1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Have you ever heard someone say, "They're the same, but different?" It is an odd expression. How can two things be simultaneously the same and different. But it's an expression used to describe two things that in some fundamental way are the same and yet that appear very different.

I think that is the way it is in the church. Maybe we need to turn the phrase around and say "We are different, but the same." That I think is what Paul was trying to say in 1 Corinthians 12. We are all different in the church. But we are the same.

We are different in our backgrounds and stations in life. But we are united in the Spirit. You look at the surface and the church is diverse. But at the same time we are united.

I think to really get a handle on what Paul is saying here you have to look at the church he was writing to. The book of 1 Corinthians is actually a letter that Paul wrote to the church in the city of Corinth. Corinth was a busy commercial center. It was at the Isthmus of Corinthian, a 6 mile strip of land that connects the northern and southern part of Greece. It was not just a land bridge it was also the shortest sea rout around Greece. Whole ships were drug across the Isthmus to save having to sail all the way around the southern tip of Greece.

The end result is that Corinth was a cosmopolitan city. People from all over the known world lived there. People from wealthy Roman merchants to galley slaves made Corinth home. People of many different cultures who spoke many different languages. The church in Corinth was a reflection of the metropolitan community it was in. It too included rich and poor, slave and free, Greek and Jew.

But the church in Corinth was also diverse in its gifts. It was truly a very gifted church. There were people with all kinds of Spiritual gifts and abilities there. They had people who could preach and teach and speak words of wisdom. People who could heal and help and understand And they used their gifts in the church.

As I think about it, Grace is a lot like the church in Corinth. Grace is a diverse church. For a small church it is surprising how diverse we are. We have people who are financially well off and we have those who are not. We have people of different ethnic backgrounds. There is a diversity of educational backgrounds.

Just look around the church. We have young and old. Local and people from all over. People who grew up Methodist, some who grew up in other churches, and some who grew up in no church.

And Grace is gifted! It is amazing at the talented people that God has sent our way. We have some wonderful Bible teachers and worship leaders and preachers. One of the things most people are not aware of we have a group of Lay Speakers who regularly conduct Sunday service at nursing homes in our area. We also have wonderful music leaders and many musically gifted members, we have members who can sew and act and build and manage.

Grace is a lot like the church in Corinth.

Paul was telling the Corinthians, and us, that even through we are different, we are the same. But how are we the same. When I was in seminary I spent a summer working as a Chaplain at Duke Hospital. One day I met two men who were as different as to people could be on the surface. I was called to one part of the hospital and there I met a young urban professional. He was a young black man who was well educated and well dressed, even in the hospital he was well dressed. Later that same day I visited a young man in my ward. He was a good old country boy. The salt of the earth. He lived out in the country and loved fishing and hunting and watching sports.

As different as these two men were on the surface they both had recently had a leg amputated. They were both men suddenly disabled in their prime. They were both dealing with the same set or questions and worries. On the surface they were different, but at the heart they were the same.

In the same way we are all different. We are different colors, different shapes, different ages, different sizes. But at the heart we are the same. We are all sinners who have been saved. We were lost and have been found we were once blind but now we can see. And because of that shared heart for Christ, the Holy Spirit has untied us in one church.

We are different but the same. And that is God's plan! That is part of his purpose. God made us that way for each other. We are all different so that our gifts and abilities can be used to help, benefit and compliment one another. As Paul said it, "To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good." (Romans 12:8)

What if we were all the same. That would be boring. We could never learn anything from one another. We would all have the same talents and we would all have the same areas where we lack talent.

But God in his infinite wisdom has drawn us together. He has united us in the one Spirit. And it is all for the common good. In fact the Holy Spirit intentionally makes us different by giving us different gifts. And at the same time the Spirit makes us the same in our hearts.

By the grace of God we are different, but the same. Celebrate your differences. Look around you and complement one another on your uniqueness as children of God. And thank God for bringing us all together but his Holy Spirit for the common good!

John 2:1-11

Have you ever been at a party when the wine ran out? Well, I don't go to the kinds of parties where they serve wine. Preachers just don't get invited to that kind of party. But I would have to answer that question "yes." I have been at a number of parties when the wine ran out. I say that because in this story of Jesus at the wedding there is more going on than just the beverage running out.

This event happened at the very beginnings of Jesus' ministry. Jesus was already attracting disciples but he had not worked any wonders and was not widely known. But Jesus and his Mother along with Jesus' disciples were invited to a wedding feast. These feasts would go on for days. It was a way of celebrating the promise of new life and to thank God.

So it was potentially devastating when the wine ran out. It could mean the end of the party. Mary realized what was happening and so she turned to Jesus and simply said "The wine ran out." Jesus responded, "So what, the time isn't ripe for me to start doing that kind of thing." But Mary knew he would do something so she told the servant to do whatever Jesus said.

So what did Jesus do when the wine ran out. He told the servant to fill up the water barrels. I mean water if free. You just have to draw it. But these were no ordinary water barrels. They were ones that were there for the people feasting to wash their hands and utensils. The cleanliness codes of the Pharisees were rather strict. So ceremonial water was there in abundance so that people could wash and be ceremonially clean.

Then Jesus took this wash water and turned it into wine. He told the servant to draw some water and take it to the Caterer. Imagine the servant's surprise to see that the water was now wine! So he took it to the Steward.

The steward was surprised. Not because it had been wash water a few minuets ago - he didn't know that. He was surprised because the wine was better than what was served before! So Jesus didn't just make enough wine to keep the party going for a long time, he made wine that was much better than what came before.

Remember, I told you there was more going on here than just Jesus making something to drink. The something more is in the detail of the water jars. These were no ordinary water jars. John goes to the trouble of telling us that they were for the rites of purification. These Jars and that party represented the spiritual state of the people of God.

The wine represented the religion or Spirit of the religion of God's people. Spiritually speaking the people of God were running on empty. Just as the party had run out of spirits to drink the people of God had run out of the Holy Spirit. So Jesus took a relic of their tired out religion and made something new from it. When the Spirit had run out Jesus came to fill them up not with just water but with the best wine - wine from God - the Holy Spirit!

Yes, I have been at a party when the wine ran out. I have been at points in my life when I was running on empty spiritually. I have hit low points when the party was over and life had lost its flavor. So I ask you "Have you ever been at a party when the wine ran out?" Have you ever felt like you were running on empty? If we are honest with ourselves we all have to admit that we have had low point in our lives. So what should we do when the wine runs out?

I think we can learn the answer to this question from this passage. What do the people in the story do when the wine runs out? First of all Mary turns to Jesus. She could have given up and said "let's go home this party is over." She could have run to the market to buy more. But she turned to Jesus.

When we feel the wine running out in our lives we should turn to Jesus. But often that is not our first response. Often people decide that if they feel empty they should have a pity party. Or they get bitter and selfish - trying to save the few drops of wine left for themselves. Often times they turn away from God and blame God for the tragedies of their lives.

But if we will turn to Jesus he will fill our lives with his Spirit. He came into this world to fill the empty rituals of God's people with something better. He himself said, "I came that you may have life and have it abundantly."(John 10:10) So turn to him. Just say, as Mary did, "Jesus, the wine is running out" and then watch to see a miracle.

What should we do when the wine runs out? What did the servants do? Mary said to them, "Do whatever he tells you." And that is what they did. Jesus commands must have puzzled them. What does filling up the water barrels have to do with the wine!? And what is the idea of given wash water to the Chief Steward to drink?

But they did as they were told. Too often when the wine runs out in people's lives they do the opposite. Instead of following God's directions they decide to make their own rules. If they feel empty they try to fill themselves with other things. And in the end they are just as empty.

If we do what Jesus says he will give us eternal life. It isn't really complicated. All you have to do is give your life to him. Jesus came that "whosoever believes in him shall have eternal life."(John 3:16) If we will just obey him and trust, he will give us eternal life.

What should we do when the wine runs out? Do what the disciples did. At the end of the story John says that his disciples believed in him. They didn't have to. They could have doubted.

I mean really. Water doesn't just turn into wine! That is not logical that is not realistic. Those kinds of thing just don't happen now days. I mean who believes in miracles?

Who believes in miracles - I do! I have seen lives changed. I have seen people transformed. I have experienced new life - the emptiness of my soul filled with God's holy presence. I believe in miracles!

We all have been in a place in out lives when the party was over. We have all experiences emptiness. When that happens to you do what Mary did: turn to Jesus. When you feel like an empty bottle of wine do what the servants did: do what Jesus tell you to. When life has lost its flavor, do what the disciples did: believe in Jesus.

Jesus came to fill the empty relics of our old lives with abundant eternal life. Just as Jesus filled those jars that were there for empty rituals. So Jesus will fill our lives to the brim. That is why Jesus came to this Earth!

If you have never given your life to Christ then do it today. Let him fill the emptiness of your life with good things. If you have given your lives to him then continue to obey his commands and believe in him. And who knows, you may even witness a few miracles along the way!

Isaiah 62:1-5

Melissa and I met near the end of her Sr. year at USC. We went out on a few dates but did not get very serious. She graduated from USC and went to a temporary job in another state. A year later she came back to USC to work on a Masters and we got back together. I remember one evening Melissa fixed me a dinner at her apartment. It was lasagna and cheese cake - who said that the way to man's heart is through his stomach? But I knew that we were getting serious. I remember I came back to the dorm and told my roommate all about it. I remember saying, "Don't you wish you had a girlfriend to fix you lasagna and cheesecake?"

When someone is in love it is hard to hold it in. They want to share their joy with everyone. Sometimes things happen that makes you so happy you have to tell someone. You just want to shout at the top of your lungs for all to hear.

The story goes that a young man had a life changing religious experience. In response he went to the first church that he could find. The service was very quiet and reverent but when the preacher started praying the man couldn't help but join in with a "yes Jesus" and a few "Thank you lords." When the preacher started preaching he just could not contain himself any more and he started shouting "Amen" every time the preacher said something significant. Finally one of the ushers walked up to him and told him, "Be quiet this is a church service." At which the man said "But I got religion!" And the exasperated usher replied "Well you didn't get it here!"

That is the way Isaiah felt. Israel had been in captivity. Because of their sin and idolatry God had allowed them to be carried off by an invading army. The chosen people have been divorced from the promised land. What did it mean to be an Israelite when there was no Israel. And how could they be God's people when they were hundred's of miles from the God's Temple in Jerusalem.

But God forgave Israel and called them back. God arranged for them to be sent back to Israel. They could rebuild the temple and Jerusalem. They could be reunited with to God and the promised land.

Isaiah could hardly contain himself. So he said I will not keep silent until all the world knows what God has done for Israel. He goes on to say, "I will post sentinels who will proclaim night and day the wonderful things God has done." Isaiah described it as being like a day that a young couple gets married. It is a day of joy and rejoicing.

Well for the sake of God's people I will not keep silent. God is the Almighty! God created the heavens and the earth. And when we His creatures wandered from His care He sought us out. He created His people Israel to be an example of his holiness and righteousness. He sent his prophets in the Old Testament to tell us God's will.

For the sake of Zion I will not keep silent. God Almighty has made his presence know throughout the world through his people. Then, as if that was not enough, God sent his son. And Jesus proclaimed the Good News of God's love, he showed us God's power in miracles and wonders. He healed the sick and fed the masses with only five loaves and a couple of fish. He even raised the dead!

For the sake of Zion I will not keep silent. Jesus didn't stop with miracles and wonders he went on to die for our sins. He took the task of redeeming us upon himself. He humbled himself to wash his disciples' feet and then the took on the demeaning task of dying on a cross. Then he rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. He even sent his Holy Spirit to be his constant presence with us.

For the sake of Zion I will not keep silent. For he has saved a wretch like me. He cleansed me and made me whole. He put his love in my heart and His Holy Spirit in my soul. He has given me a family that loves me and a church that inspires me. He has given me eternal life, not just after I die but in the here and now.

I will not be silent. I will proclaim the good deeds of God for all the world to hear.

But I seem to be the only one here who is not silent. Perhaps I have monopolized the noise making and am making all you be silent. I am sure there are others here who have experience the wonderful grace of God. Others who have a peace that passeth understanding. So say "Amen" if God has saved you. Say "Praise the Lord" if he has given you peace and love.

Has anyone here been in the pits like Rev. Mayfield talked about last week? Did God lift you out of the pit? I know God has lifted me out of a few pits lately. And every time I fall in another God is there to lift me up again!

Has God answered your prayers? Have you sought comfort and peace? Have you carried your burdens before the Lord in prayer? Has God answered you prayers?

Well don't keep silent. I think that Isaiah had the right attitude. I will not keep silent. I will proclaim the great salvation of God! And he was right to post sentinels for all in the city to hear the good news.

But too many are silent in our day and age. People have not heard that God saves. They don't know that they have a Father in heaven that loves them. They don't know of God's grace in sending Jesus to die for our sins. They don't know the gory of his resurrection!

You are the sentinels! Go to your posts in the schools and factories and offices and shops of Columbia. And don't be silent. Proclaim aloud the great grace and wonder of God! For the sake of Zion do not be silent but proclaim God's love until it shines for all to see like the dawn!

John 2:1-11

Weddings are a big deal. They are times of great joy and happiness. Two people so in love that they wish to vow to spend their lives together. A wedding is a joyous celebration of love. It is a celebration of the beginning of a new life and the potential of new life. I remember our weeding day. Friends and relatives from all over the country came together to rejoice with us. Years of a growing relationship were about to be cemented by the words "until death do us part."

Weddings are a big deal today, but they were even more so back in Bible times. In Israel millennia ago a wedding was the high point of the year. Everything would stop so that a wedding could take place. Even a rabbi was allowed to stop studying the torah to attend a wedding. The celebration of life and the promise of new life would continue for days.

Perhaps this is why Jesus used wedding imagery so often to speak of the coming of God's kingdom. Like a wedding, that would be a great day, a day of celebration. Like a wedding that would be a big event. Like a wedding his return will be a time to witness and celebrate a promise made in love. The promise to redeem us from aloneness. The promise to be with us forever. Like a wedding it will be a celebration of the promise of new life on an immense scale. Like a wedding something new will be created by that ultimate union of God with his people.

Well, one day Jesus was at a wedding. He had not yet begun his earthly ministry. He was still anonymous to most of the people. His invitation would have read Jesus bar Joseph, Jesus son of Joseph. The other guests knew nothing about him being the Son of God. He was not yet a well-known teacher and healer. He was just Jesus the carpenter.

While Jesus was at the wedding, the wine ran out. Now keep in mind this was a feast. They were eating, and to eat you need something to wash down the food. They couldn't drink the water. It was often contaminated. The wine was their means of purifying the water. They would mix the water and the wine and the wine would kill the bacteria. But the wine had run out. This was a disaster. It could ruin the whole wedding.

I said earlier that no one there knew who Jesus was. That isn't entirely true. Mary was there and she knew who Jesus' true father was. So Mary told Jesus, "They have no wine." Jesus knew what she wanted and he knew it was not quite time to "go public" with his true identity.

But out of mercy Jesus gave in. There were six jars of water there. These particular jars were 20 or 30 gallons each. And their purpose was for ritual purification. The Pharisees taught that it was necessary to wash the hands and pots before eating. This water was there for this ritual purifying or washing the guests� hands and utensils. So Jesus told them to take some of this "wash water" to the chief steward. And when he tasted it, it had become wine. And this wine was so good that he congratulated the bridegroom on saving the best wine for last. So as his first miracle Jesus not only turned water into wine, he turned a lot of it, some 120 to 180 gallons, into an abundance of wine. And not only were their cups overflowing, but they were overflowing with good wine.

Of course it is significant that Jesus did something here that is humanly impossible, he performed a miracle that demonstrated that he was not ordinary man, even to the point that it confirmed his disciples belief in him. But there is a deeper spiritual meaning to this event. In many of Jesus' parables of weddings, he is the bridegroom, the host of the celebration. Which tells us that Jesus will host the celebration of all time, which the Bible calls "the Day of the Lord." It is the host's job to provide for the guests, which includes providing something to drink. So Jesus is the one who provides that essentials of the celebration that will take place when he returns. He is the one who gives the joy and peace of the Spirit just as a bridegroom provides the wine. If you will pardon a pun: it's Jesus' job to make sure the spirit flows.

When Jesus witnessed the wine run out on this wedding party's host, he probably thought of the wedding party he would one day host. The celebration of his union with the church: the consummation of the covenant he would make on the cross: the party that would happen when he comes again. A celebration that would inaugurate a new life for all who believe in God and Christ.

While he thought of these similarities between this bridegroom�s situation and his, he could also see the differences. On the "Day of the Lord," God would be doing something new unlike anything ever done before. The new life that Jesus' return would begin was much better than the old one that people were living. Through the Holy Spirit God would purify his people and make them new and wonderful.

With these things in mind, Jesus performed a miracle to help us see these truths. First he used some jars of purification; relics and symbols of the old way of serving and worshipping God. The old piety focused on laws of washing and purifying. And out of that old Jesus made something new. Out of the relics of that old religion Christ brought forth a new wine that was better than the old wine of the Pharisees and Sadducees. And the bridegroom was congratulated for saving the best for last.

Has the wine run out in your life? The wine of course is a symbol of religion or faith that is the source of the joy of life. The faith of the people of Jesus day had run out just like the wine. The way of worshipping, which God commanded to Moses and was recorded in the Old Testament, was supposed to be a joyful celebration of God's presence in the life of Israel. Instead it had become a tedious boring exercise in ritual with forgotten meaning. The law of God, which is the delight of the righteous, had become the teachings of the Scribes and Pharisees, which was a burden to the poor.

Jesus came to change all that. He came to bring new wine out of the old rituals. He came to breathe new life into a dying faith. He was the best wine that God was saving for last.

Has the wine run out in your life? Life, all life, is a gift from God. God gave us life so that we can enjoy praising him with every breath. Everyday should be a celebration of that life. But for many the joy of living has run out.

Has the wine run out in your life? Jesus came to bring life both good and abundant. Has the joy of your faith gone away? Is coming to church and Sunday School just an exercise in the mundane? Is your life like those jars, just sitting around full of nothing?

Christ came to fill you with new wine. He came to reveal himself in you through his Holy Spirit. He came to work a wonder in your life and to give you joy.

Put your trust in him. Let him fill you with the new wine of his love and his Spirit. Put yourself in his hands. Ask him to forgive your sins and become Lord of your life. Then celebrate our marriage to Christ as our Lord and Savior.

Isaiah 62:1-5

Late Saturday night a couple of weeks ago Melissa and I got a phone call. It was from an old friend of ours. She called to ask us if we were busy on a particular weekend in June. I said I didn't think so but I would have to check my calendar. I though it was an odd request so I asked "why?" She simply said, "I want you to come to a wedding." Naturally I asked, "Who's wedding? Joyfully, she said, "Mine." Melissa could see the surprise on my face and she wanted to know what was going on. When I told her Melissa screamed and cried and jumped and laughed. Janet and Jim had been dating for over a year and they were just right for each other. He is a professor and is very involved in his church. She is a school librarian and a very dedicated Christian. They met at church.

I look back and remember the joy that our wedding created. If Melissa screamed and jumped for joy at hearing about her friend's wedding, you can just imagine what she did when I gave her an engagement ring. Then there were all the friends and family. Like Jim and Janet, everyone new we were perfect for each other. It didn't take long for us and everyone else to realize that we were a match made in heaven. So our friends rejoiced with us as we prepared for our wedding. When we hear that someone is getting married it makes us happy. Especially when we all know that the two people were just made for each other. And the closer the person is to you the happier it makes you.

There is something about a wedding that brings joy. There is so much promise at the beginning of that kind of a relationship. So much hope for the future. So many dreams that are waiting to be fulfilled. There is something joyful about life being shared in the way that a wedding symbolizes.

In Isaiah's day Israel was preparing for a wedding day. The prophets often spoke of the day of the Messiah's arrival as being like a wedding day. Jesus also spoke of his return as being like a wedding day. God intended it to be a joyful thing. God had created Israel and nurtured it for that day. Israel and the Messiah were literally made for each other. God had arranged an engagement between Israel and his Son. To seal the promise God had given Israel the law as a sort of engagement ring. They were to wear it as a sigh to others that they were promised to someone. And as a reminder to themselves that God loved them. You would think that as they got closer to their wedding day Israel and all her friends would rejoice.

But oddly enough they didn't. Some in Israel though that God had left them at the altar. They had come back from exile rejoicing thinking that they were going to their own wedding. But returning to Israel was no honeymoon. Their temple was in ruins. Their whole lives and economy had to be rebuilt. Instead of rejoicing and preparing for their wedding day the people grumbled. Where was the bridegroom God had promised? Where was the protector and provider, the producer of many children that was supposed to meet them there? Israel was strangely silent when it came to praising God.

Of course God had not left Israel standing at the altar. God was still preparing for the great wedding day. Isaiah knew that God keeps promises and that the Messiah was coming. The other people were silent but Isaiah would not be. He lifted his voice in praise to God. He reminded the people of the promise that was coming. Israel would be like a diamond is God's crown. In short he reminded the people of the Joy they would experience when the messiah came.

Imagine for a moment how Israel must have felt. How would you feel in the same circumstances? Israel had come to the Promised Land, the place God had told them to come. And like a bride standing at the altar, she was fiddling her engagement ring wondering where the groom was. Why had he not met her here? Was he detained by someone else or did he decide he didn't like her after all? Of course Messiah was on time, but Israel's watch was running fast and she thought God was late. So Israel stood and wondered, and began to doubt the promise. Israel wondered if the promise symbolized by that ring was true. Maybe the Messiah would not meet her there and all would laugh at her. The nations would ridicule her for waiting on a God that had abandoned her in public humiliation.

To make matters worse Israel's friends were silent. That strange foreboding silence one hears when people don't know what to say. There stood the brides maids and the ushers silent. None of them said, "He'll be here don't worry." None of them reminded her how much he loved her and was faithful to her. They just stood there silent, trying not to look her in the eye.

I remember my sisters' wedding. Laura my sister was late. We all stood around and the organist played for half an hour before she arrived. But none of us doubted that she was coming. We knew she and Julian were right for each other and that her love for him was true. So for half an hour the wedding party milled around nervous. But rejoicing that the day had come even if the bride hadn't. We trusted the love between Laura and Julian. But Israel doubted the faithfulness of the God who promised to love her and care for her. So she did not rejoice, but feared instead.

It must be awful to feel stood up by God. But that is how many people feel today. They think Jesus made so many promises, but we don't see them materializing. Where is this kingdom of heaven Jesus talked about? Jesus said he would end injustice, but so much injustice still exists. Jesus promised to be a light that all could see, but so many are still blind.

So the church stands at the altar awaiting her promised groom. And she fears that he is late. She nervously fiddles with the signs of his promise. She examines the word of God so lovingly given to her. She looks in her hands and sees the communion bread given as a sign of grace present and to come. She glances at the water of baptism given to make her ready for this day. She comes to the altar to meet her groom here. And the organist plays the prelude to the wedding service. Over and over again as they wait, Sunday after Sunday. But she fears and doubts. Is his promise true? Will Jesus come and bring the happiness that he promised her?

Strangely the wedding party is silent and the guests shuffle their feet nervously. Won't someone say something? Please, the church is afraid of being left at the altar without a groom. Please, someone remind her how much her beloved loves her. Someone remind her how he gave her his life as an engagement ring. Tell her how he spoke of her tenderly when he knew he would be leaving for a while. Look, she is tuning to leave. If she leaves she will miss her beloved when he comes. Quick someone say something before it is too late!

I will, like Isaiah I will speak up. For the sake of the church of Christ I will not keep silent. I will not rest from reciting the acts of love that our Lord has shown us. I will remind the church how Christ saved her. I will remind her of the promises. I will rejoice to remind her of her joy in loving her lord and groom.

I know it seems to be getting late. But he is coming. And he is bringing all the love our hearts can hold. In the mean time he has left us his best man the Holy Spirit to care for us. And he has given us each other to love and encourage. Maybe your watch is fast. You know Jesus; he would never be late.

Come let us rejoice in his love together. Tell me once again of your honeymoon plans. Won't you have a wonderful time? Once he arrives you will never be separated again. Don't worry, people won't look down on you or ridicule you saying that you were left at the altar. Because I know he is coming. When he comes they will remember your faithfulness to each other. They will talk about how much you love each other. Rejoice with me because you are loved by a faithful lord. And let's keep rejoicing until he arrives. After all this is a wedding party, and Christ has provided us with the wine of new life to drink until he arrives.