Wow, That Is Amazing!

SCRIPTURE

And His {Jesus} mother told the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.”…So they followed His instructions.

~John 2:5,7, NLT

QUOTE

Changed from glory into glory, Till in heaven we take our place, Till we cast our crowns before Thee, Lost in wonder, love, and praise.

~Charles Wesley

I love the story of Jesus transforming water into wine and Mary’s incredible faith in her Son but today I want to focus on the SERVANTS. The servants, who represent us, did nothing spectacular. They simply filled some pots with water and at Jesus instruction, they carried them to the host. I could fill a pot with water and so could you. I could not do what Jesus did and neither could anyone else. Jesus did and does things that no other man can do. No other human lived a perfect life and thus fulfilled the laws every demand. No one else could die for our sins and no one else could do the miraculous signs He performed {John 15:24}. Jesus is the unique Man.

I am a servant and I can pour water in a pot. I cannot do anything spectacular; but I can follow Jesus instructions and I can celebrate His wonderful uniqueness. So today, we look at this story from the servants point of view.

1. The servants witnessed the supernatural glory and power of Christ.

2. The servants were the only ones who really knew what happened.

3. The servants witnessed the results of the miracle: the celebration extended, the host overjoyed.

4. The servants experienced personal joy because Jesus involved them in the miracle.

5. The servants had a testimony…they had a story to tell.

I don’t think these servants were tempted to take the glory from Jesus. I think they were just thrilled to be there and be a part of this fantastic moment. When we are in the presence of such greatest, we are absorbed in the shadows of their glory. We are like Peter when Jesus directed him to the miraculous catch, we are so overwhelmed with His infinite greatness, that in the moment, we cease to exist apart from Him. The problem with our worship these days is that we do not cease to exist. “LORD Jesus do something among us which would cause us to lose our ‘selves’ in Your glory.”

• Today we Pray for TEACHERS.

• Those who know me well know that you never walk up before a service or after a service and give me money for anything. When I came home last night, after visiting the Funeral Home, Hospital and Nursing homes in Decatur; June was hanging up my jacket and she said what is this and she pulled out a $500 which will build another house in Guatemala. I had forgotten all about it. This means we are almost halfway to our goal.

• Don’t forget to pray for Kane and I think we gave 110 pints of blood on Sunday which is a record for our church. The LIFE SOUTH workers were exhausted and had Hurricane KaTrina shut it down at 6:00. There were 10 waiting to give. This means we had 135 donors–some got turned down. Trina did a great job. She is to be commended.

• Lara and Lexi had lunch with Big Mama and I yesterday. Lara said, “Big Mama, I want you to make me a carrot cake.” June said, “I can’t. I do not have enough carrots.” Lara said, “Do you put carrots in a carrot cake?” June said, “Of course, why do you think they call them carrot cakes?” The girl is a true blond. I have bad news for Mr. Hardy and several more: Big Mama says she is shutting down the bakery–no more cakes for anyone. If you want her to make you a cake, you’ll have to go through Seth. She told me after Christmas…”No more cakes big boy, this bakery is closed for good.“

• HOUSE COUNT: 8 down and 12 to Go!

Awesome Epistle

SCRIPTURE

My purpose in writing is to encourage you and assure you that the grace of God is with you no matter what happens.

QUOTE

God’s grace is always received, never achieved.

~Ya’akov

If you are hankering for a blessing, read I Peter in the NLT. Let me give you some examples:

• I Peter 1:4–We have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.
• I Peter 1:8–You love Him even though you have never seen Him. Though you do not see him now, you trust Him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy.
• I Peter 1:19–He paid for you with the precious life blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.
• I Peter 1:23–Your new life did not come from your earthy parents because the life they gave you will end in death.
• I Peter 2:21–This suffering is all part of what God has called you to. Christ, who suffered for you, is our example. Follow in His steps.
• I Peter 3:7–If you don’t treat your wife as you should, your prayers will not be heard. {Wow}
• I Peter 3:12–The eyes of the LORD watch over those who do right, and His ears are open to their prayers.
• I Peter 3:18–Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.
• I Peter 4:9–Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay.
• I Peter 5:4–And when the Head Shepherd {Jesus} comes, your reward will be a never-ending share in His glory and honor.
• I Peter 5:6–So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time He will lift you up in honor.
• I Peter 5:7–Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

If you don’t find a verse in this list that rings your bell, your clapper is broke.

Pastors, I Peter 5:4 is for you. I cannot remember one moment of glory in my life. Perhaps I am forgetting. I know that I’ve never won a race, scored the winning TD, made the winning shot or been recognized for some outstanding achievement. I’ve never been the honoree in a ticker-tape parade but my day is coming. By His grace, I get a never ending share of Christ glory.

• We pray for STUDENTS today.
• I never think in time but I saw a beautiful sight last night. Joe David lead a prayer meeting at a ball game and it was moving. We prayed for Kane. I hope someone got a pic. I checked on Kenny after the SAFE and he was sleeping.
• The SENIOR ADULT LUNCHEON went great. If Chareles’ class had not turned out we would have been in trouble. We had 20 total but that counts the four workers but two were Seniors. We had 17 Seniors and three youth: Mandy, Floyd and Joe David. The rolls were awesome and so was the ham. Everything was delicious.
• We will be visiting today; trying to get folks to the REVIVAL Sunday. Call a friend or fellow member that hasn’t been in a while.
• SCHEDULE: Donuts, coffee and biscuits at 8:45, Deacons and wives meet at 9:00, LCBS at 9:15 and REVIVAL at 10:15 and 6:00.

Teresa Glisson and Scotty