WELCOME: –

INTRODUCTION: –

I hope you all received your invitation to the wedding – It is the end of the harvest and it’s time to celebrate that the crushing is complete – it really is the time to let your hair down and celebrate with us all. Our many friends and relatives are invited – who knows how many will be there to celebrate the marriage of our dear daughter, Naomi, and Reuben’s and Miriam’s son, Jeremiah.  We’ll be singing, dancing, and feasting.  What a time we’ll have.  Sarah and I are so happy!  Are you ready?  Are you coming?  We look forward to seeing you.

GATHERING: –

It is our Creator God, abundant giver, who, at a wedding in Cana, turned the ordinary into the extraordinary.

We come to God, ready for him to turn our ordinariness into something extraordinary, in each one of us today.

SONG MEDLEY 1

SIS 40 This is the Day that the Lord has made  

SIS 104 Unto Thee O Lord

Unto Thee O LORD do I lift up my soul

Unto Thee O LORD do I lift up my soul

O my God I trust in thee, let me not be ashamed

Let not my enemies, triumph over me.

Yea, let none that wait on Thee be ashamed

Yea, let none that wait on Thee be ashamed

O my God I trust in thee, let me not be ashamed

Let not my enemies, triumph over me.

Show me Thy ways, Thy ways O LORD

Teach me Thy paths, Thy paths O LORD

O my God I trust in thee, Let me not be ashamed

Let not my enemies, triumph over me.

Remember not the sins of my youth

Remember not the sins of my youth

O my God I trust in thee, let me not be ashamed

Let not my enemies, triumph over me.

The secret of the LORD is with them that fear

The secret of the LORD is with them that fear

O my God I trust in thee, let me not be ashamed

Let not my enemies, triumph over me.

SIS  71 Thy Loving Kindness

Thy loving kindness is better than life

Thy loving kindness is better than life

My lips shall praise Thee, thus will I bless Thee

I will lift up my hands unto Thy name.

I lift my hands up unto Thy name

I lift my hands up unto Thy name

My lips shall praise Thee, thus will I bless Thee

I will lift up my hands unto Thy name.

Thy loving kindness is better than life

Thy loving kindness is better than life

My lips shall praise Thee, thus will I bless Thee

I will lift up my hands unto Thy name.

I lift my hands up unto Thy name

I lift my hands up unto Thy name

My lips shall praise Thee, thus will I bless Thee

I will lift up my hands unto Thy name.

SIS 81 `Rejoice in the Lord Always

Let us hear the words of Psalm 36.5 – 9

⁵ Lord, your constant love reaches the heavens;
    your faithfulness extends to the skies.
⁶ Your righteousness is towering like the mountains;
    your justice is like the depths of the sea.
People and animals are in your care.

⁷ How precious, O God, is your constant love!
    We find^[a] protection under the shadow of your wings.
⁸ We feast on the abundant food you provide;
    you let us drink from the river of your goodness.
⁹ You are the source of all life,
    and because of your light we see the light.

SONG 2   TIS 609   May the mind of Christ, my Saviour

We bring our confession to our Lord and Saviour.

Let us pray.

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

Lord God, we confess that the daily grind consumes us.
We struggle to see beyond the needs of day-to-day life.
We don’t lift our eyes to heaven for inspiration, let alone miracle.
We are chained to earthly demands.

Forgive us, Lord, for our lack of faith and imagination;
we look to you for transformation.

Forgive us for failing to open our minds to the miracles of living;
open our eyes, change our thinking and understanding.

Come, Lord, transform our way of being;
make us vessels wherein the ordinary becomes extraordinary and we experience your joy.

 For Jesus’ sake.  Amen.

ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS

Lord God, we thank you for forgiving us when we forget;
when, in the midst of cares and woes, we forget what you can do.

Thank you for surprising us at such times, Lord,
by forgiving us when we’ve forgotten what it is to go astray
in thought and attitude as well as deeds.

Our minds mired in the murk of anxiety about our needs and wants,
you surprise us with a reminder of your presence, generous in your bounty
– just like Jesus at the wedding in Cana.

Lord, who transforms water into wine,

Thank you for your transforming power in our lives.

Amen.

PASSING THE PEACE.

Let us reach out to each other with outstretched hands to each other in blessing remembering those who are not with us today remembering that we are one in Christ.

 
The peace of the Risen Lord be with you all 

And also with you.

SONG 3 – ALLELU – Fresh Sounds 34 

[No YouTube could be found on the Internet that plays the melody for this song, however it fits the metre for the tune Gartan – there is no introduction.]

[This YouTube is for another hymn, so disregard the words.  It only covers three verses, so you will need to replay it so as to sing the last two verses.]

Come and bless, come and praise, come and praise the living God

Allelu, Allelu, Alleluia, Jesus Christ

Come and seek, come and find, come and find the living God

Allelu, Allelu, Alleluia, Jesus Christ

Come and hear, come and know, come and know the living God

Allelu, Allelu, Alleluia, Jesus Christ

Come and bless, come and praise, come and praise the Word of God

Word of God, word made flesh, Alleluia Jesus Christ

Angel choirs sing above, “Glory to the Son of God”

Allelu, Allelu, Alleluia, Jesus Christ

PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION

Let us pray

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from allsin.

As we listen to your word to us this morning, may we attend closely.

May your message come alive in each of us.

BIBLE READINGS

1 Corinthians 12:1-11   (Good News Translation)

Gifts from the Holy Spirit

 Now, concerning what you wrote about the gifts from the Holy Spirit. I want you to know the truth about them, my friends. 

You know that while you were still heathen, you were led astray in many ways to the worship of lifeless idols.  I want you to know that no one who is led by God’s Spirit can say “A curse on Jesus!” and no one can confess “Jesus is Lord,” without being guided by the Holy Spirit.

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit gives them. 

There are different ways of serving, but the same Lord is served. 

There are different abilities to perform service, but the same God gives ability to all for their particular service. 

The Spirit’s presence is shown in some way in each person for the good of all.  The Spirit gives one person a message full of wisdom, while to another person the same Spirit gives a message full of knowledge.  One and the same Spirit gives faith to one person, while to another person he gives the power to heal. 

The Spirit gives one person the power to work miracles; to another, the gift of speaking God’s message; and to yet another, the ability to tell the difference between gifts that come from the Spirit and those that do not.

To one person he gives the ability to speak in strange tongues, and to another he gives the ability to explain what is said.  But it is one and the same Spirit who does all this; as he wishes, he gives a different gift to each person.

This is the Word of the Lord.

In this we rejoice O God

John 2:1-11    (Good News Translation)

The Wedding in Cana

Two days later there was a wedding in the town of Cana in Galilee.  Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.  When the wine had given out, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They are out of wine.”

 “You must not tell me what to do,” Jesus replied.  “My time has not yet come.”

 Jesus’ mother then told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

 The Jews have rules about ritual washing, and for this purpose six stone water jars were there, each one large enough to hold between twenty and thirty gallons. 

Jesus said to the servants, “Fill these jars with water.”  They filled them to the brim, and then he told them, “Now draw some water out and take it to the man in charge of the feast.”

They took him the water, which now had turned into wine, and he tasted it.  He did not know where this wine had come from (but, of course, the servants who had drawn out the water knew); so he called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone else serves the best wine first, and after the guests have drunk a lot, he serves the ordinary wine.  But you have kept the best wine until now!”

Jesus performed this first miracle in Cana in Galilee; there he revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.

Reader: This is the gospel of our Lord

Praise be to You Lord Jesus Christ

MESSAGE

ORDINARY INTO EXTRAORDINARY

My name is Yohanan, John to you, and boy do I have a story to tell.

I was there at the wedding.  Yeshua, our teacher, and his mother, Maryam, had been invited and somehow that included us; Yeshua’s disciples, his students.

Jeremiah and Naomi were married.  It was a lavish affair and all the families and friends had gathered for the grand occasion which went on for days.  The noise and the excitement rose as we danced, and quietness descended as we sat exhausted tasting the fine food and enjoyed quiet conversation.  I was amazed at how the women and the servants managed to keep the tables filled. That in itself was a miracle.

Later in the proceedings something really amazing happened. I was very close at the time and I overheard the whispered words

 “There is no wine.” ……… “There is no wine?” ………  There is no wine!

Maryam leaned over to Yeshua, and said in that typical voice mothers’ have,

“Yeshi, do something about this.  Just for me and the family.  You know how important this.  Think of the family.”

“Mother, not now.  You know if this gets out people will get the wrong idea.

This not the right time.  My time has not yet come.”

Maryam spoke to the servants. Mothers seem to have sway with their sons

“Do what he tells you”, she told the servants. There was a knowing smirk on her face and devoted son, Yeshua, finally gave the strangest instructions I had ever heard.

“Fill those large pots with water.  Now draw from the pots and take it to the master of ceremonies.”

Now don’t ask me how but the water was now wine.  “The best wine” announced the MC, “has been saved until last”  And it was.

Only the servants and our small group knew what had happened.

I was the only one to record this as Yeshua’s first wonderful thing he did.  You may say “That was a miracle!  That’s truly amazing!”  It was certainly a turning of something ordinary into the extraordinary.

It was a time, the time, that we started to believe in him. It was a case of turning the ordinary into the extraordinary.  And I was there to see it happen.

And as I wrote at the end of my account of my time with Yeshua (or Jesus as you would call him. 

 I am the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down.  I know that my testimony is true.

 Jesus did many other things as well.  If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.

 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

You have hopefully read my account 2000 years later.  Does my still account ring true to you?  I hope so.  Do you, like my friends, know Jesus, that’s how you know him, as God’s son who came to save us?

Jesus talked a lot about feasts, weddings, celebrations, and grapes and vineyards and wine.  There was the feast of the father whose son returned home.  That invitation to the banquet where many failed to accept.  The disappointed bridesmaids who forgot to take extra oil.  Oh yes, the story about the two sons who were asked to work in the vineyard.  One said “Yes”, and didn’t come the other turned up late.  That made the Pharisees think.  He was good at that answering in ways that would confound those picky-picky people.

As we leave John, we acknowledge that the accounts of Jesus’ life, his teachings and parables, make us think as well.

God extends the invitation to us today.  We are invited to accept take part in the celebrations.  We are asked to come and experience and taste the new wine.  The wine of the kingdom of God.  We are invited to experience not just a one-off “you beaut” moment , but a “you beaut” lifelong adventure each and every day.

As part of the adventure we are given new life in the Spirit of God.  The Holy Spirit given to us equips us as we work for God in his vineyard.  To each one of us we are given and encouraged to use our gifts to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary and in the process allow even ourselves to be transformed.  The question is, ‘Are we brave enough to allow the gardener to prune away the old wood so that new growth can appear?’

An ordinary blank sheet of paper or a canvas can become an extraordinary work of art that can be appreciated by all.  Maybe we need a new canvas to inspire us.

A plain cupcake can be transformed by amazing decorations to be enjoyed by all. The aroma of fresh baking tantalises our senses.

A length of plain fabric can be sewn into a smart wearable clothing using different patterns to enhance our uniqueness.  The joy of wearing your created item will bring joy to those around you.  Come feel the new fabric and enjoy creativeness that is to follow.

Pick up a pen.  Find some classy note paper and write an encouraging note to   transform someone’s ordinary day into an extraordinary one as they find the letter in their mailbox.

It would be easy to fill a few pages, making lists of things we can do to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary

And so, we can present our ordinary “not-so-random acts of kindness” to God allowing the extraordinary to take place, presenting ourselves to be a living sacrifice.

From Romans 12 we read:

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.  Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

We respond in repentance and obedience to the invitation disposing of the old wineskins and fill the new wineskins with the new wine.  We do not grow weary but celebrate joyfully our lives being transformed from the ordinary to the extraordinary

Graham Kendrick’s song “The wine of the Kingdom” spells out the invitation and reason for celebration.

Graham Kendrick
Copyright © 1981 Thankyou Music

Be encouraged for the best wine is saved for you.

Be thankful that the invitation is extended to you

So, come taste the new wine.  A new life in Christ awaits you each day.

Thankfully accept the invitation and experience the New life in Christ.

Trust the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you as you journey exercising the gifts of that One Spirit who binds us to God and to each other “with bonds that cannot be broken.”

Are you ready to join the celebration feast?

Go home – read today’s scripture again – ask God to bring to life those writings and bring to life the joy of being part of God’s purposes, that you may be truly blessed to be a blessing.

Ah! there’s the joy in our hearts!  Ah there’s the celebration!

I can see God celebrating too.

Amen.

Let us pray.

PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING

We thank you, Lord Jesus, for the gifts we so often take for granted.
Thank you for water to drink and to cleanse, and to nurture crops and flowers.
Thank you for food to eat and to share with friends and family, gathered round the kitchen table or at a great feast.
We praise you, Lord, for surprising us sometimes by lifting these things above the ordinariness of every day.
When share our lives with other believers, we are blessed by your presence also,  

An ordinary meal becomes a celebration when laughter and cheer are shared.
All praise and thanks be to you for the everyday miracles that transform our lives.  Amen.

SONG 4     TIS 409 – O breath of life come sweeping through us –

Elizabeth Head

OFFERTORY – We bring our offering to God setting aside our gifts to support the local and wider work of the church. We present our gifts as an act of praise.

DEDICATION –  

“For the life that you have given”  TiS774 

[ sung to the tune Austria – there is no introduction]

[This YouTube is for another hymn so disregard the words – only the one verse is needed]

[alternatively, if you have the facility on your computer to play such music, double-click on the Mp3 file below and then select ‘open’ – there is a very small introduction]

Song 5 For the life that you have given,

For the love in Christ made known,

With these fruits of time and labour,

With these gifts that are your own:

Here we offer, Lord, our praises;

Heart and mind and strength we bring;

Give us grace to love and serve you,

Living what we pray and sing.

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE  

Let us pray.
For the world and its people,
for places of famine and epidemic,
for war zones and disaster areas…
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

For politicians and journalists,
for all who work in the media,
and those who have no one to speak for them…
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

For the unemployed,
for those who use local food banks
and those who run them…
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

For those who are ill,
for the very old and very young
and those who care for them…
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

For the leaders of all our faith communities,
for those who lead this church,
and for those who worship and pray here…

Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer
and reveal your glory.

We come, gracious God,

grateful for your Word to us

through the one called to be the Apostle to the Gentiles,

which affirms to us your rock-solid commitment to us

through your reconciling activity in Jesus Christ, our Lord!

We express our praise!

Lord hear us

Lord hear our prayer

Grant us through your Spirit

that conviction within ourselves

that no matter what the list of modern strife and troubles,

nothing removes us out of your love for us in Christ Jesus:

not cancer, not unsolvable neurological deficiencies,

no amount of arthritis in our bodies,

not failing eyesight, nor lack of hearing,

not reduced mobility, no amount of aches and pain,

no threatening virus, nor threatening ecological crisis;

Secure us in all of these, that we remain embraced in your love for us,

especially when we wonder if you are with us…

Lord hear us

Lord hear our prayer

We come, gracious God,

grateful for the many blessings which come our way:

we thank you for the effort people make to stay in contact,

for phone call, letters, notes, cards,

emails, text messages, visits also,

invitations to do something different…

We thank you for the dedicated care

of those responsible for community and personal wellbeing:

For politicians who make unwelcome decisions,

for law enforcement officers of whatever ilk,

who keep us all within the appropriate bounds for health

whilst still enjoying social interaction,

for the health professionals and the unseen supporting workers

who care for those who are ill and even dying…

Grant all courage and strength with discernment

Lord hear us

Lord hear our prayewr

We come, God of all nations,

very mindful of how political leaders target ‘the other’

with accusations and language which attacks,

rather than seeks understanding and reconciliation;

so often we get a sense of deja-vu,

as yet again another nation

becomes the new target of disparagement and accusations

which echo old slogans and judgments levelled at others

in previous decades…

Grant us a mindfulness of our brothers and sisters in Christ

in those places, and your strength and courage to them.

Lord hear us

Lord hear our prayer

In the name of Jesus we pray

 AMEN

The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be your name, 
Your kingdom come, 
Your will be done on earth as in heaven.  

Give us this day our daily bread. 
Forgive us our sins,  
as we forgive those who sin against us. 
Save us in the time of trial  

And deliver us from evil. 
For the kingdom, 
the power and the glory are yours,  
now and for ever. 
Amen. 

SONG 6  – 313 Altogether OK  CHRIST BE OUR LIGHT   

BENEDICTION

May we be not just spectators and consumers of God’s glory, but fully participate in God’s life changing kingdom.  May we be blessed to be a blessing as we pray together.

May Jesus Christ,
changer of water into wine,
taker of the ordinary in our lives,
transform us for his glory,
and make us extraordinary for his sake.
Let us go out from here
with God’s miraculous grace brimming up inside us,
taking with us that abundance of love and power,
and sharing it with everyone we meet.

And may the Grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the Love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us and remain with us always.
Amen.

SONG 7   You shall go out with joy TIS 755