Miracles 'R Us - Grand
Opening - February 20, 2001
A few Sundays ago our pastor taught on Jesus' first
miracle - turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana
(John 2:1-11). He had a wonderful message that hit on
several points from the scripture including Mary's
prodding of Jesus to start His ministry and how the
quantity of wine reflects God's abundant grace. There was
a point Pastor Steve didn't mention that struck me as I
read the verses. Maybe it's just my "promoter" side
coming out, but did this seem like a poor publicity move?
Think about it, here is God in the form of man getting
ready to launch a brand new ministry that will change
people's lives for all time. Shouldn't His first miracle
have been something big in front of thousands of people?
Feeding 5000 with the fishes and loaves, now there's a
good place to start. Or how about a big healing ceremony?
That would have drawn some attention. No matter what
miracle He chose, shouldn't there have been a big
publicity campaign months ahead to stir up the interest
and excitement? This is a once in a lifetime opportunity
that just screams out for reserved seating. But instead
God chose to make His ministry debut at, of all places, a
wedding. And let's talk about "exposure" here. There is
no indication that the guests of the wedding feast knew a
miracle had taken place at all! The turning of water into
wine was a cool miracle, but in the grand scheme of
things, was it really necessary? If the water had stayed
water the bridegroom would have been embarrassed and
maybe teased for a while, but a few weeks later would
anyone have even remembered or cared?
Now that I think about it, maybe God knew what He was
doing after all. By choosing this occasion for His first
miracle, God shows us that He is concerned not with
what's necessary, but what's needed. It shows that He
thinks of us individually, and puts our needs before
those of the multitude. It shows that He will help us
with problems that the world or even our neighbors may
never know about. Most of all, it shows He cares.
God has never asked me to do public relations for Him
and that is probably a good thing. I'm afraid I would
overlook many people and needs while focusing on the "Big
Picture." God's vision is much better than mine, for His
"Big Picture" includes every person and every need ...
especially yours.
