There's a lot of heroes in my life. I rejoice as I see a man take his wife's hand in prayer at church. I enjoy seeing men take their children for rides on four-wheelers. I marvel at the patience of mothers with children. Every day I pray for the heroes and heroines in this community who drag themselves out of bed, go to work, meet their responsibilities, shoulder the load of a family, pay their bills, and deliberately organize their time so they are in worship at their church.

You know these folks. They have dreams for their future, dreams for their children. They have plans for their money. They are the ones who live life to the fullest, everyday. Many of you reading this are just such heroes and heroines. There's another one I want to mention.

We can read about him in the Bible, the Gospel of John, chapter two. He never thought he'd be mentioned in a book that would last for over two millennia, go all over the world, and be translated into thousands of languages. When he drug himself out of bed that morning, he just wanted to go to work and come home.

As he walked to work, the sun rose promising to deliver its scorching heat later that afternoon. Many people would grow thirsty, especially today with the wedding. People would dance and work up quite a thirst. He knew he'd better be on his toes, particularly after his boss had warned him, "no more mistakes."

Par for the course, the wedding feast was crowded. The ceremony had gone off without a problem and the people were eating, drinking, and dancing to celebrate the love and commitment for eternity. Then the unthinkable happened. They ran out of drinks. Hot day. Dancing. No more drinks. Small town.

Jesus' mother overheard the groans and told Jesus about the need for more. Jesus called over the un-named hero and told him to take a cup of water from the jars at the doorway and deliver it to his boss. I have a feeling that waiter might have whispered, "Jesus, that's the foot-washing water, remember? People walk here on the dusty roads and dip their feet into that 20 or 30 gallon jar to wash the dirt from their feet. You can't expect me to take a cup of muddy water to my boss! I have a wife and children to feed. I need this job. My son wants to go to school to become a scribe."

We have no record of such resistance. Instead, we have written that the waiter did as Jesus instructed. He dipped a clean cup into the muddy water and offered the drink to his boss. He put his job on the line. He risked his reputation in that little town. He could have become the laughing stock; and even two-thousand years ago, men did not like to be laughed at.

You probably know the rest of the story. The boss took the cup, drank from it and proclaimed it the finest drink of the entire event. The waiter had trusted Jesus with so much in that little task. The request did not make sense, yet he trusted Jesus. Who was this waiter? We don't know his name. But we know he did his job. He met his responsibilities. He trusted Jesus. Un-named? Forgotten?

God remembers the name of everyone who trusts Jesus. He even writes them down. God never forgets us.

Rev. Ted Beam