Quick, go to the store! John 2:1-11

Ever been having a good time with a bunch of friends at your house and you run out of something? Not just something but one of the most important things. You quickly send someone to go to the local store and get some more of whatever. It would be embarrassing or your hospitality might be questioned if you didn't replenish what you ran out of.


Jesus and his buddies were hanging out at a wedding. These events were a huge part of the culture and they just ran out of wine. His mom told him but Jesus replied "hey, what are you telling me for?" But whenever someone (like his mom) trusted him, he got involved.


He showed up at a wedding (a very common deal in any culture) and did something that would be remembered forever.


As I thought about this, God brought a question to my mind. Dave, when was the last time I showed up like this in your life? I can't remember when. In fact, I don't even expect him to show up. It was like God agreed with me-that's right, you don't most of the time. Do I really believe he wants to invade my space like this?


Then, God reminded me that this was an easy deal. Water into wine-hey, he spoke and there was water that came from nothing so it would be an easy deal to turn water into wine. He could have made it into a Mountain Dew and that would really gotten them to think-who is this? and what is this we are drinking?


What does this say about my view of God? Is it a mind game or am I afraid he might really show up and change something?


How about a glass of wine tonight? Oh, all you have is water in the house?


Think about this
1. Do you want Jesus to show up in your daily life and do something that will force you to think about life differently?


2. Do you really believe he still wants to do this today or are you just supposed to read this stuff and think-great story, what's the next one?

What the Spank!

The sun is up, the wind is not blowing, the temperature will get to 45 degrees today, coffee was made and enjoyed, music is inspiring, the stock market is not doing much...seems like a routine day. But this is the day the Lord has made. That should make a difference shouldn't it? I mean, following Jesus is anything but routine and cannot be boring and often surprise enters the picture.


John 4:27-Jesus' guys were coming back from town with food and were alarmed that Jesus was talking with a woman from the wrong country. Wrong gender and location-doesn't Jesus know the customs? He would get hammered if some of the religious types knew about this. They were surprised but why should they be-this is what he did regularly. But none of them was willing to ask Jesus anything about it.

What does their being surprised indicate about them? They certainly didn't expect it. What does that reveal about their understanding about Jesus? What the spank is he up to?


Do you and I expect Jesus to surprise us with anything today or is it just another day "hugging the balance beam as Francis Chan says? (You should check out this video). Sure, some days are going to look the same but why not live with the expectation that when you follow Jesus, he might just show up talking with a woman at a well or maybe something even more exciting or challenging for you to experience?


Your following Jesus has taken you so far, but there are other places he wants you to visit.

Neighborhoods

How do you decide where you are going to live or where you will spend time? Are there certain roads you drive on and others "no way?" Are there certain parts of town you are not about to walk around in? We do have to be smart but in our justification for having comfort and security at any cost, we will not venture into certain areas that jeopardize either of these. And perhaps we are missing being in a place where God can seriously use us.
Jesus had to go into a dangerous or at least a questionable zone because he knew his father was working there. Check out John 4:4 and 9-10. Samaritans and Jews never high fived each other because they intentionally avoided any contact at all. they hated each other at the worst and distrusted each other at the best.

So, you can imagine what the disciples were thinking as Jesus started walking down this road. Jesus not only was walking through this rough part of the country but spoke to a Samaritan woman and asked her a question. She gave the typical reply "what are you doing here and why are you talking with me?" (my paraphrase) Jesus bypassed this because he knew that God wanted everyone to experience the gift of life that was only to be located in a relationship with him.

The results of this conversation are significant. (Read the rest of the chapter) Don't be trapped by the dual demons of comfort and security. Yes, these can actually be dangerous for your life and eliminate the adventure Jesus promises if we exclusively follow him.
Take a different route to somewhere this week. Go somewhere you have never been before that you consistently avoid. Maybe you can ask someone for some water or coffee.

What do you want?

A short scene in John 4:1-3 reveals that the religious crowd was always checking up on Jesus. What was he doing, why was he doing it, was he doing it in the right place?...and on and on. They had heard that more people were following Jesus than were following John and for whatever reason, they wanted to know what was going on.

Jesus did not care about this kind of thing. This was not what really mattered to him. They could debate and talk about what he was doing all day...he didn't care. Also, he was not interested in getting any kind of recognition for what was going on. However, he was interested in defining for those following him, what was important in life. If, when he left them they knew what really mattered and were living that way, he had done his job.

So, when he learned that these religious types were talking about this, he took off. He deliberately avoided any games these pseudo religious people were playing, He knew there was only one thing that really mattered and that their only concern was how his popularity was becoming greater than theirs.
What do you want? Who is your audience? Are you looking for a compliment from someone for some tidbit of information you know? Or, are you doing everything you can to focus people on Jesus rather than yourself?

This week deliberately do everything you can to not draw attention to yourself. Think about your conversations and what you talk about. Listening more than talking not only focuses attention away from yourself but you also learn about others.

Sit Down!

It begins at an early age. We probably can't tell when but we agree that early in our life we want people to notice us. It can be for who we think we are, what we have done or whatever. We want people to notice us.


And in our relationships with Christians-nothing changes. It becomes "here is what I think", or hearing people say "you are really a great teacher" or, well you get the picture. Would the real important person please stand up? And of course that would be you or me.
Old JB had the right perspective. People were checking him out and it was not because of his diet and wardrobe. Locusts and some kind of wrap around outfit that was not purchased at Abercrombie and Fitch might catch your attention but it was what he was talking about that drew people to him.


But John was focused on the right thing. He had already pointed out that Jesus was the one who deals with sin in a way he could not. Look at John 1:29. And now someone pointed out that everyone was going to Jesus to be baptized and they were leaving John. John is not thinking "man, I've got to come up with something big to keep these people focused on me." He knows it is time for him to SIT DOWN.


He is comfortable with the purpose, gifts, personality and abilities God has given him. He says it is all given from heaven to us. He didn't earn it, have to jump through certain hoops or do anything except be content with who he is. This does not stifle our developing our gifts or abilities but it puts the focus on what is right. It also diminishes stress and anxiety in us when we chase after anything that causes people to look at us rather than God.


Don't you ever get tired of standing after a while? Try sitting down several times this week.

Why Bother Jesus?

John 2:1-11   Jesus loved people, parties and any event he was invited to. He shows up at this wedding and either too many people came or they were just having too good of a time. But, they ran out of wine. Jesus' mom told him they were out of it. Jesus seemed almost frustrated with her statement and basically told her it was not his problem. His mom ignored that and told the servants to do whatever he told them. You know what happened next-he had the jars filled with water and made the best wine of the day. This was his first "big deal" and a glimpse of who he was and the disciples didn't miss the point. They were sold on him.

Was Jesus really bothered by this request or did he want to see who was on his team? Is he ever really interrupted by our questions? Not really. Nothing escapes his interest in us.

I'll bet that during this past year you have had some questions or thoughts you would like some kind of resolution to. Maybe some were big things and some not so big. Did you involve Jesus in them? Or did you think he might be busy with some real big deals and you didn't want to bother him? As you and I become radical followers of Jesus, one thing we learn is that he is not bothered by anything we talk to him about. He still wants to see who really wants to be on the team.

We are turning a page in a couple of days. Some of us will wake up and yawn but is there one thing you can think of that will get you to the heart of what it really means for you to be more of a radical follower of Jesus? Bother Jesus and talk with him about it. Better-go to a wedding or a bar and take Jesus with you and see what happens.

Too Close for Comfort?

Interesting scene in John 1:46-48   It is one thing to be an acquaintance with someone but quite another to be intimate with them. It is much more safe and non-threatening to be casual with people. Not much usually happens in these relationships if they can even be termed relationships. but ask a significant question or make a revealing comment and you quickly know if the conversation is over or just beginning.
Nate was real "Can anything good come from Nazareth?' He expressed what many in those days thought. Phillip didn't argue but just said "check it out yourself."


Jesus sees what is going on and said "Here comes a guy who is real-nothing fake here." Was Nate proud in saying "How do you know me?" or did he recognize that Jesus really saw through him? Whatever, Jesus said he saw him under a fig tree. He had not met him but already knew Nathanael. Nathanael knew they had not met and that could only mean one thing for him-this had to be the Son of God.
How close are you to Jesus? Maybe we like the acquaintance idea more than the "he really knows me" thought. One way to tell is what your Christian life is like. I mean if we are in the acquaintance section we show up at the right Christian meetings, with a smile, and make a few innocent comments, being friendly and checking our watch to see how much longer we have to do this. If you are in the other section, you talked with Jesus before the meeting about who he might want you to listen to or speak with and you asked him to help you know how to be sensitive to what you should say.
Jesus hangs out in this section and never really goes to the acquaintance area. He is committed to knowing us and us knowing him-really knowing him! Is that scary or exciting to you?


Real church is made up of those who are real-with each other and with Jesus. Where do you church?