"I now pronounce you Husband and Wife..."
I don't know about you, but I've been to lots of weddings. I have attended them, been in the bridal party for them, officiated them, and have even been the Groom for two of them. While each of them differs somewhat, they all have a couple (a man and a woman) who have done the hard work to get to this point. All of the planning and taste-testing and flower-ordering and tux-renting and dress-altering and family-traveling has all been leading up to this moment. By the time the couple gets to this point, all of the "hard work" has been done. Then they start the marriage, and that's when the real hard work begins! That's when they start the (hopefully) lifelong process of two people becoming one.
Saturday, we went to a wedding where we watched a young woman get hitched to a Godly man and we really are rooting for them and praying for them as life begins together. Sunday, Pastor Jack preached about the wedding where Jesus showed up and did something miraculous (By the way, we should long for that to happen at every wedding!). As I looked over that Scripture passage one more time, I must let you in a little secret: this is one of my all-time favorite stories in the Bible and it means something to me personally! So I listened a little more intently this week and I discovered something new: every great thing that happened, happened because people listened to Jesus. And if ever there was a lesson that we need to learn when we pray it's that we need to listen to Him! If we did, what miracles would we see Him do here?!?
This whole passage centers around this private conversation happening between Jesus and His mother:
"When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to Him, 'They have no more wine.' 'Woman, why do you involve Me?' Jesus replied. 'My hour has not yet come.' His mother said to the servants, 'Do whatever He tells you.'" (John 2:3-5)
The only way we will ever know what to do in a situation like this is to know what it sounds like when He tells you something. So let me break down the different times this plays out here:
1. Jesus and His disciples had been invited to the wedding.
You may think the emphasis is on the fact that they crashed this wedding. But I think the real issue is that they decided to become His disciples. If we are going to do whatever He tells us to do, we have to start by following Him (because He certainly tells us to do that). Have you done that? Is there any area of your life where you aren't following Him?
2. The servants listened to Mary, and then listened to Jesus.
Following Him means that we recognize those moments when God is telling us what to do through other people. When was a time that He spoke through someone else to you and you KNEW it was from Him? How did you know that? What made you obey them?
3. The disciples believed in Him.
Wait a second - didn't they already believe in Him?!? I think they did on some level, yes, but this event made deepened their faith and made them believe in Him even more. The longer we follow Him, the more we should believe in Him! If you got to the place where you are believing in Him more, what would change in your life?
So as you pray this week, remember that we need to be ready to follow Him - to a wedding, to a new job, to a new state, to wherever He tells you to go so you can do whatever He tells you to do. Be listening for confirmation of what He has told you by Him speaking through other people. And then, let these experiences you have with Him take you deeper in your faith.