Jesus is the Best Wine

It is no secret, and certainly no scandal, that North Carolina is swimming in craft beer, regional wines, and now even Mayberry Moonshine !  What would Otis think?  These wonders go along with our ever increasing desire for recreation and escape from today's troubles.
The most famous regional wine came from Cana, and was made by Jesus from bathwater.  It was so good that the headwaiter at a potentially disastrous wedding thought it was the best (the best he'd ever tasted?)  This headwaiter fortunately didn't know that it was made from bathwater and served out of one of the nasty stone pots.  He complimented the host for "keeping the best wine until now" when most people with common sense serve the best wine first, so people who are inebriated won't notice the quality of the wine dropping as the feast progresses.
This first sign of Jesus is filled with intent and symbolism, and still speaks to us today if we have ears to hear.
The sign shows us that Jesus' ministry was intentional, not haphazard or some "plan B" situation.  Jesus is giving a semi-private sign that is designed to build faith in the disciples prior to beginning his public ministry.  Jesus' divinity, confirmed by the miraculous wine-making, is the fact that created faith among the disciples, enabling them to later be called Apostles.
The miracle at Cana shows us that Jesus' ministry had a point besides the miracles and miraculous, which was the climactic crucifixion in Jerusalem (the ultimate eschatological event).
Jesus is teaching everyone that He has the power to take their lack, their nothing, their bathwater, and turn it into the greatest things, the most needed things, those things which bring glory to God.  Jesus redeems even impossible situations.  Where something looks hopeless, through our prayers (like the Mother of Jesus asking for his help) He will give us hope and provision.
So how is your bathwater?  Are you drinking the "lesser wines" of this life?  Do you fall for the trendy promotions of merchants offering distraction from the real issue (that the wine has literally run out)?
In the words of Dr. Herman Ridderbos, "Jesus is the good wine, reserved until now."  Drink freely.

Life is More than Politics

"Thanks for everything, Bernie!"

Politicians have words to thank for their positions. They are often long on promises and (somewhat short on delivery). This persistent human phenomenon leads people to think that somehow the solution to our problems is political. I mean, if the politicians would “get out of the way” then “we could really get things solved.” This is what creates the cheap theater that is politics (see photo).

I firmly believe that the root of human problems is sin. By sin I mean a broken relationship with God that one inherits because one is human. This sinful nature is a spiritual problem, meaning that one only addresses it in spiritual terms, in terms of intangible indescribable interaction with the Divine. And is there not One who is Divine?

Our counselors must point us to God, our money won't save us, our entertainment escape will fade quickly. Our relationships all ultimately drive us to the one relationship that matters, our relationship with the One who created us, and who calls us by name to return to Him.

The root of humanity's problem is sin. The solution to sin has been provided by God, who sent His only Son Jesus Christ to be the resolution for our sins. Jesus perfectly revealed the Father in heaven, the Lord of all of us. How can we hope to know our God if we won't know His Son who perfectly showed us what he is like?

One thing that Jesus showed us clearly is that He died for our sins, not for His own. Jesus was the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. He taught that whoever believed in Him would not perish, but would have everlasting life.  Why would we not embrace this gift that God gives to us by His grace?

It is part of our duty as citizens to be engaged in the political process. But we are foolish if we imagine this will solve ultimate problems. People are good in many ways, but we are all dead in our sins with respect to God.  We ultimately cannot even help one another until we truly repent and believe Jesus. We then enter the life of God, as our sins are taken away, and we receive a new heart, a transformed moral disposition, that inclines us ever more towards the God who made us.

It is then that life truly is more than politics, more than success,  more than scientific materialism, more than...

Always Have Confidence in God

Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
Let the sea roar, and all it contains;
Let the field exult, and all that is in it.
Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy
Before the Lord, for He is coming,
For He is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
And the peoples in His faithfulness.

Psalm 96:11-13