It was the night of the Halloween party. Everything seemed to be in place and ready for the party goers. The table was set up with popcorn, potato chips, donuts, cider, and other  treats. The first hour of the party was taken up with a haunted house that had been set up.

However, by the time the young folks that had been helping out with that event got over to where the party was being held there was next to no food or drink left. I ran over to my house which was next door and the only snacks I had in the cupboard was a can of Pringles potato chips and part of a jar of peanuts. This was hardly a bounty to satisfy the party goers. The young folks who had helped out were disappointed, and even those who had partaken of the food that first hour were still looking for more treats. Nothing can put a damper on the festivities faster than running out of food or drink.

Many of us have had similar experiences. We may go to a  restaurant that advertises a special. We get there our mouths watering all the way there only to find out they have run out before we can even get a taste. Some may have thrown a party or been to a party where more people show up than expected
and provisions run short. Then someone may have to quick run out to resupply

Maybe guests are asked to take smaller portions. The host might ask a friend or to to abstain after relaying the problem. Falling short of food or drink can quickly throw a gathering into turmoil. Maybe its just the host who is in turmoil, but many times it can bring a party to an abrupt stop.

There was a TV show in which some young kids took over a house while there parents were away and threw a party. The teenager put in charge tried all sorts of yelling to get the crowds out when the party got out of hand. Finally, the younger sister says, “stand back, I’ll take care of it.” She yells, “food’s gone.”

Suddenly everyone I making a b-line for the door. The house is cleared out in seconds.

This illustrates that running out of food makes everyone elserun out of the party. Running out can bring the joyous festivities to a screeching halt.

This didn’t happen at Cana in Galilee, at a wedding our Lord was attending. However, if He hadn’t intervened the party would have died suddenly.

Evidently, more guests arrived to celebrate the wedding than had been anticipated. This wedding wasn’t being thrown by a wealthy family. It was an average person’s wedding. They didn’t have great means. So, as it turns out, the excessive guest list caused a shortage of wine. Our Lord’s mother, Mary,
  sees the need and the embarrassment such a shortage would cause the hosts and appeals to our Lord to do something.

The water pots in the feast chamber were empty, and at the command of our Lord these pots are filled with water. Instantly, the water is transformed into wine. Not just any ‘ol wine, it was a wine of such excellent quality as to call forth the highest praise from the master of the feast. He calls it “the best wine.”

Usually, the best wine was served first. Later, when the party- goers were feeling good shall we say, wine that was watered down was feeling good shall we say, wine that was watered down was served. In this case, the best was being served well into the festivities.

What is the significance of this miracle? Partly, it has to do with what we were talking about. Running out of wine would’ve caused the party to come to an end. Our Lord’s provision allows the festivities to continue. His actions not only allow it to go on, they make them better than before. For now the best was being served.

It reminds us of a part of our Lord that we sometimes forget to envision. We usually see Him as a very somber and serious Fella. It is true our Lord took His mission very seriously. However, on the other hand, there probably hasn’t been anyone who has enjoyed what life has to offer as much as Him.

Our Lord took joyfulness seriously. Our Lord was One Who liked a celebration. He loved a good party. Whenever He wasn’t teaching or preaching, where   would you find Him? Often it was celebrating. It might be at a tax collector’s home, or a Pharisee’s house. The guests may include common folk or the the powerful.

He savored the company He was with whoever they may be. He seems to have rejoiced in any reason to celebrate life. More often than not He Himself was the cause of the celebration. He understood that we were created for joy. We are here to enjoy God, to enjoy the lives He gave us, to enjoy each other. He knew we should enjoy each day and savor the moments.

Thus, the significance of His first miracle was that it allowed the joy to continue. Because of this miracle the celebration carried on.

It says something that was inherent in our Lord’s mission.  He came to bring joy. We are reminded of this by those who heralded His birth. The first announcement of our Lord was one of glad tidings of great joy. As we read the experiences of those who came into contact with Him, who reached out to Him, sought Him out, they almost always left brimming over with joy. This is probably the reason they flocked to Him. He had something they didn’t. They saw in Him something they couldn’t find for themselves. Joy and happiness. There are
   people we come across in our lives that when we are around them our troubles seem to slip away for a time. When we are with them things don’t seem so bad. Often it is because these folks have a joy inside of them that they are in some way able to impart and share. They make us laugh and feel good about   ourselves. They help us to see the world as being a little better if only for a few moments. Our Lord could do this, but in a much grander way.

We live in a world that is in desperate need of happiness. It longs for joy. We look for any reason to celebrate. There is something deep inside of us that yearns to celebrate, that knows we were created for joy.

But unfortunately we find ourselves too often finding reasons to celebrate few and far between. News it seems is more bad than good. Our celebrations many times are not so much a celebration of good times as they are a time to forget the bad times. They are forced celebration, not from the heart. The joy isn’t internal. It doesn’t well up from the soul. Rather, we manufacture it in some external way.

So, as we go through life we may find times that we feel like the provisions have run out. We look and find out the wine cellar is empty. We feel like the party is over. We want to celebrate, but there is nothing left in our lives we feel to bring
to the celebration. There is nothing left to fuel the joy. We look in the cabinets and we may find a few things, but not really enough to sustain the celebration. But when we feel like our storehouse is empty and the party is falling apart around us, we can go to our Lord. We can do what Mary and the wedding
hosts did at Cana. He asks us to bring Him our empty jars, our emptiness, so He can fill them up with what we need to keep the celebration of life going.

This is what His ministry was all about essentially. It was to take control and get rid of all those things that show up at life’s party and drains our storehouses. To toss out those things that drink us dry and upset our plans. He came to open up the treasure house of His Father’s kingdom to us that we may never run out of the things we need. He came to take that which is empty and fill it. He came to take bad situations and brings good to bear on them.

Many times when we come to our Lord empty and our party is going poorly, we cannot retrieve exactly that which has run dry. However, our Lord points us to other things we have that can fill our banquet table. They may not fill it in the same manner, but they will fill it nonetheless for the time being. He directs us to new treats that we can feast upon and will keep our celebration going. A party that takes a new and unexpected turn isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Many times it can be a memorable thing, even though the transition might be a bit
  rough. Our Lord tells us to remember the great times early in the party, but reminds us that there are still great times to be had. He shows us that there are still things to celebrate.

He also declares to us that many of the great things that made the party great early on, we will celebrate again in even fuller and grander ways. Because He is preparing the party of parties. He is putting together a great wedding feast for us to attend, where all these things will be part of the celebration.

Our Lord wants to come to our party, and more importantly He wants us to come to His. He wants to celebrate our lives with us, and us to celebrate His life with Him, that the celebration may never end!

 

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