Sunday, February 1 | John 2:1-11

This sermon explores the very human fear of “running out”—running out of time, money, patience, joy, or hope—and shows how that fear reflects the deeper brokenness of our world. Using the opening sign in John 2, the wedding at Cana, the message frames Jesus’ first miracle as a response to scarcity and shame. John writes his Gospel so that people might have life in Jesus (John 20:30–31), and this miracle introduces a central truth: Jesus enters a world that runs out and reveals himself as the one who provides abundantly.

In the first movement, the sermon focuses on the crisis at the wedding when the host runs out of wine (John 2:1–5). What might seem like a small detail becomes a moment of deep social embarrassment and fear, echoing our own experiences of limitation and lack. Mary’s urgent words—“They have no wine”—highlight the reality of scarcity, while Jesus’ response points forward to his ultimate mission, his “hour,” which John repeatedly connects to the cross. The shortage at the wedding becomes a picture of the human condition: resources are limited, and even good things eventually run dry.

The second movement centers on Jesus as the unexpected wedding guest who provides (John 2:6–11). Jesus turns water into an overwhelming abundance of high-quality wine, revealing not just power, but purpose. This miracle is an act of new creation—renewing what has been worn down and restoring fullness, joy, and life. The sermon concludes by calling the church to mirror this ministry of abundance: to look honestly at the places in our community where justice, safety, connection, and hope have run out, and to bear witness to Jesus, who still meets scarcity with grace and transforms what is lacking into life-giving abundance.

Observation (Who, what, when, where, why?)

1. What problem arises at the wedding, and why might it be more than just an inconvenience for the host?
   (What’s at stake socially or relationally?)

2. What do you notice about Jesus’ response—what he does, what he doesn’t do?
   (Who knows, who doesn’t, and why might that matter?)

Interpretation (What could this mean?)

1. If this story is meant to reveal something about Jesus, what picture of him is being presented here?

2. Why do you think John frames this as a “sign” rather than just a miracle? What might the sign be pointing beyond?
   (What bigger idea or claim could John be making?)

Application (Why does this matter today?)

1. Where do people today most commonly experience “running out”—, hope, joy, meaning, justice, relationships?
   (Which ones feel most real to you personally?)

2. What would it look like to invite Jesus into that place of shortage this week—not to fix appearances, but to trust his provision?
   (What step of obedience or surrender might be required, like filling the jars with water?)