Weddings, Water, & Wine

This morning I preached about weddings, wine, and water. Listen to it here. 

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It is no small thing that Jesus transformed the jars of purification water, which symbolized the Law, into Wine.

Wine is a symbol of God’s blessing. It represents harvest, celebration, renewal, and of the hope for future days.

Weddings are a celebration of relationship. They are about love, new life and complete and total joy.

Jesus transformed water- ceremonial cleansing water- into wine at a wedding.

Richard Rohr says, “Show me where laws make you fall in love with anybody or anything. Laws don’t teach you how to love.”

I have not learned to love Jeff from a paper I signed, or a law I was told. Our love grows because we continue to offer one another grace upon grace, day after day. Our marriage is not rooted in law. It is not rooted in an unbreakable chain of situational rules, but in love.

Laws don’t teach you how to love. Laws cannot bring us into the fullness, the depth, the intimacy, the joy of the relationship that God has in store for us.

This sign that points us to God’s grace is a declaration. Come and see. It’s a new way to understand God and how God will deal with humanity. The nature of how God and humanity will relate to one another is changing forever and we see it, we experience it right here in this moment. 

It isn’t about the laws. It’s about love. 

God is breaking into creation. God is being born into the human condition in the most vulnerable way. God is putting on skin, and pitching a tent to live among us. Not because we are clean. Not because we are worthy. Not because any of us are really good at following all the rules. But because God loves us so much, that he wants to be with us. And so, he showers us with grace upon grace. 

Religion isn’t supposed to be simply about cleansing. It’s meant to provide us with the space to be intentionally grateful. It’s about giving the profound realities of this life their proper weight and consideration. 

Our faith can never be reduced to a dry checklist of do’s and don’ts.

Following Jesus isn’t about law. It’s about love. It's about living dedicated to a love that carries us forward. Living grateful for the love that redeems us. It’s about living inspired, and compelled to extend the love and grace extended to us by Jesus.

Following Jesus, is like a wedding banquet. Following Jesus is about great joy and festivity and intoxicating love. It’s about celebration. It’s about joining our life with God, and receiving this gift of grace that he lavishes on us. Grace upon grace. 

150 gallons of wine. The best wine. Saved for the end of the party. More than you could ever drink. More than you would ever want to alone.