The Abundant Life
The Abundant Life
Most of us set out in life wanting what my 17‑year‑old self said out loud on a college
tour: “I just want to be happy.” Maybe your version was “successful,” “comfortable,” or
“respected.” And maybe, looking back, you’ve actually achieved a lot of what you hoped
for.
Yet underneath the good career, the full calendar, the busy family, there can still be a
nagging emptiness—a quiet sense that the ladder you climbed is leaning against the
wrong wall.
In John 2, at a wedding in Cana, Jesus met a family in quiet crisis. The party was in full
swing, but they had run out of wine—a symbol of joy and celebration. Embarrassment
was moments away. Mary didn’t organize a rescue committee or blame the groom’s
planning. She simply brought the problem to Jesus and told the servants, “Do whatever
he tells you.”
They didn’t understand His instructions. Drawing water into purification jars didn’t seem
like a solution to a wine problem. Yet as they obeyed, Jesus did what only He can do:
He turned emptiness into abundance, water into the finest wine, and potential shame
into overflowing joy.
That’s a picture of what He still does.
Abundant life doesn’t come from managing our problems better or polishing our
religious routines. The jars of our own effort are always going to run dry. Abundant life
comes as we:
- Bring our real problems—big and small—to Jesus.
- Do what He says, even when we don’t fully understand.
- Slow down long enough to savor His gifts as gifts—undeserved, freely given,
overflowing.
The Bible says Jesus came so that we “may have life and have it abundantly” (John
10:10). Not just a happy life, or a busy life, or a good life—but a life rooted in Him,
reshaped by Him, and filled with His joy, even in hardship.
If you sense today that your “wine” is running out—your strength, your joy, your
hope—Jesus is still able to fill empty jars. He still invites you to trust Him, to follow Him,
and to taste and see that He is good.
We’d love to walk that journey with you.
Join us for worship this Sunday at our Classic service at 9:00am or our Contemporary
service at 10:30am. We have classes and activities for children and adults of all ages at
both service times.
Most of us set out in life wanting what my 17‑year‑old self said out loud on a college
tour: “I just want to be happy.” Maybe your version was “successful,” “comfortable,” or
“respected.” And maybe, looking back, you’ve actually achieved a lot of what you hoped
for.
Yet underneath the good career, the full calendar, the busy family, there can still be a
nagging emptiness—a quiet sense that the ladder you climbed is leaning against the
wrong wall.
In John 2, at a wedding in Cana, Jesus met a family in quiet crisis. The party was in full
swing, but they had run out of wine—a symbol of joy and celebration. Embarrassment
was moments away. Mary didn’t organize a rescue committee or blame the groom’s
planning. She simply brought the problem to Jesus and told the servants, “Do whatever
he tells you.”
They didn’t understand His instructions. Drawing water into purification jars didn’t seem
like a solution to a wine problem. Yet as they obeyed, Jesus did what only He can do:
He turned emptiness into abundance, water into the finest wine, and potential shame
into overflowing joy.
That’s a picture of what He still does.
Abundant life doesn’t come from managing our problems better or polishing our
religious routines. The jars of our own effort are always going to run dry. Abundant life
comes as we:
- Bring our real problems—big and small—to Jesus.
- Do what He says, even when we don’t fully understand.
- Slow down long enough to savor His gifts as gifts—undeserved, freely given,
overflowing.
The Bible says Jesus came so that we “may have life and have it abundantly” (John
10:10). Not just a happy life, or a busy life, or a good life—but a life rooted in Him,
reshaped by Him, and filled with His joy, even in hardship.
If you sense today that your “wine” is running out—your strength, your joy, your
hope—Jesus is still able to fill empty jars. He still invites you to trust Him, to follow Him,
and to taste and see that He is good.
We’d love to walk that journey with you.
Join us for worship this Sunday at our Classic service at 9:00am or our Contemporary
service at 10:30am. We have classes and activities for children and adults of all ages at
both service times.
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