… the life of the party.. #comingaliveatLent

I often hear people say that they do not want to accept Jesus because they are afraid being a Christian is boring.

I think sometimes the Jesus portrayed in movies in Hollywood has made us think of Jesus as a stodgy, boring being that we follow.

I personally like to think that Jesus was an ENFP on the Myers Briggs personality type.   That’s the extroverted, “I just want to be where the party is” type.  Well, there were lots of examples of His withdrawing from the crowds to be alone with the Father and pray.  But still—I am an ENFP so I am going to pretend Jesus was too.

The Bible talks about how Jesus was invited to a party.  A wedding feast.  He made the guest list.

I wonder if they would have done a little better party planning if they had really known Jesus was the son of God.  I mean, if you are going to invite the son of God to the party, you might want it to look like the best Pinterest-style wedding party you can imagine.  All the pins you pinned coming out in perfectly arranged decorations.

The bacon wrapped dates cooked to perfection.  (True story – I went to a wedding once, and I went way more times than is socially acceptable to get plates and plates of those bacon-wrapped dates.  Who knew dates wrapped in bacon would be so good.  Well, anything wrapped in bacon is good, of course!)

Maybe the people drank a little more than they expected.  Or maybe they tried to scrimp on the wine budget.  Whatever the reason, there was a problem at this wedding, when they realized they were out of wine.

I believe the heart of Jesus was for those at the party and those giving the party.   His mother seemed to know that.  She made sure Jesus knew they were out of wine.  She wanted her Son to do something.

And He did.  He turned the water into wine.

I love John 2:11.  “This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory.  And his disciples believed in him.”

Let’s not get caught up in the actual miracle.  For the non-wine drinkers among us, don’t skip over this miracle because it doesn’t say He turned the water into Diet Coke.  Myself, I would love if it said Jesus turned the water into an Americano with slightly steamed cream and sugar-free caramel, and coffee art in the foam of course.

Let’s get excited about that statement.  Jesus manifested his glory.  I just cannot get over that statement.  He came to earth and showed who He was.

I have a hard time wrapping my mind around the word “glory.”  I love to say it though.  Shout it sometimes even.  I think it’s an underused word.

In the Greek language, one of the definitions of manifest is “to take the lid off of.”  God chose this moment, at a party, to take the lid of His glory.  Glory is recognizing all of who God is. He took the lid of and showed all of who He was.  He was the son of God and He could easily turn water into wine.

In fact, He created water and the grapes that made the wine.

He took the lid off of His glory to show Himself to those at the party.

How have you seen God take the lid off his glory in your own life?  Today and yesterday? How are you looking forward to seeing Him take the lid off his glory in your tomorrow?

Are we inviting him to our party?  Come alive today, watching God show you His glory.

Digging Deeper:  Read John chapter 2:1-12.  What sticks out to you about the character of Jesus in this chapter?  How are you seeing God take the lid off his glory in your life?

Ps:  I am getting ready for an exciting journey to Israel next week.  I cannot wait to take you along.