Reverend Raymond Osborne, Pastor

Please Note That Most Messages Follow
The Revised Common Lectionary

“Following the Right Voice”
John 2:1-11
“Do whatever He tells you.”

The mother of a small child attended a PTA meeting at which it was announced that a new sex-education program was about to be introduced in the district's schools. She worried about how this would affect her small daughter. The young child came home from school one day and said, "Mommy, you'll never guess what we learned in class today. We learned how to make babies." Bracing herself for what was coming next, Mommy replied, "Tell me dear, how do you make babies?" To which the child replied, "It's really easy. You just take away the y and you add i-e-s."

Each of you came into this world as a baby. Every person who has ever lived, came into this world as a baby. And, in so doing, every single one of us came into this world as an awesome, living miracle of life. Each one of us is a living witness to the awesome creative power of God. We know how to produce babies. But only God knows how to make such miracles.

This past week Paige, Seth and I got in the car and headed to Myrtle Beach. Why? Because I wanted to. We experienced a great deal of rain yet this morning as we were taking our things to the car and walked across the walkway that led to the parking garage, the sun was shining ever so brightly. I asked the children, “Didn’t God do a good job creating this world kids?” Whenever I find myself in the heart of the North Carolina mountains, or standing on a balcony looking at a sunrise over the ocean I can’t help but wonder how anyone could ever question the existence of God.

In the Book of Genesis we read that God created the heavens and the earth -- the entire Universe. He created the birds in the air, the fish in the sea, the trees in the forests and all varieties of flowers, including daisies. And then He performed His miracle of miracles! He created human life! And His miracles of creation never cease. Even now, He offers us a life that does more -- infinitely more -- than make us a bit happier. He offers us a life of joy. Happiness comes in a lot of different ways to people. Have you ever noticed that what makes one happy has the potential of making someone else miserable?

Do you know that God wants all of us to be happy? Do we understand that we were not created to be broken pieces of existence? Yet sometimes it seems that way doesn’t it? My Uncle Worth is a good example of someone who knows how to be happy and it doesn’t take much to make Uncle Worth happy either. Uncle Worth was a foxhunter. Now he did know everything about coon hunting, and squirrel hunting, and even about fishing, but the real sport of his life was foxhunting. When I was a little boy I use to love to go out to his house and we’d go way up on a ridge above my Granddaddy’s house and lay out at night and go fox hunting.

He’d built a little shelter up there out of 2 x 4’s and old pieces of canvas, wasn’t much of a place to really spend the night but outside there was a sign. The sign said, “World Headquarters: Greater Little Horse Creek Fox Hunters Association.” Uncle Worth was one of the founders and one of the perpetual officers of the Little Horse Creek Foxhunters and I use to love to spend the night while he was a doing that. The point of foxhunting is not to catch the fox. In fact, you don’t want to catch the fox. It’s more like music appreciation. I remember Uncle Worth telling the preacher one Sunday, “Preacher if you want to hear some REAL music you come with me Saturday night and you’ll get your chance!”

Well Saturday night came and Uncle Worth led the preacher up the hill behind my Granddaddy’s house to the little shelter where the sign hung that said, “World Headquarters: Greater Little Horse Creek Fox Hunters Association.” They sat there a while and told some jokes. The Preacher said, “Worth did ya hear the one of the preacher that was getting ready to perform a wedding at the close of the Sunday morning service?

After the benediction he had planned to call the couple down to be married for a brief ceremony before the congregation. For the life of him, he couldn't think of the names of those who were to be married. "Will those wanting to get married please come to the front?" he requested. Immediately, nine single ladies, three widows, four widowers, and six single men stepped to the front.”

About that time Uncle Worth said, “Hush Preacher! Listen!” The dogs were beginning to “sing” as Uncle Worth put it. Uncle Worth knew every dog by it’s voice. You’d hear a little dog going, “Yep! Yep!” He’s say, “There goes old Bell! She must be running in the wet ground. She’s got the longest toenails to give her that extra traction.” Had one dog that’d go, “Boowoo woo!” He’d say, “There’s little Warbbler!” And he had one dog that’d go “Waaaaaaaoooooooooo!” He called him “Old Carusoe.” Well let me tell you those dogs got to running hot and heavy! Yep! Yep! Boowoo woo! Boowoo woo! Waaaaaoooooo!” Uncle Worth looked at the preacher and said, “Now Preacher ain’t that the perttiest music you ever did hear?” Preacher looked at Uncle Worth and said, “Worth I can’t hear nothin’ for dem blasted dogs a bellyaching! They sound like they’re a dying!”

Uncle Worth never did invite the Preacher foxhunting again. He figured the Preacher just didn’t have the gift of music appreciation. It sure didn’t take much to make Uncle Worth happy though.

Impoverished, and awaiting the trial that would result in his execution, Paul wrote to the Church at Philippi about the joy he wanted to share. "I want you to be happy, always happy in the Lord," said Paul. "I repeat, what I want is your happiness" (Phil. 4:14). And so says the Lord Himself. He wants us to be happy. I repeat, what He wants is our happiness. What Paul discovered, is that when He accepted life in Christ, when he gave himself fully to the Lord in this way, God gave him -- freely gave him -- this gift of joy. The Grace of joy is not for us a matter of earning or deserving or calculating or trying somehow to bring it into being. It is a sheer gift of God's Love.

"The Lord is very near," wrote Paul. "There is no need to worry ... that peace of God, which is so much greater than we can understand, will ground your hearts and your thoughts in Jesus Christ" (Phil. 5:7).

The story is told of a woman who loved to participate in flea markets. She once created an area in her booth in which she placed objects marked "Free" -- things she wanted to give away. But, to her surprise, there were no takers. Finally, she attached a low price on each item and they quickly disappeared, leaving her a few dollars richer, but more confused than ever about human behavior. People seemed to be saying, in effect, "Everything has its price, that nothing in this God-made world is free!"

God's gift of the Good Life in Christ is free for the taking. So take it and cherish it! Take it and treasure it! Take it and live it! And, in so doing, you will find yourself ready, willing and able to take it and share!

The Apostle Paul implores us not to allow God's gift of the Good Life to droop in His outstretched hands. "I, the prisoner of the Lord implore you to lead a life worthy of your vocation" ...

"Bear with one another charitably, in complete selflessness ... gentleness ... and patience. Do all you can to preserve the unity of the Spirit by the peace that binds you together. There is one Body, one Spirit, just as you were all called into one and the same hope when you were called. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God who is Father of all, over all, through all, and within all" (Eph. 4:1-6).

Today's Gospel Lesson recounts Jesus' miracle of transforming water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana. The New Testament writers recorded Jesus' awesome miracles as signs that to believe in Him is to live in hope and expectation. During the wedding feast, Jesus' mother confidently and hopefully and expectantly comes to Him and says, "They have no more wine." And to the waiters, she says with the same quality of expectancy, "DO WHATEVER HE TELLS YOU." And, the Apostle John tells us, Jesus performs the first of the awesome signs given by Him during His public ministry: the water was made wine!

We Christians, we miracles of creation, are implored to see that our life's mission is to identify with the Lord of Miracles and to "DO WHATEVER HE TELLS US!" Which is to say, to love one another as He has loved us. And when we share God's gift of the Good Life in this manner, miracle of miracles, we rejoice in it! I repeat, we rejoice!

The "babies" coming into our world will need directions on how to rejoice in the Good Life Jesus offers. And more often than not, perhaps, the direction they take will be the direction we are now taking with our lives.

Do whatever He tells you and our babies will surely follow! Do whatever He tells you and they will surely learn to rejoice! In search of happiness let me share with you the secret of true happiness – the kind that lasts and withstands the test of time – DO WHATEVER HE ASKS. Whatever God asks you to do – do it and you will be happy. Don’t follow his direction and you will find unhappiness, restlessness, and a thirst that can never be satisfied.

Amen

Click Here To Receive FREE Notification When
New Sermons Are Posted

This Site is a Member of the Kerusso Sermon Web Ring.
[Skip Prev] [Prev] [Next] [Skip Next] [Random] [Next 5] [List Sites] [Join]

People Have Reviewed This Sermon