“A Surprise Party”

First Sunday in Lent

February 22, 2026

Acts 8:26-40

John 2:1-11

Children’s Message:

Have you ever been to a surprise party? If not, what do you think would be the best part? Would you rather be the person getting surprised, or the person who jumps out and yells, “Surprise!”?

Today we heard about a pretty neat surprise at a party—but not a surprise party. There was a wedding. These parties would last for a few days and involve a whole village. And partway through, they ran out of wine. Can you imagine going to a birthday party and running out of cake before you got a piece?

What would YOU do? What did Jesus do? He had servants fill up great big jugs with water. And when they served the water to the host, it had become wine. And not just any wine but the most amazing wine the host had ever tasted!

What a surprise! When you think about Jesus’ miracles, what do you think about? Healing, feeding, raising the dead. But according to John, this was Jesus’ first miracle. And it didn’t have anything to do with healing or feeding or raising the dead. It was about making sure that his community had fun; that the couple wasn’t humiliated; and that this wedding was filled with celebration. That’s a Jesus we don’t get to talk about enough.

How shall we celebrate with Jesus today? In fact, how shall we celebrate with Prem, the kiddo getting baptized today? How about we use party noisemakers to remind us all that worship is a celebration.

Let’s pray. Dear God, thank you for joy and fun and laughter and celebration. Don’t ever let us take ourselves so seriously that we forget to enjoy you and all you provide. Amen.

Message:

I had the privilege, yesterday, to attend the funeral of Mike Kocher’s father, Reverend Robert Kocher. I was there as a fellow clergy with others who vested and processed in for the service. And I was captured by the eulogy that Mike’s sister, Jeanne, gave. She told about a man who wasn’t afraid to confront conflict; a man who grew up in a very stoic household; a man who felt all of his feelings deeply. And I wish I could have gotten a copy of her words, because I thoroughly enjoyed the story about when the family attended an outdoor presentation of Shakespeare’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream” (or Twelfth Night”—I can’t remember which).

At one point, three characters were hiding behind potted plants. And Bob, sitting in the front row, began to laugh. And the characters picked up the plants and began to move. And Bob laughed even harder. And as the silliness got sillier, Bob couldn’t even stay in his seat, he laughed so hard. And I thought, “That must have been a hoot. I wish I had been there.”

Imagine attending a wedding. The music is going. You’re a day or two into the celebration. And from nowhere in particular, someone serves you another round of wine. And it is—miraculous! It takes the gathering to a whole new level. There’s laughter and tears and hugging and dancing and story-telling. And it’s so memorable that, two thousand years later, people are still talking about it. That must have been a hoot. I wish I had been there.

But it didn’t start out that way. There’s a mini crisis brewing in the back. The wine has run out. Mary takes Jesus aside and conveys her concern. But it’s not their party. It’s not their responsibility. And, quite frankly, Jesus knows that once he starts stirring the pot with miracles, the clock will begin to tick down until the discontent of those in power reaches a feverish pitch, and he will give his life.

I can’t blame him for the hesitation. “My hour has not yet come. I’m not ready, yet.” In the series, “The Chosen,” Mary looks Jesus square in the eye and says, “If not now, when?” And honestly, what better way to kick of a ministry of healing and feeding and resurrection than a wedding—a celebration filled with community and joy and hospitality.

The other immense surprise we hear today is Philip’s encounter with the man from Ethiopia. A man who was, because of his physical dismemberment, would have never been viewed as fit to worship God, let alone be accepted by God. And yet, after learning about Jesus, he did the unexpected. He asked a very pointed question: “What is to keep me from being baptized?” He didn’t see his lack as a barrier to God’s love. He saw God’s love as the bridge to abundant life. What courage. What joy at the message! It must have been a hoot! I wish I had been there.

Philip, like Jesus, responds to the question with open arms. Surprise! God loves us all! Let’s go to the water. Surprise! This is a joy, not a job. Let’s dance. Surprise! Water isn’t just water. It’s promise. And forgiveness. And a new beginning.

I was struck this week by the videos of figure skater Alysa Liu and her gold performance in the Winter Olympics. She had only returned to skating 2 years ago after a few years of being away from it completely. As a teen, she was told how to move and what to wear and the music to use. Her father was in charge of everything, and they went through several coaches multiple times. She was amazing—but she didn’t enjoy it. It was a job, not a love.

When she returned, she did so on her own terms. She was in charge. She hired the coaches. She collaborated on the movements. And her performance at the Olympics was pure joy. Every movement was an expression of her love for the art. She wasn’t focused on winning—she was focused on building up other athletes, strengthening her community, inspiring and encouraging those around her.

The gold was the frosting. The surprise. The extra. When we let go of the worry and the pressure to hold onto things; when we stop focusing on what we don’t have and what we can’t do; when we approach life with gratitude rather than fear, we see that Jesus has been turning our water into wine the whole time. And it’s a hoot. And we are here to see it.

We are here to see God’s amazing abundance all over the place. We are here to witness the joy of living and loving and experiencing community and compassion. We are here to enjoy this amazing, surprising, extravagant good news of God’s love for all people. Here. Now. Overflowing.

Pastor Tobi White

Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church

Lincoln, NE