When you host people at your house, what are you called on to do? Are you the organizer, the grill master, the shopper, the cleaner, the game planner, or some combination of those things? We take hosting in our space as a responsibility to make sure everyone enjoys their time with us.
     When it’s at someone else’s place, and an event they invited us to, we don’t consider it our event. If something goes wrong, we may well respond, “I’m sorry, but that’s not my problem.”
     Very early in his public ministry Jesus was at a wedding in the town of Cana, just a few miles from his hometown of Nazareth. His mother Mary was also on the invite list, as were his disciples.
     Partway through the celebration, Mary pulls her son aside, “They have no more wine.” An embarrassing situation for the host to say the least. Hospitality was big in that culture. You just should not run out of wine. Even today it would not be considered very hospitable to run out of drinks or food while the wedding reception was underway.
     Jesus does take this on, even though it isn’t necessarily his problem. He asks for the water jars to be filled. Then his well-known miracle of changing water into wine takes place. The wine is better than the original batch offered to the guests. This was the first miracle. The first of many more to come.
     Plan out your hosting events. Don’t count on a miracle to supply what you need for food and drink.
     But also, don’t hesitate to go to your Savior with your requests, rooted in the Scriptures and the needs that affect you and others. Jesus does incredible works of compassion for his people! He makes our problems his own. Often even simple everyday problems. His interventions go beyond what we might think are normal ways to aid us. His help is powerful, and often surprising. And it always points to him as the Messiah, the Savior of our souls.

What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. (John 2:11)

“I had an epiphany” is another way of saying “It just dawned on me” or “I finally figured it out.” An epiphany is when something that was hidden to us becomes known or revealed. What we realize in that moment may well change the way we see life.

You have little “epiphanies” all the time as you learn more about your spouse’s personality, find out about a great new product, or pick up on a better way to do things at work. Maybe the “epiphany” was there staring you in the face the whole time, and you just didn’t know it!

We know quite a bit about Jesus from the gospels, from the prophecies concerning the Messiah, and from the apostles’ letters which tell us more about the meaning of his life. Of course, when Jesus first appeared on the scene as an adult ready to go about full-time ministry, the people of his time knew little about him and didn’t have the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke or John to help. Every teaching, every miracle, every conversation was an epiphany for them as they learned about the great Savior in their midst.

It began with Jesus’ baptism when God the Father spoke from heaven and declared to the world that this was his Son in human form.

9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:9-11)

And it continued like that with revelation after revelation for three years until his death and resurrection.

We invite you on Sunday mornings to be amazed at the Savior among us! This Sunday a new series begins, “Epiphany Moments.” The Lord has much to tell you about his Son.

We’re hyper-aware of time, maybe more than at any other point in history. Much of work and school is carefully regulated by segments of time. We know and count down just how many minutes per side we grill a steak to medium rare. Olympic races are won or lost over 1/100th of a second.

Some would say we’re overly governed by time, and they might have a point to some extent. But the right time, the “set time” as Galatians, chapter 4, puts it, does matter in God’s kingdom. 

4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. (Galatians 4:4-5)

God in his omniscience and wisdom knows when things need to happen, and in his grace he brings them about in perfect timing. Jesus could have arrived at any moment in history. God followed his “set time” to have him be born to redeem us.

The trouble is, we don’t know God’s times, and that’s what makes it tough! We’re not let in on the planning of world history, or even our own lives. Our patience wears thin when we’re praying for a loved one to change his or her ways. We get frustrated if our work environment isn’t as we’d like it to be. We find it difficult to slowly grow in faith through the Word and the Spirit.
So what do we do? We wait patiently and trust! There’s no use fretting over timetables we can’t know or control, is there?

Our final “time” in this world is also in God’s hands. God’s Son redeemed us and adopted us. So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. (Galatians 4:7) It was God’s plan to bring us into his family through Jesus, and it is also his plan for us to see our inheritance of heaven.

Trust God’s times! If God knows, that’s enough for us.

When a father puts gifts under the Christmas tree, it is not to compensate his children for doing their chores. That would make whatever is inside that wrapping paper a wage, not a gift. A gift is given voluntarily simply so the giver can show favor to the one receiving the gift, without any expectation of repayment. In the season of Christmas, we receive the gift of God. That does not simply mean we receive the gifts God gives. When we look into the manger, we see that God is the gift. Jesus, God and man, gives himself in sharing our humanity and freeing us for life eternal.

11 Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters. … 14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. (Hebrews 2:11,14-15)

That’s not how we usually choose to address someone. Putting ourselves under the will of another is risky. Who knows what they’ll ask of us? And now we’re committed!

We would be obligated to take that attitude in certain circumstances. It brings to mind old army shows like M*A*S*H where the soldiers are continually running up to their superiors and saying something like, “Sir, Private _________________, reporting for duty.”

Who said those words in the title of this article, “Here I am, I have come to do your will”? None other than . . . . Jesus in fulfilling a quote of Psalm 40:6-8. If anyone had the right to do whatever he chose, it would be the Son of God. In the mystery of the Trinity he willingly put himself under the will of the Father, and went through all kinds of lowliness as a result.

Becoming human was lowly. The place where Christ was born was lowly. His mission was lowly. But in following the will of God rather than normal human impulses we are saved and made holy for heaven.

9 Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” … 10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all (Hebrews 10:9-10).

The natural human will is not the best guide. We have come into the world, were given life, and brought to salvation by grace through faith. That same grace allows us to set aside our own will and pursue the Lord’s by the Holy Spirit’s work in us. We can safely put ourselves under God’s good and gracious will. No risk involved. Yes, sometimes Christian service is lowly and not recognized as greatness. God recognizes true Christian giving of ourselves as the greatest way to live and teaches us to value it as well.

In Christ’s forgiveness and power, and with his words before us, we say first not “I’m here to do what I want,” but “Lord, I’m here to do your will.”

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! (Philippians 4:4)

How does that strike you? It probably depends on your state of mind. It can be encouraging and affirm the joy you’re feeling now. Or it can seem like an unattainable goal.

It is the Word of the Lord. And it’s mentioned twice. “Rejoice!” And again, “Rejoice!” So we want to listen to this Word from God and live it.

In an age in which we are all more aware of mental health considerations, we may run across a recent diagnosis of what is called “smiling depression.” One description of it was . . . . “fake it til you make it.” We’re rightly in tune with the idea that just putting on a show with a smile doesn’t necessarily mean that’s reflecting reality. Is that what the Scripture commands us to do? Pretend rejoicing? Not at all! That wouldn’t be God’s way.

Throughout the Word God gives us the strength to do what he asks us to do. In this section from Philippians 4 God says,

“Rejoice!”, and then right after that says, … in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God (Philippians 4:6)

Whatever gets in the way of our joy, we present it to the Lord. If it’s loss, we take it to God for peace and trust. If it’s guilt, we request more confidence in Jesus’ saving sacrifice for all sin. If it’s anger at offense, we pray for a forgiving heart. In every situation, as the verse tells us, going to the Lord in his Word will lead to the Holy Spirit restoring our joy.

“Rejoice always” is one of those impossibly high Christian life goals that are still good to hear! Like “Be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect” or “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But God in his wisdom continues to put them out in front of us and moves us toward them through the work of the Spirit.

Jesus Christ has given us a foundation of joy in his salvation that will always be a solid rock to stand on. When we go to the Lord our joy returns.

God Sends Us Through the Heavy-Duty Laundry Cycle

Doing the laundry is one of the classic family chores. In our family we had a part in the process when we were young, mostly in the clothes-folding stage after the clothes were cleaned and dried.

Most don’t relish the idea of having to do laundry, but we’re very aware life would be far less pleasant if we didn’t. Even just wearing the same socks two days in a row is enough to make us uncomfortable!

Different cultures have found ways to clean their clothes. In Europe there were communal areas in town where neighbors would gather to wash their garments in outdoor pools of water. That likely is still the method in some parts of the world. A few generations ago in our country there were ways to do laundry at home, but they required a large amount of manual labor. Mechanized washing and drying machines have changed that completely, although now we have more sets of clothing to wash than in the past.

The ancient Israelites would use an alkaline mixture likely from plants for the same purpose. God uses that picture in the book of Malachi to show his judgment on sin through the arrival of his messenger, Jesus Christ. But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. (Malachi 3:2)

The people of Israel were complaining that God allowed sinners to flourish without seeming to care. God replies, “Not so fast! Sinners who do not repent are not getting away with their sinful actions. I myself will arrive as a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap.” So I will come to put you on trial (Malachi 3:5).

The messenger confronts us all. We are called to repentance and cleansing. We can scrub and scrub, and scrub some more, but none of our cleansing agents will work. Although you wash yourself with soap and use an abundance of cleansing powder, the stain of your guilt is still before me,” declares the Sovereign Lord. (Jeremiah 2:22) We trust in God’s full cleansing in Jesus!

The spiritual laundry cycle of God’s preaching of the law to our hearts may leave us bruised and worn out. It’s necessary so we look to Christ, our Savior. Examine your hearts and live in repentance. Cleansing in ours in Jesus so we are able to endure with joy the day of his coming.

“I the Lord do not change. … Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty (Malachi 3:6-7).