Ms. Mary Said

TITLE: MISS MARY SAID….

SCRIPTURE: ST. JOHN 2:1-11

I am excited this morning, this First Day of the Year and First Sunday of the New Year 2017. Not sure where the Holy Spirit will take us this year as we preach from this Pulpit, however; I believe we have a message this morning, this first sermon of the year and it will shape and focus our direction throughout the year. I believe this message this morning will be reflective therefore, we will be able to reach back to it all year long.

Go with me to a very familiar text found in the Gospel According to ST. JOHN 2:1-11 (Read) – I lift as a thought on this New Year – Ms. Mary Said. I know we have heard this text preached throughout the years, I want to ask you to stay with me this morning as I believe we will examine beneath the covers of this text and discover some real truths that will give us the framework to have a successful walk with Christ throughout the year and throughout our lives.

Come with me and let’s go visit the scene that begins to unfold before us at this wedding in Cana of Galilee. The text tells us it is the third day - which means the first day of the wedding celebration.

• The Music has started

• The Dancing has begun

• Guests are spread out on the floors enjoying the food and evidently really enjoying the beverages

• And then….Something has gone horribly wrong

• Either too many family members and guests showed up or else someone really overestimated the contents of their wine rack

Something went wrong at this wedding Jesus attended. They ran out of wine, which would have been a big thing in that culture.

• Weddings were community events that lasted several days and involved countless details

• There was always at least a year between the betrothal and wedding

• This allowed plenty of time to plan the days big event

• The party was a sign of faith in God, and the connection of God between God’s people

• People came together in celebration

• People celebrate Love, Community and God

I believe we need to get back to this in our culture today. There is no longer a dating process – we go straight for the dessert. Don’t hardly know the person we marry and wonder why we separate within first two years. Too much dessert can make you diabetic. In our text the betroval process lasted for a year, this was the time the couple spend really getting to know each other and planning – EMOTIONALLY – SPIRITUALLY - FINANCIALLY – to spend their lives together. The couple relied on God to work on them. Not so today, we rely on –

• Dating Dot.com

• Farmers Dating Dot.com

• Match Dot.com

• eHarmony Dot.com

We need to get back to GOD DOT.COM and we will begin to see more of a celebration when couples get married, returning to Christ being the center of each relationship. We seem to be surprised today and clap when we hear of that couple around us that is celebrating 20 – 30 – 35 – 40 – 50 years of marriage. What are we clapping for? It should be normal for married couples to be married to one another all the days of their lives.

• Oftentimes in Daily Ardmoreite Divorce list is longer than Anniversary list

• Signs on side of road offering divorces for $250

• Before you know it we will have Drive By Divorces

• Drive by swipe your Credit Card hour later you are divorced

In this Wedding Party, in this small, poor village they run out of wine. Why did they run out? Perhaps it was just one of those things where they didn’t plan well enough or maybe someone was guzzling too much. Maybe that Uncle showed up carrying his own plastic red solo cup. More likely, the couple was poor and they just didn’t have enough.

• Unfortunately, to run out of wine was considered a sign of disrespect

• It was a sign of not trusting that you would be taken care of

• You could be ostracized from the community

• Imagine starting off that way, Embarrassed and Broke

That is why I can’t understand watching young people get married and don’t have anything to survive, most of the time don’t even have jobs. Living with parents talking about getting married and moving in with parents. Join the Armed Force and provide – Move into Married Dorms at College or University and get a degree – but don’t start out a marriage and have nothing - that does not make any sense!