St. Matthew Lutheran Church

Holy Matrimony
Saturday, December 26, 2020

“That’s a Good Sign!” (John 2:1-11)

Today on this joyous occasion, Nick and Danielle, I want to tell you about several things I see in you and in your wedding here today–things that I think bode well for your future, things where I can say, “That’s a Good Sign!”

First, a couple things about you both. I’m referring to the vocations that you’re pursuing. Danielle, you are studying in nursing school. This shows determination and commitment. And Nick, you are serving in the military. This too shows determination and commitment. And I can tell you, it takes determination and commitment to make it in marriage. And right away, in the early months of your marriage, when you will have to be living apart for some time, it will take a little extra dose of determination to keep the communication going. So the fact that you are already demonstrating commitment in your life–that’s a good sign!

And that you’re doing the work you do, in which you are serving others–this also bodes well for your future. Danielle, in nursing you are serving others at the point of their need and weakness. And Nick, in the military you are serving our country, ready to lay down your life for your countrymen. This servant spirit will serve you well in your marriage. Because in marriage, it’s all about putting your spouse ahead of yourself. You are called to serve one another in love. Danielle, you are called to respect your husband and to let him be the leader in your home. Nick, you are called to love and cherish your wife, as Christ loves the church, and to lay down your life for your bride. So the willingness to serve that you are already demonstrating in your life–that’s a good sign!

And just the fact that you’re willing to get married–this bodes well for your future, especially in the culture we live in today. So many people today are bypassing marriage altogether. They’re just choosing to live together outside of marriage. That shows a lack of commitment, and it goes against the way that God intends for man and woman to live. God instituted marriage, holy matrimony, as the right way for a couple to be together and build a family. Marriage is a public commitment, before God and man, showing that it is God who has brought you together, and therefore let no one or no thing tear you apart. That you are choosing to get married, contrary to the loose morality of today’s culture, and that you want to honor God in your marriage–that’s a good sign!

Furthermore, that you are wanting to get married here in God’s house–this bodes well for your future. Hopefully, you will be spending a lot of time together in church over the years to come. This is a good habit to get into. Here in church, you will be hearing God’s word over the course of your lifetime, giving identity, meaning, and purpose to your life. Here in church, you will be part of God’s family, God’s household, part of a community where you can love and serve others and reach out with the gospel, which is the most important thing needed in our world today. Here in church, you will raise a family, passing on the faith to the next generation. I want you to see the big picture, something larger than yourselves. So the fact you are having your wedding here in church–that’s a good sign!

And that leads me to the most important thing in your wedding today. It’s that Jesus is here. You’re having a distinctly Christian wedding, Nick and Danielle. We are gathered today in our Lord’s presence. Jesus is here, and he’s the best guest to have at a wedding.

When Jesus shows up at a wedding, that’s a good sign! It sure was back at the wedding at Cana, which we heard about in the reading from John 2. In all cultures, a wedding is the most joyous and celebratory occasion that people have. And so, if you were to run out of, say, wine at the wedding feast, that would definitely diminish the celebration.

But when Jesus is at the wedding, he can amply supply what is lacking–and then some! Jesus is the very Son of God, in the flesh, and he is the Lord of creation. When he speaks, things happen. So when he says, “Fill the jars with water,” and then, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast,” the result is more than you can imagine: big jars full of wine! And not just any old wine, but the very best! In ample supply. “This,” our text says, “This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory.”

“The first of his signs,” it says. That this is a “sign” is telling us something about Jesus. It’s pointing to who Jesus is and what he came to do. Who has such power to turn water into wine but God alone? And Jesus has such power. He is the Son of God. And what he comes to do is to bring in a whole kingdom of joy and celebration. The very best, and in ample supply. Jesus often compares the kingdom of God to a wedding feast, a wedding banquet. It is, and it will be, the most joyous celebration. And Jesus makes it happen.

Jesus makes it happen by overcoming our lack and supplying the joy. On Christmas Eve, Danielle and Nick, you heard the angel say, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Christ is born! A Savior! Your Savior! This is why you need not fear, all of you here today. For God has sent us a Savior, to save us from our sins, to save us from death and hell. That is what our sins deserve, all of us. But Jesus came to deliver us from all that evil. Christ is born in the flesh, so that he can die on the cross as our substitute, taking the judgment that we have earned by our breaking of God’s commandments. By his holy blood shed as the sacrifice for sin, Christ has purchased our redemption and won our forgiveness. By his rising from the dead, Jesus demonstrates his victory over all that would defeat us. Friends, Jesus Christ is absolutely determined and committed to save us. Jesus came to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. This is exactly what we need to enter into God’s kingdom.

And so the sign at the wedding at Cana. It is anticipatory of the marriage feast of the Lamb in his kingdom, which will have no end. This sign signals, it points to, the joy and the celebration that we will experience for eternity. And we get a foretaste of that feast even now, because Jesus is present with his church, in Word and Sacrament.

Danielle and Nick, this bodes fantastically well for your future together! Jesus is here at your wedding. And when Jesus shows up at a wedding, that’s a good sign! Because he not only is here at your wedding, Jesus will be with you throughout your marriage as well.