The Best Comes Later Series

JOHN 2:1-11

11 This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.

If you were writing trying to convince someone that Jesus was the Son of God and wanted to tell them about some of His miracles, which one would you start with?

1) Lazarus being raised from the dead 2) Demon possessed boy

3) Man at the tombs 4) Blind Bartimaus

Water into Wine? – A Miracle at a wedding ? Why

Rarest bottle of wine ever sold. Purchased by Christopher Forbes for &160,000 and had on it the inscription, 1787 Lafitte TH. J(assumed to be owned by Thomas Jefferson. Not near as good as the wine we will discuss this morning

1 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; 2 and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.

Unusual weddings. I read about a couple from Little Rock, Arkansas. Ann Smith and Jim Garner were married atop a telephone pole. They were both telephone linemen. The wedding took place on a gravel road with about 40 people present. The couple, wearing jeans, instead of the customary wedding dress, hitched on climbing gear and ascended to a gaily decorated cross bar where a bucket of champagne and glasses awaited. The Justice of the Peace stood on the ground and shouted out to them their wedding vows.

Mary Campbell of Elgin, Illinois that had to say "I do" three times at three different weddings before she finally became Mrs. Randy Peterson. The couple took out their wedding license in Kane County and made all the arrangements for their wedding at a Church in Ontarioville. It was a beautiful wedding but the Church was in Du Page County, not Kane County and they were told the ceremony didn't count.

They packed up their wedding party and moved on to a park on the edge of Elgin. They were married the second time in the shaded park with its quaint bridge over a quiet lagoon. However, an editor at the Elgin Daily Courier-News reading a report on the wedding noticed that the park they were married in the second time was in Cook County, about 200 feet from the Kane County line.

The third ceremony took place in the newsroom of the Courier-News, a good mile inside the Kane county line. They were finally married in the eyes of the law. Problems with Wedding are not NEW.

Kidnapped groom.

• It probably doesn’t refer to the third day of the week (Tuesday) because virgins were always married on Wednesday, and widows were married on Thursday. Possibly the third day of the wedding of which many lasted 7 days.

• The walk from Bethany to Galilee is 60 miles, and another 15 miles up into the hills to Cana. That’s a LOT of hard walking

• Three days after Jesus meets Nathanial He is invited to a wedding. Relative? Went to many celebrations.

Jesus takes spirituality to the place where it is needed most{ everyday life!

This drove the religious leaders of his day – crazy! ..they called him a glutton and a drunkard - friend of tax collectors and sinners

Last week I probably did one of the most important funerals I have ever done:

Step-niece who was gay….family…sensitive issue…honored her life but also clearly communicated the gospel and that Jesus says He is the only way to this place He has prepared for us.

Received many positive responses from those you would be surprised by.

Even her PARTNER came to thank me and just held onto my hand in silence.

3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine." 4 And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come."

5 His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."

6 Now there were six stone waterpots set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons each.

7 Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water." So they filled them up to the brim.

8 And He said to them, "Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter." So they took it to him.

9 When the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom, 10 and said to him, "Every man serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now."

MIRACLES BEGIN WITH TAKING THE THINGS OF THIS LIFE TO JESUS: 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine."