Mary's Simple Words - Guest Blog by Josh Lovelace
I wish everyone could have been with me in Phnom Penh to hear a very timely sermon. It was shared by a young man who leads the worship team at his church. He began by saying his sermon is about John 2:1-11. I thought to myself, “OK. This is Jesus’ first miracle. I’ve read this many times and I’m curious what he will say about miracles.”
I was wrong.
He read the passage and then asked everyone to turn their attention to John 2:5: “His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’” I wondered where he was going with his message. He briefly explained about the problems and situations we have in our world. (Too many to mention in the crazy year 2020, right?) Then, he explained about Mary’s simple words by stating, “What we hear and what we do are connected. We will always live according to what someone or something tells us.”
My heart became quite heavy as he described how so much background noise exists and a plethora of voices always circles us. He said, “There is good news, bad news, fake news, uncertain news, etc. and it’s hard to escape from it. There is a constant stream of information (good, bad, fake, and uncertain) coming from all sides when we watch TV and when we scroll through social media on our phones.”
He quietly said that the way we should combat all of this is by simply thinking about Mary’s words in John 2:5: “Do whatever he tells you.”
Questions were raised: What are we hearing and how does it cause us to live? Are we living according to all the background noise or are we living according to the Word of God? His summary wasn’t a complex theological exposition about the problem of evil. He simply shared about the straightforwardness of Christians doing what the Lord has instructed in the Scriptures.
When Jesus spoke to the servants in John 2, they simply did what He told them to do and results followed their obedience. If you've ever attended a wedding in the East, you know how they are a lively event with lots of noise. I'm guessing it would have been a noisy day in Cana with commotion and distractions. In spite of all the background noise at the wedding, the servants had to focus on the Lord's instructions.
The miracle was amazing, but the young man preaching wanted us to think about Christ’s commands and our obedience to His commands. He concluded by saying the background noise will always be around us. We cannot escape the good, bad, fake, and uncertain situations in our broken world. Many times, it can feel overwhelming. However, reading the Word, hearing the Word, and thinking about the Word will keep us motivated to do what God has said to do.
To be honest, it has been quite a while since I left a worship service and the morning message was all I could think about for the next few hours. I’m already trying to keep John 2:5 in my mind and heart as I balance everything 2020 has thrown at our world along with the necessary tasks in front of us.
As you prepare for a new week, I encourage you to take a break from the background noises that inundate our world. I am grateful we can find solace amidst all the surrounding distractions by taking time in the living, active, and eternal Word of God.
Josh Lovelace is an Assemblies of God missionary serving in Cambodia. Along with his wife Carmen and children Emma and Jude, they have assisted with leadership development and discipleship ministries among the Khmer people. Josh currently serves as the academic dean at Cambodia Bible Institute in Phnom Penh.
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