Preached by Rev. Donald Ng at the First Chinese Baptist Church of San Francisco
November 1, 1998
Our Wedding Banquet
When Joy and I were preparing for our wedding banquet 26 years ago in New York City Chinatown, the most challenging issue was negotiating between my mother and Joy’s parents about having liquor on the tables. Since Joy’s father was the pastor of the church where the wedding will be held, they felt that a minister should not be offering Johnny Walkers on the banquet tables. But on the other hand, my mother being a traditional Chinese parent felt that the essence of a wedding banquet, “drink whiskey,” requires liquor on every table. This impasse was resolved by placing Black Label Johnny Walkers on tables seated by my side of the family and none on Joy’s side only after everyone took their seats. Even the wisdom of King Solomon couldn’t have done better. The festivities then began for the 300 guests.
Wedding Joys
The story about the wedding at Cana tells that Mary had already arrived at the banquet. Soon Jesus and his buddies came on their own. One of the worst things that can happen at a Jewish wedding is to run out of wine. This is very bad news.
After some encouragement from his mother, Jesus performs his first miracle in his ministry. Seeing that the wedding would be unsuccessful without wine, Jesus turned water into wine. From the very start Jesus wanted us to know that God comes to visit us not only in our days of grief but also in our joys. The miracle of Cana proclaims this great truth that the kingdom of God is joy!
The All-Church Banquet last Sunday was a banquet of joy. For the first time in many years, the whole church family gathered for a feast. Everyone was known by name. There was a place setting for everyone. There was joy in seeing old friends and meeting new friends. In the spirit of Christ, the banquet hall was filled with an air of gladness in everyone’s heart. God wants us to have fun and joy—for his kingdom on earth and in heaven is with joy.
In the fantasy story, The Christmas Mystery, by Jostein Gaarder, a little girl, Elisabet, is talking to an angel. They come to a field of wildflowers, and Elisabet points and exclaims, “Look at the lovely wildflowers!” The angel nods and says, “They are part of the glory of heaven that has strayed down on earth…You see, there’s so much glory in heaven that it’s very easy for it to spill over.”
New Ways
At the Wedding at Cana, there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rite of purification. They were used for ritual cleansing before each meal and between courses. When Jesus
changed the water into the finest wine, we understand the deeper meaning of God’s love for us.
The stone water jars represent our attempts to try to purify ourselves by washing the outside. There is no end to this: things to do, rules to follow, old habits to keep.
Jesus’ miracle announces that the old order is gone. You can’t cleanse yourself from the outside in. You can’t cleanse yourself at all. Only God can make you clean. And God is doing it from the inside out.
The new order is grace from God. When the steward said, “You kept the choice wine until now,” he was not aware that he was referring to Jesus as the new wine that brings a joy that no earthly wine can touch.
One of the most frequent affirmations I heard last Sunday night at the All-Church Banquet was the joy and happiness of having everyone together in one place. Our church has felt at times that we have run out of wine.
In our commitment to start a new church plant, we ran out of the wine of many young adult leaders ministering here in Chinatown.
In our commitment to reclaim the mission of reaching the Chinese for Christ, we ran out of the wine of a clear vision and direction to embark on this old work in new ways.
The new wine in Christ means that all the old order of understanding each other, the old order of relating with each other, the old order of perceiving each other are over. The new order in Jesus Christ is the spirit of love and fellowship we experienced last Sunday.
The miraculous wine saved the wedding party from going spoiled. The new wine in Jesus Christ can only bring a new understanding to whom we are as God’s chosen people in mission.
Superabundance
Last Sunday’s banquet featured good food. The salmon was moist and the roast beef melted in your mouth. The chocolate mousse pie was real chocolaty! There was a superabundance of food. We were all pleasantly impressed.
There were six jars each holding 20 to 30 gallons of wine at the Wedding at Cana. All together there was between 120 to 180 gallons of choice wine at the wedding. When Jesus throws a party, he wasn’t going to be stingy. The water turned into wine is an extravagant symbol of the superabundance and joy of God’s kingdom. The Old Testament prophesied that in the future, the earth will yield an abundance of fruit.
I am still amazed at the superabundance of generous pledges that have been received for the stewardship campaign. It is like the stone water jars filled to the brim with miraculous choice wine. Many people including our consultant were a bit nervous on whether we would be able to reach our Faith Goal of $1,350,000. Although there is still
more work to be done to receive the rest of the pledges and major work ahead, there is joy in us today. There is joy at the Sunset Ministry. There is joy at the 9:00 service.
There is joy at the 11:15 service. God’s kingdom on earth and in heaven is full of joy and we have been given the blessing of catching a glimpse of what that is like last Sunday night.
May we remember last Sunday’s banquet as a “Banquet of Joy,” a time of celebrating God’s continuing blessings of new wine and abundance on the First Chinese Baptist Church of San Francisco.
This Cup is the New Covenant
Jesus on the night when he was betrayed once again took wine and said that it represents the blood that will be spilled. This wine can only be poured out by God for his love was so deep that he gave his only Son so that we may have new life.
In the joy of seeing the “floral photos” last Sunday night, may they remind us of the wildflowers of the “glory of heaven” spilling over on earth and our church.
Let us pray:
O Gracious and Loving Father God, you have prepared a table for us that is just full of abundance and joy. Thank you for blessings us day by day so that we may know your continuous power in our lives. May the joy that we have in our hearts made only possible by the sacrifice of Christ, be spread far and wide to the ends of the earth. In his name, we pray. Amen.