Gospel: John 2:1-11
1st
Reading: Isaiah 62:1-5
2nd Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:1-11
I hope no one is alarmed by this
revelation: I am not a big fan of wine. So 180 gallons of it doesn't
excite me as much as it might some people. Now if the story was
changing water into beer, I could probably get behind that, although
that is a lot of beer to drink before it goes flat.
Christians have argued about whether
one can drink alcohol and be a Christian, and I have to refer to this
scripture. Jesus changed water into wine—it can't be all bad. It
doesn't say here that he drank any of it, but he certainly did at the
last supper. Some folks have been concerned enough to ask me whether
wine or beer could be brought into the sanctuary for fundraising
events, and I appreciate being asked. I have to reply that we have
wine in the sanctuary every week for Holy Communion. There is a
difference to me, though, between enjoying ourselves and throwing a
big drunken party and there may be a time and place for each. Some
have difficulty setting that line for themselves, so we offer the
grape juice as well for Communion. And I suppose we might have to
ask someone to leave if they got out of control for a fundraising
event. But a little drinking doesn't bother me. I don't mind
drinking and have been known to have a beer from time to time,
although I don't tend to drink with my flock because I don't want to
be impaired at work and I don't drink and drive, even one beer. I
also appreciate and have great respect for those who have recognized
their addiction and taken steps to avoid alcohol, knowing how it can
destroy them and their relationships. I do think this Gospel story
shows that God isn't made of stone or all serious, but someone who
appreciates a celebration and brings people together in praise and
thanksgiving and new life.
This is Jesus' first miracle in the
Gospel of John—apparently there are 7, a number meaning wholeness.
It seems important that this first miracle doesn't heal anyone or
feed anyone. Maybe the family is poor and that is why they ran out
of wine. Certainly Jesus saves them from embarrassment by providing
not just wine, but good wine. This gift of wine ensures the
celebration goes on—when the wine runs out, that's when everyone
goes home. Jesus makes sure that they stay and build relationships
together. When people apologize for being late to church, I always
say, “You made it for the most important part, Holy Communion.”
They made it to God's table, and to me that is the central event of
Sunday morning.
I don't think this miracle was a once
and for all kind of thing—a one time event a long time ago. It is
a miracle that I have seen repeated many times in my life. There is
nothing wrong with water. It is refreshing. It is cleansing. It is
necessary for life. It is also without taste or color. It is very
basic. Many times the recipe calls for water. I hope we drink it
more than we drink anything else. We'd be healthier if we did. Yet,
sometimes the occasion calls for something a little more festive.
I heard a wonderful sermon many years
ago at a wedding about God turning the water of our lives and
relationships from the odorless, colorless, plainness of water, into
something beautiful and colorful and celebratory of marriage. This
couple was very sweet. The woman had come from Burundi in Africa.
She had experienced horrors of war and hunger. The man had an
earlier failed marriage. They were bringing the water of their lives
together, filling all the stone water jars with the water to the brim
and trusting that Jesus would make something of it that would be
beautiful, something to celebrate and bind them closer in
relationship. It isn't that this couple wouldn't have to work at
their relationship and Jesus would do all the work, but that each one
would contribute and trust and work together and that Jesus would
change their water into wine.
Those of us who have been married a
long time—yes I'm counting my 20 years—don't have stars in our
eyes anymore. We are looking with eyes wide open at all these jars,
either drained empty or leaking and maybe it seems impossible that
Jesus would be able to do anything about it. When we know what to
expect year after year, it is hard to be ready for a miracle, for
anything new at all. I don't think this analogy of water into wine
is only for newlyweds. There is still a chance for closeness and
romance and turning toward each other again. There is still a chance
to learn to trust again, to learn to love again, for the blah water
to become the deep sweet red of wine. Some encounter it simply by
surprise, turning toward each other during a crisis or pain. Some
attend a workshop together to strengthen their marriage. Some see a
counsellor. Some read a book together. One of my favorites is “The
Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work.” It is a very realistic
way of looking at marriage. It isn't called “The Seven Principles
for Making Marriage Fun,” but it does offer some steps to turn back
toward each other even after a long period of growing apart. Jesus
is still turning our water into wine.
We celebrate Martin Luther King Day
tomorrow. Could we consider the Civil Rights Movement as God working
through Brother Martin to make wine into water? This is a whole
large group of people who were told they could have water and maybe
even stagnant water, but no right to live full lives, never to taste
the good wine of celebration and relationship. But these activists
were unwilling to accept life as second-class citizens, and their
actions helped make the water of our nation more into wine, although
that transformation is still occurring as we struggle as a nation
about how we treat people with darker skin color.
We will be talking briefly on the 31st
at our Annual Meeting about the use of our church property. We have
this land that has been like water to us. You've changed it into
wine a couple of times. One was when you put in the parking lot and
made it safer and easier to get in and out of and more beautiful.
The other was when you sold the property down below and were able to
pay off some bills. Now those streets are full of happy children and
families making a life for themselves. Yet there is more we can do
to make wine out of water. I explored community gardens on my
sabbatical. Is there a way to grow food on this land to feed hungry
people? There are so many possibilities of what we can do with this
beautiful gift that God has given us.
Jesus whole ministry was one of
changing water into wine. This miracle really indicates the kind of
Messiah he will be. In this miracle, he took the stone vessels of
purification that were used to wash people and make them holy enough
to be in God's presence or to be in community. He took the ritual
washing vessels and filled them with wine. It would be like filling
the baptismal font with wine. Probably if that happened here we
would be shocked. Some might be pretty offended. Jesus was never
afraid to offend people's sense of what was religiously proper. He
healed on the Sabbath. He touched lepers and sick people. He
overturned the tables of the money changers. He told off men of
great religious power. If there is something we are holding closer
to our hearts than God, something we see as sacred, Jesus destroys
it—it doesn't belong there. We don't need any holy water to be in
God's presence. We can't let our human rules keep us from bringing
healing and hope to people in despair. His use of the water for
purification also shows us that it isn't our rituals that cleanse us,
but the blood of Christ.
Many of our human rules keep us from
enjoying the wine. Some of us have strong feelings about regularly
using a screen. That isn't holy. That is for those other churches.
However, we had a member here for a couple of years who was deaf. A
deaf person sings with their hands. But if she is holding a hymnal,
she won't be able to sing. What might it have meant to her to be
able to have her hands free to be able sing in sign language as she
looked at the words up on the screen? How much paper could we save
if we didn't have to have so many words in the bulletin and could
put them up where people could see them? How would it be to look up
and out while in worship instead of in and down? What is sacred is
not how we've always done things, but making Jesus' love more
accessible to people, bringing real benefit and life to others.
Certainly there were some people offended at Jesus' actions in the
Gospel. When we are offended do we wonder what is wrong with the
person who offended us, or do we look within to find out what it is
we hold closest to our hearts and why do we feel that way? Is there
room for Jesus amongst all the clutter of our rituals and traditions?
Jesus isn't waiting to see. He's
here offending us, partying down with the wedding guests and he's
saying to join him in the celebration of all of life, join him in
relationship with sinners of all kinds, loosen up, smile, give
thanks.
In his death on the cross, Jesus
poured out his blood of salvation that we drink this morning. He
didn't do that to make us miserable and always focused on his
suffering. The reason I know that is that his Disciples came to him
after he had been raised and they felt terrible. He said that he did
what he did to give us life and the best way for us to thank him was
to share that life with others no matter who is offended.
Turning water into wine isn't simply a
matter of taking lemons and making lemon aid. Here in Holy Communion
we take the wine, the blood of Jesus. The people of Israel didn't
know a whole lot about anatomy and the science of how the body
worked, but they did know that blood is life. Jesus poured himself
out for us, to give us abundant life now and eternal life. Jesus'
miracles are about the abundance of life, the sharing of life, the
celebration of life, and so that miracle goes on and on.
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