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| Norma A. Boeckler |
The Second Sunday after the Epiphany, 2019
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual
The Gospel
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Hymn # 370 My Hope Is Built
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Hymn # 370 My Hope Is Built
The Instant of God's Word
The Hymn #128 Brightest and Best
The Hymn #128 Brightest and Best
The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #309 O Jesus, Blessed Lord
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #309 O Jesus, Blessed Lord
KJV Romans 12:6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; 7 Or ministry, let us wait on ourministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; 8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness. 9 Letlove be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. 10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; 11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; 12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; 13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. 14 Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. 15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. 16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.
KJV John 2:1 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: 2 And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. 3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. 4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. 5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. 6 And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins [GJ -10 gallons per firkin] apiece. 7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. 9 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, 10 And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now. 11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.
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| Norma A. Boeckler |
SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY
Lord God, heavenly Father, we thank Thee, that of Thy grace Thou hast instituted holy matrimony, in which Thou keepest us from unchastity, and other offenses: We beseech Thee to send Thy blessing upon every husband and wife, that they may not provoke each other to anger and strife, but live peaceably together in love and godliness, receive Thy gracious help in all temptations, and rear their children in accordance with Thy will; grant unto us all to walk before Thee, in purity and holiness, to put all our trust in Thee, and lead such lives on earth, that in the world to come we may have everlasting life, through the same, Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
Background for the Sermon
People take for granted water turned into wine, because we know this miracle so well from John 2. However, the miracle represents a crucial element in the unified Truth taught to us in God's Word. The Scriptures are not many doctrines that can be discussed, debated, dropped, amended, or improved, but One Doctrine, taught coherently throughout the 66 books. For that reason, the German Reformation avoided doctrines in the plural and emphasized the Doctrine.
Because of our own limitations, we break that down to talk about one part of this great Truth and we see how it is taught from Genesis 1 onward.
The efficacy and power of the Word is clearly taught in the Word in many places. In this miracle, this efficacy of God's Word is simply displayed, with many subordinate lessons in a few verses - only 11.
This efficacy and power is the reason why we say that the Holy Spirit is always the energy (Greek - meaning works in) of the Word, and that the Holy Spirit never works apart from the Word. When Jesus spoke of the work of the Spirit in the Church, He meant the Spirit at work in the Word. What must be taught? - faith. John 16.
The first example of this Spirit/Word connection is Creation itself. When God the Father commanded, the Spirit witnesses that the Son is the Creating Word - Genesis 1. How do we know that? John is - a commentary on - and the fulfillment of the Torah, the Five Books of Moses. John 1 explains that all things were created by the Logos - the Word - and clearly identifies Jesus as the Creating Word.
This is a mystery revealed by the Holy Spirit, not something deduced by man's wisdom, which Luther called Dame Reason. Notice how much Dame Reason has "improved upon" the Creation. DR says it took billions of years because we cannot imagine the universe created in six 24-hour days. Nor can we imagine Jesus turning water into the finest wine - this is revealed (with great advantages) as a display of the power of the Word. Dame Reason flinches at merely denying the Creation, so instead reason is blended with faith, making faith disappear from this improved teaching. In fact, the LCA - in the past - went to court to support evolution when it was a controversy in certain school systems.
We must always keep in our minds what God teaches in
- Genesis 1 and John 1 - Creation by the Word
- Isaiah 55:8ff - the effectiveness of God's Word, never returning void.
- John 16 - the primary mission - creating and sustaining faith in Christ.
- Romans 10 - the reverse order of salvation through the Means of Grace; calling upon the Lord is forgiveness and salvation; calling comes from believing; and believing comes from hearing the Gospel Word.
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| Norma A. Boeckler |
The Instant of God's Word
KJV John 2:1 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: 2 And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.
The setting for this miracle is a modest wedding in Galilee. Luther wrote about two things that are also common today. One is despising the state of marriage. The other is the outrageous displays and costs of weddings in his time.
The details are extremely important because so much is said in a few words. The emphasis on the mother of Jesus shows that she had a leadership role in this marriage, especially since parents of the couple are not mentioned.
Secondly, the presence of Jesus and His disciples reveals that He approved of marriage. The disciples saw this and the power of the Word.
Some religions of that era considered the single state more noble than marriage, which was also part of their debasement of women. In contrast, Judaism assumed that everyone should be married and had many ways to support the married couple.
3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.
We can see the managerial role of Mary when she asked her Son to do something about running out wine. This verse also shows her faith, because she did not tell Him what to do (as so many modern occult and success prayers do) but told Him the problem in faith, believing He could solve the problem.
4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.
The translators are not honest when they fiddle with the text. Jesus' response is difficult on the surface, as intended, but the translators want to say "Dear Woman" instead of "Woman." Jesus addressed His mother twice in the Gospel of John, both times simply as "woman," to show His Lordship over her. At the cross, He said, "Woman, behold your son." and "Son, behold your mother."
This response also states clearly that Jesus is not subordinate to His mother. The second part is slang, so it is impossible to say exactly what it means. Lenski takes it to mean, "This is My concern, not yours." This is one of those passages to wonder about, and God therefore makes us think more about a few words than the whole lesson. That is good because a lot of learning comes from that. I insist to all Biblical classes and theology classes that we learn from the Word directly, not from what books tell us the Word says.
Many times, I say to myself, "No Luther has found something that is not there at all." But later I see that his total grasp of the Bible reveals how one passage relates to the others. Most importantly, he wants us to see the unified view, which cannot be attempted unless we look at the finest details and the entire picture.
It was not yet Jesus' hour to reveal His divine majesty, so Mary should have desisted. However, instead we see her faith in Him.
5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.
The order - for emphasis - is exactly right. In Greek - "Whatever He says, do it."
This is the ultimate answer of faith in God's Word. The greatest and most profound example of faith in that little wedding was Mary's. I am saying, Mary is not the lesson - faith is. She alone knew the Two Natures in her Son. He was born from her, but conceived by the Holy Spirit. No one knew so much about Him. This the first of the miracles, so the disciples were followers but they lacked the repeated signs of His divine majesty.
Mary had more exposure to the Gospel Promises and the cross. She suffered a thousand deaths looking for Jesus when He was in the Temple. His cool response as a boy! showed that the place to find Him was in the Temple, not in the everyday affairs of this world. More Gospel means more faith, though the Gospel is terribly demanding and bitter at times, before the fruit of the Spirit appears.
6 And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. 7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water.
Details mean emphasis, so the waterpots held 20-30 gallons x a total of six. This means an enormous amount of special wine became available, a huge amount for a small wedding.
Another detail is the separation between Jesus and the containers. The servants filled them with water. The servants passed the water turned wine to the toast-master.
8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.
The details show the impossibility of this being a trick, a sleight of hand. A magician says, "This is what you will see" and uses special equipment and great reflexes to make that seem to happen.
The waterpots were filled by the servants. They saw the water, which cannot be mistaken for wine. The distinctive aroma of wine was missing too.
Even more details are provided to show what a surprise this was.
9 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, 10 And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.
This is one of many passages in John that makes people smile - or should. The humor is that the miracle make toast-master tell off the groom, who is equally innocent of the miracle.
This is also the best wine, which has meaning for the miracle but also speaks to the overall message of the Bible.
11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.
This gave the disciples cause to trust in Jesus, though we can see from this Gospel that they needed many more lessons - as we also do.
Mary did not tell Jesus how to provide. She only reminded Him of the need.
This is one of the miracles that tests our understanding of the Word. The water become wine in an instant because Jesus, as the Lord of Creation, had the divine power through His Word to accomplish this instantly.
The problem built up slowly in human terms but the marriage went forward. They got by with the minimum, and that was not enough. They had some wine but not enough. So the shortage developed in a way that would show the marriage party and small town how God was present in the flesh.
Likewise, we can see problems build up which grow until they become unbearable. God does not seem to answer prayers, or seems to be saying No. But in a flash, He can and does work miracles that can only come from Him. All of Creation comes from Him, so He manages this universe according to His wisdom and mercy.
Marriage and Family
We can see that God created only one estate, marriage for men and women, with children raised by their parents. The evidence is clear - the world despises marriage and children and works ceaselessly to delay and end marriage, to prevent and neglect children.
But God blesses marriage and the family, so people need to know they are living in a divinely honored state, no matter what anyone might think. Although couples often think they are in want, because many difficulties arise, God shows that the best wine - the blessings of marriage come later, not necessarily at first.
The modern view of marriage would translate in this miracle into people leaving because they ran out of wine and the couple fighting over the fact they had no money. "Why did you have to invite 13 men to the wedding? We were bound to run out?"
The wedding miracle should inform us about all of God's actions. The need is often felt but no one has the wisdom to figure out how to solve the problem in the right way at the right time. Nor can anyone figure out how to end up with many more times the blessings than they could imagine.
It is clear that when the focus is on the material, it is never enough, or people grow weary of the material and find no satisfaction. When we our treasure is in heaven, it is entirely different. That moves us to think of others, to appreciate God's grace and mercy given to us.
A Lesson from Ungrateful Birds
I have have often called birds "ingrates" because I tend their feeding and watering places but I find no display, just abandoned feeders. With the storm coming, I poured 10 pounds of bird seed on two platforms (large plastic garbage cans). In their cold and lack of normal food, they welcomed my offerings and flocked around all day - cardinals, blue jays, juncos, and many more.
Those who appreciate God's grace most of all are those who feel that need for forgiveness.
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| Norma A. Boeckler |
