May 29, 2025

A couple of years ago, the police were called to a Hilton hotel in Naples, Florida. It seems that a couple got into an argument, and it escalated into a physical brawl. The wife confessed that she was the one who first got out of control while she was complaining to her husband about his brother. She ended up head-butting him and breaking his nose. As the police interviewed the couple, they were shocked to discover that the couple were at the hotel for a wedding—their own! Yes, the fight broke out just hours after the couple were pronounced husband and wife. For some people, I guess the honeymoon is over before it ever begins!
Our wedding in Cana that we’re looking at gives a hint of this. Wine, in the Jewish culture, represented joy. It represented the celebration, excitement, and the sweetness of life. When they ran out of wine, I promise you, the family hosting the party also ran out of joy. That’s why Mary turned to Jesus for help. They needed Him to restore the joy.
My guess is some of you can relate to this. The joy has run out of your marriage, and you don’t know how to get it back. The joy is gone from where you work, and you don’t know what to do. For some of us, the joy is gone from our ministry. Where we used to love to serve and be used by God, it now feels like work. It feels like an obligation, rather than something exciting, fun, and fulfilling. There might even be those of us who feel as if the joy has just been sucked out of our lives. It’s not one thing. It’s EVERYTHING. And we want our joy back.
Maybe we need to do what Mary did. Turn to Jesus. Jesus can not only turn water into wine, He can restore the joy. In John 16, Jesus promises His disciples a joy that this world can never take away. Let’s ask for that! Let’s cry out for our marriages. Let’s lay our jobs at His feet. Let’s ask Him to light the fire of joy in our ministries again. Let’s lay our lives before Him, and be open and honest with the dryness of our souls. Let Jesus know that the wine of your joy is gone, and you don’t know where to get more. The One who filled the pots with wine in Cana can fill your life with joy as well. Jesus is the joy-giver. That’s God’s Word for you today.