The Shepherd’s Voice

Do Whatever He Tells You To Do!

Readings for Sunday, January 17^th
Isa 62:1-5
PS 36:5-10
1 Cor 12:1-11
Jn 2:1-11

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Last week we talked about getting completely wet. We were talking about allowing baptism to have its full effect in our lives, leaving nothing out. Taking this action is a matter of faith, a matter of knowing that God is in control, not just in the 1 -2 hours we spend together here on Sunday mornings, but 24/7, 365.

Faith for some of us is hard to find these days; faith in people, faith in changing laws, faith in changing policies, faith in a God without a solid scriptural base. Many people operate on an ambiguous and flexible framework of understanding where right and wrong become nebulous, hard to find or establish. This is an uncomfortable world.

We also see disasters in our world, like the earthquake in Haiti and we wonder, “where is God?” We are attacked by terrorists who wish to annihilate us, drive us back into the Stone Age and we say, “where is God?” Our spouse or a family member becomes very sick, or maybe our marriage is on the rocks, or we are in a life and death battle with our kids over drugs or sex or values and we say, “where is God?”

It seems Jesus’ mom knew the answer – she said, “Do whatever he tells you.” This context may not be in what we call a disastrous situation, a wedding without wine, however, having just gone through planning a wedding with my wife for my daughter last summer, I know weddings can seem like disasters when something is about to go wrong. Emotions run very, very high at weddings.

Here, in our story Jesus’ mom noticed “They have no wine.” She comments to her son and her son says, “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me?” A harsh remark.

As people not directly involved in the wedding, after all they were guests, not part of the wedding planners, they could have ignored the situation, turned their heads so to speak, but they didn’t. As Christians, living in Southern California we can turn our heads at situations that don’t involve us, like Haiti, but is that the right thing to do. I think not.

Jesus’ mom, Mary knew her son would do the right thing so she said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Mary had faith that her Son would have an answer to the disaster at the wedding. It doesn’t tell us here that she knew what he was going to do, she just said “Do whatever he tells you” indicating she had faith in her son.

In our story here who is Mary talking to? She is talking to the servants, the stewards of the wedding. Who are we in this world, we are God’s servants, the stewards of God’s creation and we are to do whatever God has told us to do.

The stewards are not the one’s creating the miracle, Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” The stewards followed Jesus’ direction and God turned the water into wine.

In our story the stewards filled the water jars, tasted the water, and called or notified the bridegroom. They did whatever Jesus told them to do. They took action, got completely wet, they ate their own cooking, and they proclaimed the good news. What a dramatic example of how God works in our world through us. We are God’s hands.

Warren Wiersbe said, “Faith that cannot be tested cannot be trusted.” “Do whatever he tells you” Mary told the servants. They filled the water jars.

As stewards of this church, God’s church, we are being asked to fill the water jars. In ancient times water was used to wash people’s feet and hands because they would be dusty and dirty from their travels and they needed to be purified so upon or before entering a house they would do wash.

As people of faith, are our water jars empty and need to be filled with life giving water? Do these jars that need to be filled with God’s Word, Bible study, finding once again a connection with God? Has your life become a slow fade, a slow progression of accepting less of yourself because you are not in touch with God’s almighty power?

What are your water jars? If Mary were to say to you, God’s steward, “Do whatever he tells you,” what would it be? Remember “Stewardship is what we do after we say we believe.” Stewardship is an attitude, a concept of living generously in all areas of our life.

It’s about understanding the difference between a philosophy of abundance and a philosophy of scarcity. Our hearts determine how we look at life. Our hearts determine whether we believe there will be enough to go around or if we are afraid there will never be enough for us, in the end.

You will be receiving in the mail next week a time and talent worksheet. I would ask you to think about those water jars, think about filling them. What is God asking of you as his/her steward?

In our gospel, after the stewards filled the jars they tasted the water. They tasted God’s miracle. Stewardship, living a life as God’s steward means trusting God. It means having faith, that even in the disasters of life, God is with you. Part of filling those water jars involves making decisions.

Jesus tells us “You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Matt 6:24) Mammon in scripture is often referred to as things that money can buy, possessions, stuff, or a way of life. Etc. As Christians we have to make a choice, Jesus doesn’t leave it up to circumstance, or family or what we have or don’t have. “You cannot serve God and mammon.”

My mom always used to say, “The bed you make, you sleep in it.” It’s a slightly different saying than “Do whatever he tells you,” but what my mom meant was, how we live our lives unfolds based on the decisions we make, the faith we embrace.

Make sure as we fill the water jars in our lives we fill them with something we are willing to taste and something that will bring true joy into our lives. Knowing what this may be is not always easy to discern; however, as we listen to God it becomes easier. God has written his word on our hearts, we know what it is and if we don’t we know where to go for help. Being here today means God wants you to “Do whatever he tells you,”

This may be dating me, but I’ve always been a big fan of Jonny Carson. Years ago when Johnny Carson was the host of The Tonight Show he interviewed an eight year old boy. The young man was asked to appear because he had rescued two friends in a coalmine outside his hometown in West Virginia. As Johnny questioned the boy, it became apparent to him and the audience that the young man was a Christian. So Johnny asked him if he attended Sunday school.

When the boy said he did, Johnny inquired, “What are you learning in Sunday school?” “Last week,” came his reply, “our lesson was about when Jesus went to a wedding and turned water into wine.” The audience roared, but Johnny tried to keep a straight face.

Then Jonny said, “And what did you learn from that story?” The boy squirmed in his chair. It was apparent he hadn’t thought about this. But then he lifted up his face and said, “If you’re going to have a wedding, make sure you invite Jesus!”

This answer is profound in so many ways. The last verse of our gospel says “Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.” This wedding story is about developing the seeds of faith.

Mary told the servants, the stewards, of course that would be us, “Do whatever he tells you.” Can it be anymore clear then this?

When we invite Jesus to the weddings in our life our lives become joyful, fantastic, unbelievable!

When we fill our jars with the Word of God, with the knowledge that Christ came to baptize us NOT just with water, but with the Holy Spirit and with fire, our lives will be changed because of the good news.

When we do whatever God tells us, our understanding of God becomes radically different, we become new creatures in Christ, new creations in God’s kingdom.

Just as John says this miracle in Cana was a sign revealing God’s glory. So this coming week how can we be signs of God’s glory as we live as stewards of faith in this church, this community, this country, and this world.

“Stewardship is what we do after we say we believe.” I say lets, do whatever God tells us.

Amen

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