κήρυξον τὸν λόγον

[Introduction] In the beginning, God created (Gen. 1:1a).  That’s who God is ... The One who creates ... outside of himself. The fact that he creates outside of himself reveals the great attribute that belongs to him ... Love. God is love (4:8) and God created man so that he may have someone to love.  That work of God continues today. As we say in the Catechism, I believe that God has made me and all creatures. He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and STILL TAKES CARE of them .   The fact that he has made you and me means that ... apart from anything we have done or have failed to do ... apart from anything we have thought or failed to think ... he loves us ... he STILL takes care of us. As we say: He also gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all that I have. He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life. The fact t...

But you have kept the good wine until now (v 10b). When Jesus changed water into wine, he did what was humanly impossible to do: He created something out of nothing. He didn’t substitute wine for water. He changed the water into wine ... and not just any wine ... but that which is good ... you know like in the beginning ... that which abounds to the end. It was a miracle. It was a sign. It manifested his glory (v 11).  As a miraculous sign, it signified something extraordinary about Jesus, and something glorious about marriage. So today we will talk about Jesus, and we will talk about marriage, and we’ll talk about the relationship between Jesus and marriage and the celebration that goes with it. THE SIGNS OF CHRIST CONTINUE TO REVEAL THE GLORY OF GOD 1. First, we’ll talk about Jesus.  The changing of water into wine is a sign that reveals who Jesus is. Note first, that this wedding happened on the third day (v 1). This points us to the Resurrection and the Marriage Feast of...

Saint John leaves little doubt as to what today’s Gospel Epiphany is all about. In fact, he tells us rather plainly. Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee. ... It manifested his glory, and his disciples believed in him (v 11). As Epiphanies go, the sign of changing water into wine isn’t quite the Aha moment that the Baptism of Jesus was last week. But it is still a momentous one. As we pass through the waters of our Lord’s baptism,  in the end we can see and hear the Gospel. We can see Christ giving us an abundance of his best gifts for this life. We can recognize that the kingdom of God really comes without our prayer (SC III) and that heaven really has been opened to all who believe (1:51).  That’s what the Season of Epiphany is all about ... it’s about seeing and hearing and celebrating the manifestation, or the illumination, of the glory of God through the humanity of Jesus Christ. That’s why we focus on the signs Jesus did. As John will ultimately te...

We read: This [was] the beginning of the signs (v. 11). Yes, it was just the beginning ... It was the beginning sign ... the sign of a perfect marriage and a perfect ministry and a perfect life. It was just the beginning ... the first sign of all the best things that reveal who Jesus really is. There are many other good signs that Jesus has done that weren’t written down (Jn 20:30). But if they had been, Saint John surmised, the world itself couldn’t contain the books (Jn 21:29). This one, however, was written. And it is still a marvelous sign in our sight.  We love hearing about the sign of changing water into wine from John chapter 2. In it we see that ... THE BEST COMES FIRST AND LASTS INTO ETERNITY AS JESUS BLESSES OUR DAILY LIVES This is our theme today. Jesus blesses us in his presence; He blesses us with his power; He blesses us with his purpose; and in the end he is still doing it every Lord’s day, always bringing us the best he has to offer. Talk about a marvelous sign! ...