John 2: 1-11
The first wedding I ever performed was for my friend Josh and his wife Magen. They lived in Colorado at the time. I was nervous the morning of the wedding, but everything went well. And after the wedding it was time to celebrate: I took my clerical collar and started tearing up the dance floor! Toward the end of the night one of the bartenders came up to me and said he wanted to thank me. He told me he was raised in a very conservative church and that he was amazed to see a pastor having so much fun. Amazed in a good way! He was surprised to see a pastor dancing, having a beer, and not taking myself too seriously. We talked a while and he said he hadn’t gone to church in a long time, but that his mother had always thought he would be a preacher someday. I tried to explain as best I could that God is not against us enjoying life. Though obviously there is a line that can be crossed if we start living selfishly, ignoring others, and forgetting God because we’re too addicted to always having a good time. Ultimately though, God created us to share in the joy of the universe. After a good conversation with this man, I recommended he check out the ELCA church I interned at in Denver. We shook hands, wished each other well, and went our separate ways.
I’ve shared this story before, but I tell it again because I think it really highlights the point of our Gospel reading this morning. Not just because it was a wedding story, but more because I think it highlights that Jesus’ first miracle was for the sake of celebration! We tend to think Jesus is all about serious business. And while being the Savior of the world is serious stuff, I think this being Jesus’ first miracle is important because it sets the tone for what everything else to come is about: that we may have abundant life, joy and laughter, community and fellowship. Experiencing all the good things in life is what God intends for us. In this miracle Jesus is not encouraging drunkenness or irresponsible behavior, but He is encouraging us enjoy life and to be grateful for the overflowing abundance we have in God.
Later in the Gospel of John Jesus says, “I came that you may have life and have it abundantly”. This abundant life is seen in the central role joy and community celebration play in Jesus’ first miracle. I don’t think it’s coincidence that this is His first miracle, or as John calls it His first sign. This event sets the tone for everything Jesus is about: joy, community, abundant life.
Most of Jesus’ miracles were healings or exorcisms, they had to do with helping those who are suffering. And obviously that’s very important. But Jesus’ mission is not just to heal us from sin and pain and suffering—not just to free us from the negative—but to enhance the positive in our lives. Not just to bring us out of suffering to some neutral place, but to bring us to a really joy-filled positive place. To give us life in all its fullness!
Now I’m not talking about superficial happiness. I’m talking about the joy of being that should be our natural response to life. The joy and gratitude that is God’s intention for all people.
I think it’s fair to say that most people are so busy and so stressed that we actually find it difficult to enjoy life. We disregard our Sabbath rest for the purpose of important ventures that are supposed to make us happier in the long run, but which make us more stressed and disconnected now. God wasn’t kidding when He told Moses that Sabbath rest should be one of the Ten Commandments. God didn’t command a day of rest just so we could work harder after we’ve regained our strength. It’s the other way around: work exists so we can get the necessary things done to enjoy life. And if you enjoy your work all the better!
Life is a great adventure meant to be lived joyfully, gratefully. God wants us to celebrate being alive. Enjoy each precious moment. Be mindful of God’s good gifts and pay attention to God’s presence in your life. Don’t strive to make yourself happy by accumulating things; rather discover the pure joy of being that nothing can take away, and dedicate yourself to following Jesus’ call to help those who are suffering so that all may have abundant life.
As Christians we are called to serve those in need so that they may have abundant life too. We are called to change structures that perpetuate poverty, oppression, and racism. We are called to stand against violence and war and everything that opposes abundant life. We are called to dedicate our lives to Christ’s mission of bringing the goodness and joy and abundant life of God to all people. And as we know from Jesus’ own example, this may man taking up our cross and entering into suffering, in order to challenge the sin and selfish systems that cause our so much suffering in this world.
That’s what the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whom we honor this weekend, dedicated his life to. Working for the betterment of the oppressed so that all people might have abundant life. Inspired by his Christian faith, MLK got political and changed the world for the better. MLK knew that the world he described in his “I Have A Dream” speech is the world God dreams of establishing too. A world of peace and justice. A world of kindness and love. A world of diversity and unity. Before it was MLK’s dream it was first God’s dream. This fact is revealed throughout scripture and throughout the teachings of Jesus and the Hebrew prophets. God’s dream is a world of shalom. A world of equity, joy, and genuine happiness. A world of abundant life for all.
Eventually, as we all know, MLK was assassinated. Killed because he stood up to sin and worked to manifest the abundant life God desires for all people. And as we know, in Jesus’ life there came a time to leave the wedding banquet and take up His cross and enter into suffering on behalf of the world. Likewise, we know that Jesus calls us to take up our cross and follow Him. So while God desires abundant life for all, we are also called to bear our cross on behalf of this suffering world. But we also know that what the cross leads to is joyful Resurrection! Suffering does not have the last word, God’s promise of abundant life has the last word!
Yes those who seek to bring abundant life to others may find ourselves called to enter into suffering on behalf of the world. Yet, even then we can experience the joy of being and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding. And we know that suffering does not have the last word, God’s promise of abundant life does!
And so, we are disciples of Christ who work to share abundant life with all people. Even if that means entering into suffering. Because we know that Jesus came to bring abundant life to all, both in this life and the next. And so we follow our Savior’s example—celebrating life and the joy of community. Working so that all people may experience the goodness and abundance of God, even and especially when working for that comes at a cost. We do this not because we have to in order to earn God’s favor or forgiveness, but because we have been so touched by the new life we have in Christ that we naturally want to share this goodness and abundant life with others. When we experience it, we naturally respond with gratitude and generosity. And dedicate our lives to manifesting this abundant life in the world.
Being a follower of Jesus isn’t about living sternly, never smiling, never dancing like my bartender friend was taught to believe. Following Jesus is about celebration and joy. Having the peace of Christ in your heart and letting it shine through into every situation. It's about living gratefully and generously, and following God’s call to help those who are suffering so that all may have abundant life. It’s about participating in Christ’s work of manifesting the Kingdom of God. And so let us rejoice in the gift of life. Let us dedicate ourselves to cultivating gratitude and joy in our hearts. And let us follow Jesus who calls us to serve those who are poor and suffering, so that all people may experience the abundant life God intends for us.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Pastor Brian | Second Sunday after Epiphany | January 19, 2025
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