The story of Jesus turning water into wine is very familiar to most of us. It even enters popular culture fairly often, usually in comical ‘even Jesus appreciates a good drink’ kind of ways. However, this recounting of Jesus’ early ministry, and its positioning in John’s Gospel, really serve to distinguish Jesus and the ministry of His Kingdom from the kingdoms and values of the world around us.

The passage comes right after Jesus has recruited his early disciples in John 1, which makes this the first account of Jesus’ miraculous ministry to the world. As the account goes, it seems the first public miracle was not strategically planned, but the result of some newlyweds’ misfortune. There they were, publicly hosting the celebration of their union with friends, family, and neighbors when they embarrassingly run out of wine to serve their guests. Such a thing may be more forgiving in our culture today, but in that time it was bad enough for Mary to effectively say, “Jesus, won’t you do something to spare them?” 

In a way, Jesus responds saying, it is not yet my time and the social faux pas of this world are not what I’m here for. However, he then proceeds to turn this story into a profound parable for a key feature in his Kingdom teaching: abundance. What Mary likely expected of Jesus, and what the wedding guests expected of their hosts, was for the wine to continue to flow well into the celebration. The worldly custom and strategy for this (as noted in verse 10) was to serve the best wine you had first, and then serve a lesser wine as the drinking went on. It makes practical sense. People are less likely to notice or care if the wine isn’t as good after they’ve already had a few. 

But Jesus turns this worldly notion on its head. Rather than miraculously solve the problem with the standard vintage of wine, he provides the wedding with the finest wine (likely much more costly than the family could have afforded) and takes them from being social outcasts hosting an under-prepared wedding party to being the talk of the town. This is the Kingdom of God. This is what Jesus does for us every day. He brings a better vintage than we ever could have imagined into our lives. The world’s values are to be shrewd, calculating, and frugal- but the Kingdom’s values are to be generous and overly extravagant in service to others.

This is the first ‘lesson’ Jesus brings us in the Gospel of John. He says, My ways are not your ways and I’ve come to give you so much more life than what you could imagine or hope for. So in the hustle and bustle, and juggling of our day or week, be sure to constantly check your posture. Ask God, am I approaching this day from a world-view of scarcity and self-preservation (for me and my family) or am I living in the abundance of a risen Christ?

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A Reflection, Lamentation, and Challenge for us All

contributor post by Frank Astor

The older I get it seems there are more questions arising than answers. In today’s America, the term ‘Evangelical Christian’ has become almost a political term. Evangelical Christians are standing for and supporting ideas and individuals that I see as not representing Christian values. Are they wrong, or am I?

When the prophets showed up in the Bible they were frequently looked at as being wrong, usually speaking out against the prevailing social norms of their day. When people throughout the world view American Christians as pro-war, pro-violence, and pro-abortion; what must they think? America was founded as a Christian nation (we still use the term Christian nation verses Jewish, Muslim, etc.). Something seems to have gone terribly wrong. But what? We all know the rules, such as the ten commandments, but are we missing the spiritual connection? Are we becoming indifferent? Do we feel that we ‘have arrived’?

I am reading a book written by an Indian-Christian man who as a teenager gave up his Hindu belief and accepted Christ as his savior. With this transition he was disinherited by his parents and siblings. Below are some of his observations and thoughts:

- Singh, Sundar. Wisdom of the Sadhu: Teachings of Sundar Singh. Plough, 2000.

I have been wondering, are we as North American Christians becoming a Pharisaicial Christian nation? Is the Western Church a ‘rules’ church or an Old Testament style Church, while the non-Western Church is more New Testament style? If so, why would this be? Again, a quote from our Indian-Christian brother, Sundar,

As an American-Christian, this has me more and more asking myself, am I more of a pharisee-Christian or a Spiritual-Christian? Perhaps, the answer as simple as ‘SEEKING.’ Sundar’s observation of ‘idols, altars, temples, etc.’ in India’s culture sounds like a people looking and seeking for a higher authority.

Which brings me back to my earlier question, are American-Christians still seeking or do we operate as though we already ‘have arrived’ in our faith journey? In our culture of materialism, fast food, fast answers- are we no longer seeking a higher authority? It seems it’s not needed if we feel we already have ‘it’ (life) under control, or believe working just a little bit harder/longer will get us ‘there.’

To bring it to a more personal level; answering for myself, I am still seeking; are you? Are you a fully matured Christian? Have you ascended to that level or are you still trying, still seeking, to follow Jesus in a daily walk through your life’s journey? I have heard it said that the word ‘Christian’ can be better broken down as ‘Christ-like.’ So, to be Christian is to be always seeking to be Christ-like. Time (and history) will tell how well or how poorly we have done.

Where are we as a Church going as we enter 2023? Are we on the right track…? It sure doesn’t seem so at times. The Evangelical Church as a cohesive body of believers seems more muddled now than ever. Can we find a better way forward? If we can return to a lifestyle of seeking, I believe we can.

• Frank Aster is an occasional writer for Project Arctos. He is proud to serve the Lord as a father, grandfather, craftsman, and Sunday school teacher in the Mennonite Church.

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Did you know all the painful subtext written into the story of Jesus’ birth? My guess is you’ve heard some of it, but many sermons and teachings tend to gloss over the pain and merely emphasize the celebration and hope that comes with it. I think this is one of the reasons the ‘Mary Did You Know?’ song by Michael English has been so popular in more recent history. It highlights some of the real world and spiritual realities that can sometimes get missed as we celebrate and reflect throughout the holiday season. (If you’re not familiar, this may be my current favorite version.) It goes:

It goes on in similar fashion, highlighting the immense complexity of Mary’s situation, a young, unwed, expectant mother in a culture steeped in shame and societal expectations well beyond our own. It has caused me to see the ‘no room at the Inn’ portion of the story in new light more recently:

While it is certainly possible simply all the rooms were filled by other travelers, it is just as likely that no one would host an out-of-wedlock couple. They were pariahs, social outcasts that most people would not want to receive or associate with. This was how our Savior came into the world, completely vulnerable, unwelcome and unwanted. Perhaps you’ve never had the misfortune to feel so vulnerable, but if you can imagine a time of being in desperate need and having little or no support to turn to, that is likely what Mary and Joseph would have been feeling. 

When I tore my achilles tendon shortly after college, I had very little money and no medical insurance for what I knew would be over $10,000 in surgery costs. For a brief period I felt completely vulnerable, helpless and alone. (Fortunate for me, my family and social services came to my aid). Can you recall a time when you felt so desperate? 

Jesus came to us in the humblest and most vulnerable fashion. As you enjoy this Christmas season, do well to consider the vulnerable within your vicinity. Think on Mary and Joseph with nowhere to find good shelter and understand how those without means for their basic needs must be feeling at this time. And if you find yourself feeling vulnerable in any area of life, know that your Savior sees you.

Merry Christmas, may you bless and be blessed throughout the holiday season!

There are many sermons and devotions on this passage that ironically embody the contrarian point James is making. Many expositions on this verse take it as a typical ‘sin avoidance’ encouragement passage, which fits conveniently with the Church’s overall centralized focus on sin-avoidance going back to sometime not long after the Scriptures themselves were recorded. There are enough Scriptures on resisting and avoiding sin to support this focus. However, we need to note the opposite and more important side of the ‘committing sin’ coin; the one I think James is actually talking about here: doing good.

Sin-avoidance, of course, isn’t a bad thing, but it definitely comes second to doing good. I would even argue that part of what makes sin sinful is that it’s something that takes us away from the good things we should be doing instead.

If the historical narrative of the Western Church is to be believed, we’re only capable of ‘doing good’ if/when we’ve been able to avoid doing bad. It’s the incredibly persistent old trope that only the spotlessly clean are ready and able to serve the Kingdom. A trope that Jesus died to obliterate and countless heroes of faith (with dubious histories) have proven false. Yet, we as a Church have broadly chosen to focus on sin-avoidance as the primary aim of our teachings.

This is what James combats here in Chapter 4. The ‘sin’ he speaks of is not, as so many expositors have noted, knowing what is right and instead choosing what is wrong. The sin is knowing what good we should be doing and not doing it. It is a sin of inaction. The sin of letting orphans and widows in our locale go hungry. The sin of not making a habit of checking in on the marginalized. The sin of not initiating fellowship with other congregations around us. The sin of not prayerfully giving a first-fruit of some form unto the Lord. The sin of not actively working to reconcile ourselves to the people around us, the creation around us, ourselves, and God (*for more on this see Dr. Clement Wen’s article discussing the four redeemed relationships encompassed by Salvation in Christ.).

So what good do you know you should be doing within your immediate context that is going undone? What lifestyle ministry is losing out to general business, misaligned life priorities, or time-killing holes like too much idle entertainment?

Take a few minutes today to ask God what good thing you’re missing in his plans for you. Whatever it is, don’t take it as a guilt trip, but rather a fresh opportunity to seize the Kingdom God has built into your day.

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*For some excellent additional reading in this area, I recommend this article (also by Dr. Wen), which is a strong call for us to shed the heavy yoke of a limited or narrow devotional life, for the ‘easy yoke’ Jesus spoke of: Rediscovering an ‘Easy yoke’ Devotional Life.