Scripture Passage
Sermon Text
The Reality of Our Life
Throughout our life, we will encounter numerous problems and challenges. Whether they are small or big, we will encounter them. Throughout our life, whether we like it or not, we will experience hardship from those problems and challenges. There is no one who does not have a problem. That is the reality of our life. When I visited members house and listened to their stories, it seems to me that almost every household has its own problems and issues and prayer topics. Health issues, or financial issues, problems in the relationship with their in-laws or children, and so on.
When my kids were little, we used to have smaller problems. I know so many times we went to Sick Kids emergency room because their health was not that strong yet. You know, a little cold became pneumonia and then asthmatic symptoms and all that. But now that my kids are big, we have different kinds of problems to deal with. I shouldn’t share with you at this moment, but different kinds of problems. And the people in the Bible, they have the same issues. I love the Bible because of that. Bible does not pretend. Bible includes the stories of human, the people, as truly human as possible.
Jacob from Genesis talked about his life before the Pharaoh of Egypt in this way. And Jacob said to Pharaoh, the years of my pilgrimage are 130. My years have been few and difficult and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers. We can see Jacob. Jacob saw his life as a journey. A pilgrimage. And that pilgrimage, journey was difficult, not an easy one. As some of you may know, many members of KSM, KSM means Korean speaking congregation ministry, came from North Korea, the North side of the Korean peninsula. Especially during the Korean war in 1950s, I know there are a few from our church who were actually on the last boat that left the harbour of Hungnam, North Korea. The boat carried about 14,000 civilians who left the harbour on Christmas Eve, 1950.
You know that people made a movie about the lives of those evacuees. The movie is called ‘Ode to My Father’ or ‘International Market’ (국제시장). As they took their lives as sojourners, some of them even came to Canada and settled in. As some of you may know directly who that person is, it will not be an exaggeration that life is full of problems and challenges. But what makes the real difference in life is not in the size of the problems, whether it is big or small, but how we would handle that problem. The quality of our life will depend on how we will deal with the problems in life. People respond to the problems differently. Why not, eh? Some would fall into fear when even a tiny problem occurs to them, they become paralyzed, totally understandable. And some will fall into a temptation of blaming others, as if they are not responsible for the problems. Since Lily’s not here, Lily always blamed me. “That’s your problem.” Oops, it’s been recording… Too late, busy justifying themselves. These attitudes and responses will not help the situation, but worsen the problems.
A psychiatrist, Viktor Frankl, who survived the Auschwitz concentration camp once said this, “You cannot control what happens to you, but you can always control how you respond to what happens to you.” I love this saying. It was his earnest prayer for survival. When so many of his friends, Jews, we’re literally slaughtered every day, every moment, it was his cry out to God that he must live. He must continue to live. Even in such a devastating situation. We will encounter numerous problems in life, but there are times when there seems to be no solutions for the problems. Just like the life condition in that concentration camp. There seems to be no hope.
The Wine Runs Out
The problem in today’s story may not be so serious, but it could have been so devastating because it would damage the honour of the family who hosted the wedding party. In the context of honour and shame in society, not having enough wine could have been worse than the matter of life and death. Yes, the wine ran out during the wedding party. It is something unthinkable happening to you. By the way, we have eight weddings taking place this year alone, and three are done and five more to go. Do not drink and drive, friends, seriously Uber or carpool, or I think I will drive. But back in Jesus’ time, there were not many other amusements or social events available for the people, especially for those who are farmers or peasants. A wedding was the only venue that they could come, relax and enjoy and drink after long hours of field work.
And the problem was that at such an important time, the wine ran out too early, and it means no fun at all. Sometimes we can solve the problems if we just calm our hearts, take a deep breath and think through it. Sometimes not often. There’s a Korean proverb saying, ‘even though you have been caught by a tiger, you can survive if you are fully alert.’ But we all know very well through our experiences that there are times even we think hard, think through it, we cannot solve the problems. So we become helpless. The problem in today’s text is that kind, something we cannot solve ourselves. The most joyous event in life lacks the wine and it is beyond their abilities and our ability. We can’t just run to a nearby LCBO and grab more wine, they cannot. But my friends, such a helpless human condition is indeed the factor that releases God’s compassion.
Jesus’ First Sign
Very strange how our God works, such a helpless situation. That is the factor that releases God’s compassion. Thank goodness, and thank God that Jesus was in the wedding party that day. Jesus knew the situation and he turned the water into wine and solve the problem that could have been devastating to many. The author of today’s text concludes the story in this way. The last verse, “Jesus did this. The first of his signs in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory and his disciples believed in him.” Today’s story is about the first sign Jesus performed. Being the first sign, it has a significant meaning to it. In the gospel of John, Jesus’ miracles are not described as miracles, but as signs. And sign means it’s symbolizing something else. It points to a truer revelation about Jesus. We are not supposed to see the miracle itself, but see what the miracle tries to reveal to us.
Throughout the gospel of John, John tries to reveal who Jesus was. Unlike the other gospels, Jesus’ disciples, they didn’t get it until the end. But here in chapter two, already, Jesus’ disciples saw it, tasted it experienced it, and all of those things brought them into faith and they believed Jesus. From chapter one, John describes Jesus in this way, “And the word became flesh and lived among us. And we have seen his glory, the glory of a father’s only son full of grace and truth.” The word became flesh and the rest of the gospel shows us how the grace and how the presence of Jesus tastes like, looks like, smells like, sounds like, and feels like. And in today’s text, as Jesus turned the water to wine, it shows us that Jesus knows our needs, and he is willing to fill our needs. At the end of John 20, which is considered as the real last chapter of the gospel, John concludes his gospel in this way, “But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.” Red colour life in his name. Jesus, the word became flesh came to the world, came to us to give us life. The fact that he turned the water to wine is to give us life abundantly. It is called the first sign.
The word can mean first, but it has another meaning like primary or foundationally first. Jesus wants us to be filled with life more than anything else in the world. That’s what it means, the first sign. Jesus did not summon us to have a prayer meeting as his first sign. Jesus did not declare fasting as his first sign. But Jesus wants us to be filled with joy and to celebrate life with one another. John says something similar in John 10:10, “I came that they may [you may] have life and have it abundantly.” And when life is overflowing from us, isn’t that joy? Life full forces overflowing from us. Isn’t that joy? Isn’t that love? Isn’t that forgiveness? Isn’t that serving and caring?
Let Us Have Abundant Life
When we have this abundant life, we will not lose joy even in a difficult situation. How profound and how abundant the life of Jesus is. I was able to imagine that by calculating how much wine Jesus made, by turning the water into wine. The text says there were six stone water jars, right? I did some calculations. One jar can hold 20 or 30 gallons. So let’s put it as 30 gallons. Okay. And one gallon is 3.785 litres. And what is the size of the regular wine bottle? 750mL. Yes, correct Edward. So with one gallon, we will have about five bottles of wine. And this means six times five. Six times 30 times five times, 900 bottles of wine. God is not stingy. God is not like us. Overflowing! Enjoy it! Have life! Overcome difficulties with that joy. That’s the life I want you to live. 900 bottles, 200 guests. How many bottles?
Abundant grace of Jesus is beyond our imagination. It is crazy. He’s crazy. Extravagant. And his wine was the best wine. This is our Jesus whose wine will never run dry in our life. I was able to have a chance to talk to Rev. Jane Yoon when she was visiting us and as I explained to her what had happened in the past 10 months since she left our church, while I was talking to her, I was able to realize that with God’s grace, I was, the church, was able to come this far. I have encountered unthinkable and unimaginable challenges in and out of this church. But in retrospect, God provided me his grace, the sufficient grace, that I was able to go through the challenges. How much I pray to God for help. How often I bring my fear to the feet of Jesus. “I cannot do this God, I cannot do this.”
The Power of Resurrection
Jesus always fills my heart with his life force – the power of resurrection. Whenever I die to my fear, whenever I die to my wrongful desire, I was able to taste his grace, smell his grace, feel his presence here and there. In the past few months through that journey, my faith has grown and has become stronger than before. Sometimes I did not even have the strength to pray to God, but God turned the water to wine, providing sufficient grace to me. I do not deserve such abundant grace. My friends, I do not know what kind of life challenges, problems you’re facing today, but have faith in Jesus who will turn the water to wine. With his abundant grace, he will turn our sorrow to joy, weakness to strength, even death to life.
Look for Jesus in your life. How he will turn the water to wine. The more we taste the grace, the stronger our faith will become. The more we are filled with grace, we will have stronger faith. And because of this gradual maturation or fermentation per se, I don’t know the chemical reaction; we will be able to face life’s challenges with a different attitude. We will know that we will not be able to deal with the problems alone, but we will also know that there is God who is bigger than this universe, and who has compassion for us. He will strengthen us with his life force. Jesus is full of mercy and compassion. Because of his compassion, even though it wasn’t his time, it wasn’t his time at all, but he turned the water into wine. Because of his compassion, he will fill our needs and fill our hearts with joy and abundant life.
Eventually, Jesus died on the cross, pouring out his blood, all his blood, to give us eternal life. Please, have faith in Jesus and go through the challenges of life with this life force he has given us. When abundant life is overflowing, joy will be overflowing and it will enable us to embrace sorrows and suffering that are from the life challenges. Try not to get rid of sorrows or suffering, but with greater joy, embrace the sorrow and suffering and walk right through them. Whenever you encounter problems, please pray like this, “Oh God, run through your wine in my life, so that joy can embrace sorrow and continue to live this life abundantly.” May God turn your sorrow to joy as he will fill your needs with his abundant grace. Amen.
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