"PROMISES OF LOVE"
a message by Rev. Dr. Bruce Havens
Coral Isles Church, U.C.C.
January 26, 2025
John 2:1-11 NRSV
1 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6 Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.” So they took it. 9 When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.” 11 Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
Weddings are amazing events, aren’t they? I mean, you can have joy, anger, excitement, dread, fun, disaster and utter and complete happiness and craziness all in an hour or so it takes to have a wedding and reception. Wild stories of weddings gone wrong are legendary, and happy memories of weddings gone right can warm hearts for lifetime. This morning I want to tell you faith is like saying yes to God’s proposal of marriage.
All that said, this morning’s Scripture reading is the story of a wedding, teetering on disaster, and yet saved by the Savior. Like every wedding I know there is way more going on here than I can cover in a few minutes in this sermon, so the hardest part was narrowing it down to something important. Here’s what I want to focus on: every wedding is a promise of love. And every wedding is a pact for the future.
Last week I used “Pact for the Future” as my theme and I want to continue it this morning. Now, the Scriptures for these two Sundays could not be more different. Last week we heard Jesus reading from the prophet Isaiah and God’s promises of “good news to the poor, the oppressed set free, and the year of God’s favor.” With that as the backdrop I shared the United Nations “Pact for the Future.” This morning let’s look at how this wedding story symbolizes another element of a pact for the future. That element is this: just as every wedding is a promise of love between two people, so God’s commitment to us is a promise of love- and our commitment to do what God calls us to do - should be like a wedding vow to God: a promise of love.
Last week I said the reason you and I might make our own pact is that…
“The world we long for won’t build itself. It begins with ordinary people, in ordinary moments, making extraordinary commitments to love, protect, and serve. It starts with courage—courage to believe that hope is more than a wish; it’s a practice. And it’s a practice that builds a more just and generous world for all.” So let me review those five elements of the UN Pact briefly.
1. I commit to protecting, preserving, and partnering with the planet
2. I commit to advocating for peace and equality, recognizing that all people are equally loved and valued children of God.
3. I commit to speaking up for democracy, justice, and the rule of law.
4. I commit to embracing and celebrating diversity.
5. I commit to caring for the poor and excluded.
I see and hear people expressing a lot of pain these days. I know people often go through very difficult times. I want to commit to get through difficult times by remaining devoted to living by my faith in the way of Jesus. I believe living according to the values of this pact and of the promise of love God has made to us and we make to God is the way to follow Jesus. I want to keep being a light for others in times of darkness whether its, my own, or theirs, or ours as a community or a nation.
A UCC Pastor in Atlanta wrote about darkness and light recently:
[Rev. Kenneth Samuels, “Good Morning,” dailydevotional@ucc.org, 1/17/25] He wrote, “I had always understood ‘morning’ to be the daybreak that God sends after the nighttime of our misery and suffering. I believed that joy would surely come when daylight appeared, and we could finally see our way out of the trepidations and tribulations of the night. Then, late one night, I received a call, and when I answered the phone, the caller said to me, “Good morning.” I looked over at the clock and it was 12:07 a.m. It dawned on me that morning comes to us not at daybreak, but at night. And since joy comes in the morning, joy must come when we realize that our new day dawns at night. Joy comes when we understand and believe that desperate times and difficult situations cannot prevent the fulfillment of God’s promise and progress in our lives. Joy comes when we celebrate the fact that even in the night, God is still moving us toward better days. Though my daylight may not yet have appeared, I am now moved to joyfully pronounce to myself and to others: ‘Good morning!’”
God has made a promise of love to us and will not fail or give in. You may use all, or some, or none of the UN’s Pact, that’s ok. Make your own Pact for the Future but please base it in love. Let us act out of love. Mary Sarton wrote a poem that speaks to this. ["Santos: New Mexico," quoted by Michael Piazza in, “Liberating Word,” michael-h4pj.org@ shared1.ccsend.com, 1/ 8/ 2025.]
Return to the most human, nothing less
Will teach the angry spirit, the bewildered heart,
The torn mind, to accept the whole of its duress,
And pierced with anguish, at last - act for love.
Our promises to love – and our commitment to act for love can “transform anger from a death-dealing force into a power for new life.” [ibid.]
Our Christian faith is like a wedding vow with God. Following Jesus must be about living by our mutual promises of love. Instead of fear, anger, or hatred, I want to strive to build my life on the promises of God’s love, the call of Jesus Christ to love, and on a Pact for the Future built on that love. I hope you will join me in this. I hope you will join me asking God to build my life, and your life, on promises of love. AMEN.
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