John 2:1-5 “On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, ‘They have no more wine.’  ‘Dear woman, why do you involve me?’ Jesus replied, ‘My time has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.” 

Jesus was attending a wedding, and this little bit of background information is worth taking a minute to consider. What do we see about Jesus here? We see that he takes an interest in our everyday lives. The same Jesus who had recently been baptized by John the Baptist, anointed as God’s own Messiah and the rightful Ruler and Savior over Israel; the same Jesus who had done battle with the devil himself in the wilderness and defeated every tempting attack the devil made; this same Jesus now took time to help a couple of ordinary people celebrate the start of their married lives together. Jesus came to be a part of the everyday, normal lives the people around him lived. He knew that he was serving his heavenly Father just as well when he was doing very ordinary things as he was when he was off battling the devil or preaching sermons. 

Do we try too hard to divide our lives into secular activities and spiritual activities? We don’t have to be teaching a Bible class, making a mission call, or attending a worship service to be doing God’s work. (Though I certainly don’t want to discourage any of that). Doing God’s work may mean pushing a pencil or the keys on a computer. Doing God’s work may mean raising our children if we have them. Doing the Lord’s work might involve a little recreation now and then.  If we aren’t serving the Lord with these very “earthy” activities, whom does that leave?  Ourselves?  The Devil?  Anything that doesn’t serve God is sin.

Jesus understood. He knew he was serving the Father even when he was enjoying himself at a wedding. This wedding gave him a chance to do more than take an interest in our everyday lives. He also takes an interest in our everyday problems.  “When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, ‘They have no more wine.’  ‘Dear woman, why do you involve me?’ Jesus replied, ‘My time has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.'”  Mary turned to the right place for help. Jesus is the source of every blessing. Even in this simple, earthy need, Jesus was the one to ask. 

As we often have to wait for an answer to our prayers, Mary had to wait for Jesus to answer her request.  His reply to Mary wasn’t intended to be impolite. He was firmly reminding her that he was not her little boy anymore. He wasn’t telling Mary he wouldn’t help.  He simply said, “Not yet.”  He was waiting for the time that was just right, when his miracle would accomplish everything he wanted it to do.

Jesus’s words to Mary comfort us in a couple of ways. First, they assure us when our prayers seem to go unanswered. The Lord may not do everything we ask immediately. That doesn’t mean he is never going to do it. He knows what we need better than we know it ourselves. He knows the best time to step in and help. Because he loves us, he only does what is most helpful. When we wait for answers, God’s love is at work for us. We have even more reason to pray to him boldly and confidently, knowing that he won’t let our requests or our impatience get in the way of our true need.

Second, we can be sure that no situation is too “earthly” or too “secular” to ask Jesus to help. It is not hard to imagine the sinking feeling the bride and groom felt when running out of wine ruined their perfect day.  All that planning and preparation to have THIS happen.  And yet, it wasn’t a problem that would have made much difference in the great cosmic scheme of things. The fate of the nation did not in the balance. No lives were at stake.

Still, we see that Jesus is the source of every blessing even in our simple needs. Jesus love for us extends to every part of our lives.