Life of the Party
by the Rev. AJ Ochart
Sermon Notes
Many of us have participated in and planned a wedding or big party and it. is. stressful! I have never been a part of a wedding in which something did not go wrong, whether three months ahead, or on the day (or both). When I officiate a wedding (or just know people who are getting married), I always tell them that ‘things will go wrong, but the only thing that actually matters at the end of the day, is that you get married.’
things will go wrong
In first century Levant, the stakes were even higher. In a honor/shame society, a wedding faux pas is not just a oopsie-doopsie, it is an event that could mean shame for the family for generations. But with that, at the end of the day, it would not have been the end of the world. The couple would still be married, the guests would have still had a good time (albeit an earlier night than they were expecting), or in the words of my wife’s Stage Management crew ‘no babies died.’ Simply put, Jesus did not have to do anything.
But Jesus did do something. And in the extravagance that we will often see from John’s Gospel, Jesus does not just phone it in. Not only does Jesus give in abundance, but a superabundance. And all because his mother trusted that he could, nudged him to do what even he was not sure he could (or should) do.
Questions for Consideration
- What wedding (or funeral, or party, etc.) disaster stories do you have?
- How have you experienced God’s abundance or superabundance in a time of challenge?
- When has the encouragement of someone inspired you to do something that you didn’t think you could do?
