Hi everyone, it's Aunt Frenita
and we're studying Lesson 7: "No more wine!"
The message is, "We make friends for God, when we serve others."
Our memory verse this week is from 1 Peter 4:10.
It says:
"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others."
Have you ever been to a wedding?
What do you remember?
The beautiful clothes? The nice people?
The flowers? The lovely music?
The yummy food and drink?
Did you enjoy yourself?
Jesus went to a wedding too.
The wedding guests filled the house in Cana at Galilee.
People overflowed into the yard.
The air was full of cheerful voices, music and laughter.
It was a perfect evening.
Mary looked around enjoying the scene.
How contented her friends, the bridgegroom's parents, looked!
While Mary watched her friends,
an unhappy servant scurried up to her.
He bent low and whispered in her ear:
"The wine has run out!"
Mary's smile vanished.
Her forehead wrinkled in concern.
Quickly, she looked around.
The large containers that should have held plenty of grape juice, was empty!
Running out of grape juice would bring the party to a quick end.
The guests would go home.
Mary's heart felt heavy.
She knew the disappointment and disgrace
this would bring to the groom's family.
What's more, she had helped plan the party!
Mary felt responsible, but what could she do?
The marketplace was closed,
there was no way to buy more juice!
There was nothing she could do!
Or was there?
They Mary thought of the perfect way to solve the problem -
Jesus!
He and his disciples were also guests at the wedding.
Mary hurried to Jesus.
"They're out of wine!" she told him anxiously.
Jesus understood the seriousness of the situation.
But what could he do?
"Dear woman,"
"Why are you trying to bring me into this?" Jesus asked kindly.
"My time has not yet come."
Mary felt desperate.
Here was an urgent need.
Jesus could help, she was certain!
Pushing the servants forward, she commanded them:
"Do whatever he tells you!"
Jesus looked around and saw six large stone water jars sitting nearby.
Each jar could hold about twenty gallons.
"Fill these jars with water,"
he quietly told the servants.
They hurried to obey.
Soon they had filled the six jars all the way to the brim.
"Now draw out some water,"
"and take it to the man in charge of the feast," Jesus directed.
So the servants filled a jug.
As they did, they noticed something strange.
This did not look like water.
It did not smell like water.
Quickly they took it into the feast
and filled the glass belonging to the man in charge.
He didn't know what happened.
He just lifted his glass and drank.
Smiling, he called to the bride and groom.
"Everyone serves the best wine first," he said.
"and after the guests have drunk a lot, he serves the ordinary wine."
"But you have saved the best til now."
This was Jesus' first miracle.
His disciples saw what happened when Jesus served others.
They determined, more than ever,
to put their faith in him.
They would become his closest friends.
We make friends fod God, when we serve others too.
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Close captioning by Bernice Leong.