2010 LENTEN SERMON SERIES, posted on N-0500
December 6 2009 -"A Visit with Elizabeth" -Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0500
October 11, 2009 - "It's Hard to be Humble" - Rev. Victoria Ney, posted on N-0400
October 4, 2009 - "Hunger Pangs" - Rev. Victoria Ney, posted on N-0400
"Read the Instructions!" - September 27 2009 - The Rev Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
September 20 2009 - "Pass The Salt" - The Rev Victoria Ney, posted on N-0400
September 13 2009 - "Calendar Confusion" -The Rev. Victoria Ney, posted on N-0400
September 13 2009 - "Calendar Confusion" -The Rev. Victoria Ney, posted on N-0400
September 6 2009 - "Dangerous Jobs" - The Rev. Victoria Ney, posted on N-0400
May 31 2009 -"Spirit Guide for Dummies" - Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
May 10 2009 - The Touch of the Master - Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
May 3 2009 - "More Than Enough" - Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
April 5 2009 - "Being A Christopher" - The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
March 29, 2009 “Lo-Cal Prayer” - The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
March 22, 2009 - “A Costly Bargain” - The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
February 1, 2009 - "Fourth and One" - The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0500
Januaray 25 2009 - Hooked! - Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0500
December 14 2008 - How Can It Be? - Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0500
December 7 2008 -Holidays or Hollow Days?- Rev. Ney, posted on N-0500
November 9, 2008 "You Want Me to Do What?"-Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0500
"Water Marks" October 12, 2008 - The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
July 20,2008 "The Runaway" - Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
"Dare to Be a Daniel" July 27, 2008- The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
July 13, 2008 - "Between a Rock and a Hard Place" - Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
April 13 2008 "There's a Tiger in My Boat!" -The Rev. VickyNey, posted on N-0400
March 9, 2008 - "Running in Reverse" - The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
March 2, 2008 - "Meet Mrs. Zebedee" - The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0500
February 10 2008 - "Who, Me?" - The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0500
"That Sinking Feeling" - January 27 2008 - Rev. Ney, posted on N-0500
January 13, 2008 - "Who Are You Wearing?" - Rev. Ney, posted on N-0500
"Wise People" - January 6, 2008 - The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0500
Christmas 2007 Homily - The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0500
How Can I Be Sure? - Rev. Ney - December 02 2007, posted on N-0500
"Skipping Christmas" - Rev. Ney - November 25 2007, posted on N-0500
"Thanks and Living" November 18, 2008 - Rev. Ney, posted on N-0500
"Your Money or Your Life!, posted on N-0500
"Taking Goliath Down" October 7, 2007 - The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
"When the Ark Got Parked - Oct. 21, 2007 The Rev. Vicky Ney , posted on N-0400
"Looking for Godzilla" -Rev. Vicky Ney Sept. 30 2007, posted on N-0400
"Parked In Dopey" Sept 23 2007 The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
The Rock, The Roll, The Resurrection. Text: John 20:1-18, posted on N-0400
"Does God Go On Vacation?" - The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
"Perfect Freedom" - The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
"Talk Like a Pirate" -The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
"A Visit With Martha" - The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
"It All Depends on What You're Listening For", posted on N-0400
Sheep and the Shepherd , posted on N-0400
Following Jesus in a “Hokie” World, posted on N-0400
“A Bout with Doubt” , posted on N-0400
Carpe Diem , posted on N-0400
The Physics of Falling Toast, posted on N-0400

May 3 2009 - "More Than Enough" - Rev. Vicky Ney

May 3 2009 “More Than Enough” Rev. Victoria Ney John 2:1-11 There’s a really old story about a minister driving down the road getting stopped for speeding. The state trooper smelled alcohol on the minister’s breath, and then he saw an empty wine bottle on the floor. The trooper said, “Sir, have you been drinking?” The minister said, “Just water.” The trooper said, “Then why do I smell wine?’ The minister looked down at the bottle on the floor and said, “Good Lord, he’s done it again!” I’m not so sure about the “again” part, but our scripture lesson this morning tells of the first time it happened! In fact, as I already mentioned when I introduced the lesson this morning, the text is speaking of the first miracle of Jesus—a miracle that was needed to save a family, and a new couple, the ultimate embarrassment of not being able to provide enough for their friends. In that day and age, the family would have been forever remembered in the village as failures—people who failed to take care of the needs of their guests—the ultimate faux pas in the rules of hospitality. The story opens with the words: “On the third day….” The third day after what? The third day after Jesus was baptized? The third day after Nathaniel was called as a disciple? The third day after they got back to town? What, exactly? You need to know that John isn’t just throwing in these words for nothing. Ancient writers like John were not unskilled country bumpkins. John’s Gospel is full of symbolism and allegory. Believe it or not, John was probably alluding to Jesus’ resurrection after three days. John was preparing us throughout the whole Gospel that Jesus Christ would be buried, and on the third day, he would come back, having risen from the dead. The idea is that as the risen Lord, he will gather together all who would be his guests in the Kingdom of God for the Heavenly Banquet Feast. So, actually, Jesus’ first miracle—his first sign—would point to his final sign by which he would really show his glory. Well, back to the wedding in Cana. After Jesus and his disciples arrive at the wedding, Jesus’ mother approached him and said, “They have no more wine.” It’s a rather strange statement. Why would she be concerned? Some scholars believe that the bridal family may have been relatives—perhaps even the wedding of one of Jesus’ younger sisters. We know that Mary was certainly aware of who Jesus really is right from the beginning when the angel announced his coming. I suspect that Jesus’ mother has known all along what Jesus is capable of. Maybe she even understands that his public ministry can now begin after his baptism and the calling of some of his disciples. In any case, she expects that Jesus will do something wonderful in this situation. And even though Jesus indicates he’s not going to do anything, Mary seems to know differently. She goes right over to the servants and says, “Do whatever he tells you.” So the first thing I take from this story is that miracles happen when we understand that Jesus cares about our everyday needs. Jesus’ mother knew that he cares about people. He cares about all our needs, not just our spiritual needs. He cares about people being unnecessarily embarrassed. He cares about people enjoying themselves. And, by the way, Jesus is the kind of guy you want at your party! He knows how to have a good time. In fact, in the New Testament, we often see him at parties to which he has been invited, and he is always the life of the party. He enjoyed himself so much that his enemies called him a “glutton and drunkard.” (Matthew 11:19) No one ever accused Jesus of promoting a sour, rigid, emotion-stifling religion—just the opposite. Wherever Jesus went there was life and joy. Jesus even said that his mission was to bring us joy and abundant life. (John 15:11 and John 10:10). He is the God of irrepressible joy, and he has come to share it. He offers the wine of joy to everyone who is thirsty for life—everyone who will come and drink. And this is really good news: He takes care of our needs both great and small. If Jesus was a little god, he might only be able to take care of the major things (like putting the sun and planets in place), but since he is the great God he is, he is able to take care of ALL the things in our lives. The Bible tells us that he sees every sparrow each time they land on the ground. (Matt. 10:29). He keeps track of the number of hairs on our heads. (Matt. 10:30). He calls the stars by name. (Ps. 147:4-5). Better than that, he knows each one of us by name. (Is. 43:2). He knows our needs. He is a great God who is too big not to be concerned about the everyday things in our lives. I don’t know about you, but that gives me a lot of comfort. The second thing I take from this wonderful story is that miracles happen when we understand that Jesus is in the business of transformation. Jesus didn’t come to just give us information; he came to give us a transformation. He changes things. He has a way of taking the ordinary and making it extraordinary. The water didn’t just appear to be wine; it was transformed into real wine—the best wine. He didn’t come to bring new ideas. He actually came to make new people. The world wants us to get a new hairdo or a new wardrobe. Society wants us to get a better job or learn a new skill. People want us to lose weight or get a face lift. But Jesus doesn’t want to change our looks; he wants to change our hearts. He doesn’t want to give us a new suit; he wants to make us into new people. He doesn’t want to just rearrange us; he wants to transform us. We want to look better on the outside. Jesus wants to make us new on the inside. And when that transformation takes place, it will show on the outside. When Jesus changed the water into wine, he didn’t just change the color and fool the people’s taste buds—he actually changed the water into fine wine. When the water was turned to wine, the shame of the bridal family was turned to joy. The mood of the party was transformed. And Jesus’ disciples were transformed. John wrote, “Jesus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.” (v. 11) This is what Jesus really came to do. He came to transform people. Jewish custom was focused on the importance of being ceremonially clean. The water jars the servants used were mostly empty because each guest had been given water to wash their feet and hands as they arrived. But you have to remember this is not the kind of cleanliness we think about to stop spreading germs—like trying to avoid swine flu! This cleanliness was for ritual purposes—ritual purity. The jars of water were there in order to fulfill the Old Testament requirements for ceremonial washing. I believe this is the beauty of John’s writing in this Gospel. I think he’s saying the jars represented the Old Testament law and its inability to make people truly clean. When Jesus came into contact with these jars used for ritual cleansing, he transformed their contents. He filled the jars with his new wine. The deadness of the Old Testament law was made alive with the wine of the new covenant that Jesus came to bring. Wine is the symbol of God’s grace that comes into our lives undeserved, and transforms us from the inside out. He says, “I make all things new!” (Revelation 21:5). The old system of having to live up to an impossible legal code has been replaced by the wine of God’s grace that washes our sins away—that washes our old life away and gives us a new chance to start over. We are given changed hearts—transformed hearts—that desire to love God and live for him. The really good news is there is no limit to God’s grace. What Jesus gives is never just enough—it is always more than enough—with plenty left over. Jesus is in the miracle business of turning water into wine, sinners into saints, fear into courage, hatred into love, anger into harmony, sorrow into joy, defeat into victory, despair into hope and death into life. My outreach committee will tell you that we do a lot of eating here at church. And I always tell them that Jesus did a lot of eating in the Bible! I’ve already mentioned his party habits. Scholars even tell us that throughout all the Gospels, we are put on alert that something holy is about to happen whenever Jesus is with food. The first thing we notice about it, is that Jesus ate with everyone—disciples, family members, as well us outcasts and nasty religious leaders—everyone. He was showing us that he was changing—transforming—life. He was showing us that he makes no distinctions between people here on earth. He was showing us that he has room for everyone and that he loves us all no matter what is going on in our lives and no matter what anyone says. This story of the first miracle at a banquet is foreshadowing the Heavenly Banquet where we will all be Jesus’ guests. We will get to see him face to face and join with our brothers and sisters of all times and all places at the Heavenly table. We begin this morning when we meet Jesus here at this table. We’re invited guests. The wine isn’t just some water changed to wine—or even some grape juice. It’s the wine of the new covenant in Jesus’ blood that promises us a new beginning. We can experience a miracle here today. Not that the grape juice magically becomes Jesus’ blood—but that it becomes the way for us to experience a brand new life. We can choose to let go of fears, bitterness, loneliness, anger, all the things that make us miserable and take the joy from life. We can choose to let Jesus work a miracle in us as we trust in him. —trusting that he has taken care of everything we need in this life and the next—knowing that he has given us more than enough to share along the way.

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