Second Sunday of Epiphany             John 2:1-11                    January 17, 2010

In today’s Gospel reading we heard the wonderful story of how Jesus changed water into wine at Cana of Galilee. This is a great story. I like this text because from the very beginning something very special is revealed about Jesus. And that something special is brought to light in the location of the wedding.

Where was the wedding? It was at Cana of Galilee. So where is Cana? To tell the truth, we aren't rightly sure! In the Bible, Cana is mentioned only in the Gospel of John. We think that it was near Nazareth, where Jesus grew up. But in all honesty, we don't really know. You would think that we would know. I mean, this was the place of Jesus’ first miracle -- the first sign of Jesus revealing God’s glory. You’d think that Christians would exhaust every effort to find out where Cana was -- and, in fact scholars have tried to find Cana -- and have determined a couple of possibilities -- but nobody knows for sure.

And that's the great part of this story! Jesus could have chosen to start his ministry any place--Jerusalem -- Rome –even Nazareth, but he chose to start in a small town in the middle of nowhere, somewhere on the margins. And that is important because as Jesus goes through his short life, we see him favoring ordinary people, in ordinary places -- healing beggars, children and outcasts along the way -- people who didn’t count for much in that society.

It’s not as if Jesus deliberately ignored people who could have helped him--religious leaders and wealthy people--people with political clout. Instead what I suspect happened is that they couldn’t bring themselves to admit that they needed his help. After all, Jesus was just a country boy from Nazareth – a country boy who didn’t feel the need to play the game of sucking up to them.
As a result those who were willing to admit their need for help--received it and that often invovled the poor and the vulnerable.

I believe it is also interesting and significant that Jesus should chose a nowhere place like Cana to start his ministry -- ministry at the margins -- ministry among ordinary people in an ordinary place.

Today’s Gospel reading tells us that this was the first of Jesus many miracles. I can’t help but notice as we consider the various miracles to follow, that this one is a bit out of the ordinary in that most of the miracles to follow were healings. And if healings were not impressive enough, he brings a man back from the dead.
Now I would suspect that many of us could get excited about this kind of miracle because we all know what it is like to be sick or restricted due to poor health. And many of us know what it is like to grieve over the death of a loved one. When Jesus heals someone or raises him or her from the dead, it gives us hope. A hope that perhaps, when we need him, when we are gravely ill, Jesus will heal us too and restore us to life.

But Jesus' first miracle – or a sign as John calls them-- Jesus' first miracle wasn't healing a sick person or reviving a dead person-- it was transforming water into wine --a nice gesture -- it saved the wedding party -- but it sounds like Miracle-Lite compared to some of the miracles to come.

So why did Jesus, for his first miracle, turn water into wine? Perhaps it was because his mother pressured him. Maybe he was just warming up. Or perhaps there was something more significant involved. In the Gospel of John, Jesus often says and does things that have two meanings – an obvious but superficial meaning and a hidden but significant meaning:

It is true when he tells the Samaritan woman about “living water” in chapter 4. That is true when he tells Nicodemus about “new birth” in chapter 3. And it is true when he turns water into wine in chapter 2.

In some places, Jesus explains his intended meaning, but not here – not at Cana. We are left to guess. There are a couple of possibilities:
One is that the abundance of wine that Jesus creates is a symbol of the abundant grace that he brings. He creates enough wine for a dozen parties -- a hundred parties -- just as he brings enough grace to save the worst of the worst.
Another possibility is found in the wine-steward's comment—and or—criticism (depending on how you read the text) that the bridegroom has kept the best wine until last for a crowd of people who might not fully appreciate or recognize the superb quality of the wine.

For that reason it has been suggested that the Jewish people had the law and prophets, but God saved the best wine -- Jesus -- until last. In other words, when Jesus turned water into wine, he was sending a message. It was subtle -- a message that most people would miss – but some would understand.

Then, at the end of the story, John says: "Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his GLORY; and his disciples BELIEVED in him."

And here I believe we find the bottom line! This sign -- this miracle -- this transformation
of water to wine revealed Jesus' GLORY -- and his disciples BELIEVED in him.

If you recall, Jesus had just begun his ministry and had just called a few disciples. They had followed him, because there was something compelling about him -- but the jury was still out -- they still were not sure -- maybe Jesus was sent from God -- maybe not. But, after Cana, there was no question in their minds anymore. Jesus transformed the water into wine -- fine wine
-- abundant wine -- and in so doing revealed his GLORY – and this gave the disciples a glimpse into his identity – it let them see something of his power ---- and they BELIEVED in him.

When I read this story, I often wish that I could have been there. Perhaps you too wish you could have been there. I wish that I could have seen the miracle -- could have tasted that good wine.
I wish I had been there, too, just to see Jesus at work! To see him do his thing! To see the worry on the faces of the hosts -- and to see worry replaced by amazement -- and amazement replaced by joy!

But, if I am honest, I must admit that I have seen Jesus at work. I have seen him do even more wonderful things than turning water into wine. I have seen Jesus transform the lives of people that I have known. I have seen how Jesus has chipped away the rough edges of some pretty rough folks. I have seen folks who have safely kept Jesus at a distance—suddenly embracing and gushing over a newfound relationship with Christ. In the lives of those individuals, Jesus turned water into wine.

And when I look out at this congregation, I can see that Jesus has been at work in your lives too.
I see faces that reveal Jesus' GLORY. Every day of every week, I see people in this congregation doing kind and generous acts of kindness and grace—why? Because Jesus has made a difference in your lives. And those acts of kindness don’t even have to be big flashy things. More often than not it might be a visit to someone who has been ill. It is kind word to someone who has had a bad stretch, during times when life has not been fair. It’s seen in the lives of adults who offer to mentor our youth and youth who befriend our seniors. It is seen in the ways we respond to people who have suffered a tragedy and how we respond with generosity and heart-felt concern and compassion.

We would be kidding ourselves if we thought we didn’t still have rough edges, and because of this some people might criticize us because we are not one hundred percent saintly all the time, or if our action don’t measure up to their perceived morality and righteousness. In response to such criticism just tell them that, if it had not been for Jesus -- well, you hate to think what we might have been. Or, to recall a line from bygone years—“We’ve come a long way baby!”
In this sense, in your life and in mine, Jesus has turned water into wine! Really good wine!
And Christ is still doing it.

But you got to remember that winemaking is a slow process. You plant the grapes, and then you wait. It looks like nothing is happening-- nothing at all. If you stand in the middle of a vineyard, you cannot hear the grapes grow -- you cannot see them grow -- but they are growing. If you come back tomorrow, they will look the same – and the next day, and the next. But if you come back a month from now you will see the difference. God is turning water into wine! And so it is with us! As we walk with Christ day by day, slowly we begin to resemble the creatures God created to be, creatures created in the image of God.

For some people that growth comes quickly – they experience a dramatic conversion -- yesterday they had no faith and today they are full of faith -- but for most of us, spiritual growth is slow -- nearly invisible -- but Christ is working in our lives day by day --turning water into wine!
And when that happens, we reveal God’s grace and mercy and love. And when that happens--our lives give other people a glimpse of Jesus!

Since our Gospel reading takes place in the midst of a wedding, let me tell you a little about Julia and my wedding, specifically, our wedding vows. As a part of our vows we included the line about “honoring one another”. Our pastor picked up on this line and she spoke about the meaning of “honoring” and how it refers to giving someone else preference, giving them the first choice.
Both Julia and I really liked that, so that became something of an unofficial marriage mission statement if you will. We will strive to honor one another, to give each other first preference when ever possible. More often than not it involves little things—the fist cup of coffee in the morning, the front page of the newspaper, first choice in picking where we might eat on date night. In a very simple way in works it’s way into our lives together and hopefully impacting the bigger things in our lives as well.

I mention this because when it comes to matters of our faith and discipleship, we are invited and hopefully compelled to honor God as well—that is, giving our relationship with Christ—first preference in our daily lives.

We can do that each and every morning when we wake up and remember who we are and whose we are—that being, a child of God, part of God’s family.

We can give Christ first preference in our lives in how we treat others, ideally, with the same degree of grace, love and forgiveness that we have received from Christ. We can honor Jesus Christ in our lives with our responsible stewardship—caring for creation, tithing, and the ethical use of all our personal and communal resources.

And lastly, we can honor God by being grateful and thankful for all that we have received from our Lord and Savior, for this is yet another way to give glory to God in ways that may very well lead others to believe as well.

But the bottom line is this; if we really want to honor Jesus, if we really want to give reason for others to believe in Christ then we make it our first and primary priority each and every day to seek out ways to share the love, grace and forgiveness of Christ that we too have been recipients of.
This is how we give glory to God. This is what will make the miraculous difference in the lives of others. This is how Jesus continues to turn water into wine in our lives and the lives of others.
Amen.

Pastor Stephen Blenkush
Zion Lutheran
Milaca, MN
www.ZionMilaca.org

 

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