A Famine Not of Bread

"The Disbelief of St. Thomas" by James Tissot  Click here to listen to this sermon. “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:30–31). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! St. John did not write his account of Jesus’ life to be an accurate history—although it is accurate and historical. St. John did not just write his account because he was moved by the Holy Spirit—although he was moved by the Holy Spirit to write of persons, actions, and events he witnessed. John wrote with a purpose. John wrote so people would have faith in Jesus, so that you would believe in Jesus, and that by believing, you would have life in His name. As Lutherans, we’re hesitant to put much stock in personal testimonies. Far too often, the person testifying becomes...

Click here to listen to this sermon. “This, the first of His signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested His glory. And His disciples believed in Him” (John 2:11). Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Three days after He called His first disciples, Jesus arrived with them at a wedding in Cana of Galilee, a small town about nine miles north of Nazareth. Jesus’ mother was also there. We don’t know what connection they had with the wedding except Jesus’ mother was close enough to the bride and groom to be involved with the serving and to assume some authority over the servants. Then the wine ran out. To be sure, it was not a crisis or an emergency, but it was embarrassing, a major first century social faux pas. Why they ran out of wine doesn’t matter. The text does not say, so we leave it alone. What does matter is that the stage was set for the first miracle of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus’ mother came to Him. “They have no wine,” she said....