Sermon

I wonder what it was that first gave you a desire to go to church. Was it the thought of meeting with other people, just getting out of the house for change or was it a much deeper spiritual experience? Whatever it was, hopefully there is now a real wish to meet with Jesus in an act of worship and praise. Of course, it is unusual to have to do so in the form of a written service but wherever you are at this moment the Lord Jesus Christ is present with you in the form of His Holy Spirit. In Johns gospel, as indeed in many other parts of the bible, there is illuminating evidence of who Jesus is, what He does and the extent of influence he can have upon our lives when we make ourselves available to him.

The Lords first miracle took place at a wedding in Cana as we were reminded from our bible reading and is a story with which we are probably quite familiar but it was indeed an amazing miracle of transformation. Until the coming of Jesus Jewish religion was based on legalistic traditions taken from the Ten Commandments. A series of do's and don'ts that had been elaborated on until it was virtually impossible to fulfil the conditions as they were presented. The coming of Jesus was like a breath of fresh air and this first miracle was symbolic of much that was to follow. Mary would have been fully aware of the exceptional nature of her son and she encourages the servants to fill the water jars. It must have seemed like a ridiculous thing that the servants were being asked to do and sometimes God encourages us to do things, the purpose for which we have difficulty in understanding. It is at that point that we have to trust our heavenly father confident in the fact that He knows best as will be confirmed at some stage through our obedience.

The six water jars were of 20-30 gallons capacity and they were normally used for ceremonial washing which is quite appropriate for the transformation that was about to take place but there was quite a celebration in the offing. Water into wine is consistent with the transformation referred to by the apostle Paul when he writes about being dead to sin and alive in Christ or in writing to to the Corinthians expressing the view that anyone in Christ is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come.

Life is full of changes; childhood to adulthood, single to married which in itself can be something of a culture shock, active to slowing down and the changing of water into wine was equally dramatic. What was also noticeable was that it was not the cheap run of the mill kind that was on offer but the very best. Unfortunately for many people Christianity is more like water than wine or even at the very best something cheap and disappointing. Our faith in Christ is not intended to be a poor substitute for eating, drinking and making merry but is about a transformation that opens the way for the very best in life that is available for all who would wish to share in the promises of God.

Now it doesn't mean that we have to be blackguards before and saints afterwards and it doesn't necessarily mean that a dramatic instantaneous change will take place but in order to be partakers of all that is available to us there will need to be a transformation. Subsequent to the wedding at Cana as recorded in Johns gospel Jesus met with the highly respected Pharisee called Nicodemus and challenges him to be born again. To give him credit Nicodemus was curious enough to seek out Jesus, probably a little fearful of what others might think of him, so he came at night. I doubt very much that he anticipated the response that he got but his later involvement with the recovery of the body of Jesus suggests that what was said significantly impacted upon him.

In normal life from being childlike we become mature, accept responsibilities and often move into parenthood and so the cycle continues. There is intended to be a similar progression within the Christian faith from the new life that is on offer. The need to be born again stems from the failure of one man in a garden or as a friend of mine used to say it was not the apple on the tree which caused the problem but the pair on the ground. Sin is a natural part of life but the new birth about which Jesus spoke is the beginning of the transforming work that he wants to do in each of our lives. It is also the reason why he left the security of heaven, not only to give us life, but to give us life to the full. Press a button on a computer game when things are not working out and you can just begin again. If we get it wrong in our walk with Christ we can repent, confess our sins and begin again it is as simple as that. Forgiveness is guaranteed.

I don't know about you but when I look around the world today and see the problems that are needing to be addressed it can be discouraging even despairing knowing that whatever legislation governments introduce they cannot change the hearts of people. Encouragement comes when I reflect on the character and nature of God who is able to do great and glorious things and offers everyone, no matter how bad or good they may think themselves to be, a fresh start. He extends an invitation to be born again, to be transformed and to bring hope when all seems to be hopeless. We, who belong to the church of Christ, are privileged in being entrusted with this knowledge and given the responsibility of sharing what we know to be true. If we fail in our duty the world suffers. Therefore may our faithful, loving God help us in our pursuit of His will as we work for the transformation of this His world?