Because He Turned Water into Wine

Christmas has come and gone and it is now the New Year. I spent my day packing away decorations and making hambone soup with black eyed peas. They’re still good luck the day after New Year’s Day, right? I am always a bit depressed while putting Christmas decorations away. The colors, smells and lights of Christmas are the best part of the year, and when I put it all away, I am reminded that I have to wait another eleven months to bring them out again. When I think about Mary waiting for the arrival of Christ, I wonder if she had a similar feeling once he had arrived. The anticipation of birthing a savior filled her, possibly with mixed emotions. Then, Jesus was born, the wise men came and the new little family received gifts. Once the wise men left, reality set in: She had to take her baby home, and real life began.

Can you imagine what it would have been like to raise Jesus? Was the Son of God ever given a time out as a child? Or, would raising a perfect child prove to be more difficult than we could ever imagine? I mean, how do you tell Jesus Christ to brush his teeth and get in the bed? Then, one day, you are at a wedding with your son, the King of Kings, and his disciples when the hosts run out of wine (John 2:1-2). Mary’s initial instinct is to tell Jesus “Hey, there’s no more wine (John 2:3).” What is Christ’s response? “It is not yet my time (John 2:4).” Then, Mary does what any mother would do in this situation and tells the servants, “do whatever he says (John 2:5).” So, in turn Christ performs his first miracle and because of this miracle, his disciples believed in him (John 2:11).

My favorite Christmas song just happens to be Mary Did You Know. My version of choice this season was by Pentatonix. Have you heard of them? I had it repeat for the entire month of December. The song gives me chills every. Single. Time. The last verse of the song begs some pretty serious questions:

"Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy would one day rule the nations? Did you know that your Baby Boy is heaven's perfect Lamb? The sleeping Child you're holding is the Great, I Am."

My answer to these questions is yes. Mary knew that she brought the Lord of all creation into this world. She knew that her baby boy would one day rule the nations, that he was heaven’s perfect lamb and the child she tucked into bed every night was, in fact the Great I am. How do I know this? The answer is simple: because she knew that he could turn water into wine.

Looking into the New Year, what kind of work do you need Christ to do in your life? Are you prepared to do what Mary did and boldly ask Christ to work in your life? What if he tells you as he told Mary, “it is not yet time?” Do you have the patience to allow him to reveal himself in his perfect timing? We do not know how long Christ waited after Mary asked him to do something about the wine to perform his first miracle, but we know he did it. Also, as the scripture continues, we see that the wine he created from water was the best wine served at the wedding. This gives us comfort that Christ can and will exceed our expectations. My New Year’s resolution for us all is to be bold in our relationship with Christ, knowing that he will reveal himself in our lives in 2016, because we know that he can turn water into wine.

But his mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” John 2:5

Lauren Rutland Hightower Children’s Minister University Church of Christ, Shreveport