My Best Friend's (Brother's) Wedding

(John 2: 1 – 11, Revelation 19: 1 – 10)

This is the story of two young schoolboys in trouble… The Headmaster calls the first boy into his office. Headmaster asks “Where IS GOD?” The boy doesn’t answer. The Headmaster raises his voice and asks again “Where IS GOD?” No answer… Now the Headmaster raises his voice to a fever pitch and booms “WHERE IS GOD?” Scared, the boy runs out of the headmaster’s office, and runs into his friend.
Boy #2: “Ken… what’s wrong… you’re frightened…”
Boy #1: “Rob… we’re in real trouble… God is missing, and they think we did it!”

Answer to “Where is God?”
God is Omnipresent (Everywhere)
God is Omniscient (All-Knowing)
God is Omnipotent (All-Powerful)

An encounter with Jesus at a Jewish Wedding…
My Best Friend’s (Brother’s) Wedding…
Jewish wedding ceremony last Sunday afternoon in Woburn
Family was concerned that I would use the “J” word…

Yet I saw Jesus several times during the weekend…
In The Blessing of the Wine… It was the same Hebrew Blessing which Jesus used at the Last Supper, when he took the cup, and blessed it…
(Baruch a’ta adonai, elohaynu melach o’lam, bireh p’ree hagoffin)
(Blessed are you, Lord God, King of the Universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine…) And then he said “This cup is the new covenant in my blood…” take and drink…”

In the breaking of the glass at the end of the Wedding Ceremony… How he rejoiced with his family, how he raised his voice with the rest of the wedding guests and shouted “Mazel Tov!”
I Saw Jesus most poignantly during a conversation I had with the Groom’s father… my best friend’s father… before the ceremony I had been asked if I wanted to offer the blessing before the meal at the reception. Something deep inside of me thought it best that I defer to the Groom’s father. I asked him if he would do that particular blessing… He smiled, and said “You know… we have a traditional prayer for this… it’s a very beautiful prayer. ((Shelley took a dinner roll… and prayed “Baruch a’ta adonai… elohaynu melach o’lam. Hamotzi le-chem, min – harets. (Blessed are you, Lord God, King of the Universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.)) AND THEN HE BROKE THE BREAD…

And Jesus took the bread… and he blessed it… AND HE BROKE THE BREAD… and said to his wondering disciples “This is my body which is broken for you…”

Later on… after his death, burial and resurrection… after the rumor had started to surface that Jesus was alive… two men were walking down the road to Emmaus… and they encountered a third man on the road, and they invited him to walk along with them. For most of the afternoon, they chatted about the BIG current event of the day… how a man named Yeshua had been cruelly beaten and crucified for claiming to be the Messiah… the King of the Jews… How Yeshua had gone about healing the sick… raising the dead… preaching about Grace, Mercy and Forgiveness… As the evening crept in, the men invited their new friend home for dinner… and he accepted. As they were sitting down to dinner, they asked their friend to bless the meal… and he took the bread… and he blessed it… AND HE BROKE THE BREAD… Just then, as their friend broke the bread, their eyes were opened to who it was… IT WAS JESUS!!! How they ran back to Jerusalem to tell the rest of the believers that they had seen Jesus! How they celebrated!


The Wedding Feast at Cana is a story of a celebration… Monica and I enjoy going to Weddings because it is a time in which we can celebrate with the bride and groom… there is a festive atmosphere… there is music… we enjoy dancing together… and there is usually a very memorable feast… And as much of a celebration as a Wedding Reception is… as memorable as the Wedding Feast at Cana was…

It is nothing in comparison with the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

One day, Jesus, the bridegroom will return for his bride, the church… and what a day of rejoicing that will be!

I Bid You Shalom... Peace
Dr. Ken+