner, but depart in peace. You taste bread and wine, but receive forgiveness, life, and salvation. You see your fellow Christians left and right, but you commune with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven.

So come. The wedding feast is prepared. Jesus provides the wine. He gives grace upon grace unto life everlasting. Amen.
NOW MAY THE PEACE THAT PASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING GUARD AND KEEP YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS IN CHRIST JESUS UNTO LIFE EVERLASTING.
AMEN.

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