Speech by Benson Cherian
+ In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit Amen.
Respected Achen, Teachers, Parents, and my Dear Friends,
Today’s Bible reading is taken from Saint John chapter 2 versus 1 to 11. This bible passage tells the story of Jesus’ first miracle that actually gains him recognition as being the Son of God.
As we all know, today is the last Sunday before The Great Lent which begins tomorrow. As we look back into history, we learn of Jesus’ travels as he proclaimed the word of God through is amazing miracles. But the first of the seven miracles where he revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.
This miracle happened at a wedding taken place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus and his disciples, as well as his mother, Mary, were all invited to this wedding. Jewish weddings were steeped in tradition and ritual. One of the customs was providing an extravagant feast for guests. But as the party continued, the host ran out of wine for his guests. In that culture, such a miscalculation would have been a great humiliation for the bride and groom. It was at this time, that Mary the mother of Jesus, went to her son and told him that they have no wine. Jesus then replied to his mother, “Woman, what concerns is that to and to me. My hour has not yet come.” Mary then instructs the servants to listen to what Jesus tells them to do. Nearby stood six stone water jars, which were primarily used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, and they each held around 20 to 30 gallons of water. Jesus then tells the servants to fill containers with water and to draw out some and take it to the chief waiter. After the chief waiter had tasted the water, which now has miraculously transformed into wine, he begins to congratulate the bridegroom and states, “Everyone brings out the best wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you saved the best until now.” This, the first of his miraculously signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee.
Let’s first begin critically analyzing some of the crucial aspects that correlate with this miracle. In the very beginning of this miracle, the first verse, it states that Jesus, his mother Mary and his disciples were all INVITED to the Wedding of Cana. If Jesus had not been invited to that wedding the miracle would not have taken place. Likewise, we must invite Jesus into every area of our lives. We must seek His blessing and His guidance in every aspect of our lives. The next step in this miracle can also be known as the intercession. It is here, where we make our concerns known to God through Mary, the mother of God. Mary truly believed that Jesu has the ability to help her more than anyone else can. Like Mary, and as Christians, we must do the same. Instead of rushing to our friends and relatives to share our needs, we first must go to the Lord and ask for guidance through our problems. We must understand that it is always and only through Christ, in which our problems our solved. The third part of the lesson taught to us by Jesus, is that we must be fully obedient of what he commands. Our faith in him, must never falter as we obey his commandments fully. As seen in this miracle, the servants fully obeyed Jesus’ commands. Jesus told them to go get pots and fill them to the brim with water. Without even inquiring of Jesus, the servants immediately went and did as he told. Not one ounce of doubt was in the heart of these servants. And because they fully obeyed Jesus’ commandments, wine was restored to the party. Again, as Christians, we must be like the servants who obeyed every word that Jesus told them to do, and we must live according to the word of God. The next part of the miracle demonstrates how God uses us to fulfill his will. In the story, Jesus used both the pots, as well as the water to emphasize the power of God. The pots that the servants found were not special in any way, nor was the water. But it was through Jesus, through the power of God, that transformed the water into wine. Like the pots and the water, we must take in the word of God, and then let it transform us, as Jesus did when he changed the water into wine. When we are fully transformed, it is then that we can be used as vessels for God’s purposes. Finally, the last aspect of the miracle is its outcome. What was the purpose of Jesus turning the water into wine? It was clearly not an emergency, nor was it a death-life situation. However, Jesus still performed this miracle with ease. The miracle actually inspired the disciples and caused them to develop a strong faith in the Lord. Now let me conclude my sermon by asking all of you and myself to be fully captivated and inspired by all of the great works that Jesus has done for us. Also, as we are fasting each day during this lent, let us ponder about the significance of this fasting, and pray for God to guide us in the right direction not just in the Great Lent, but in our everyday lives.
Thank You
