Epiphany 2
January 14, 2001
Pastor David G. Mullen
John 2:1-11
"Glorious New Wine"
Mary said to Jesus, "They don't have any more
wine." Worship is supposed to be spirited with
the life-changing presence of God and as happy as a wedding feast.
Yet like a bored DJ at a wedding dance who just plays a role without
really being a part of the action, church can degenerate to routine
religious activity, a joyless echo of barely remembered grace. Thus we
may sing, listen, pray, commune, talk with our friends and go
home-our duty done, nothing much changed. Dispirited.
They don't have any more wine. That's always cause
for concern.
Mary then said to the servants, "Do whatever Jesus tells you
to do." Jesus told the servants to fill the big stone
water jars to the top with water. If Mary represents
the voice of the faithful church, then the stone jars represent the
attitude of stoic or even arrogant acceptance of routine and
tradition. As pastor and preacher and teacher I act as a
servant of the Lord when I honor Mary's word: do whatever
Jesus tells you to do. Servants of God must go to the
water.
You know what that means? The stone jars of our old attitudes
and tradition wait for the baptismal reality our Lord urges upon
us: fill those jars to the top with water. I bring
water to the stone jars of tradition by urging us as Christians to
honor our baptisms in practice, not in theory. I bring water
whenever I am honest with you about our constant need for the dying
and rising, cleansing, reality-bearing truth about our lives. We
need to break out of denial. Being a Christian never exempts us sin.
Like anyone else, we struggle, we suffer, we falter and fail. .
Tears of honest sorrow and longing for a renewed life are the waters
God's servants bring to the stone jars of
tradition.
Then after the jars had been filled, Jesus said, "Now take
some water and give it to the man in charge of the
feast." The servants did as Jesus told them,
and the man in charge drank some of the water that had now turned into
wine. The steward was amazed at the good wine, but when
Christ touches our hearts, we are amazed, too. It's no small
thing to go from a bored tradition-bound life into experiencing
reality of Holy Communion: Christ real and present, with love
beyond all measure, turning our tears turned into serene gladness.
You have kept the best until last! Spiritual
transformation! The longing in our lives, turned into the
fine wine of joy!
He did not know where the wine had come from, but the servants
did. I am such a blessed man because as a servant of God I know
where the wine comes from! I see it in your faces every
week in the communion knowing that in the midst of your struggles and
brokenness you are here, expecting something more than mere routine,
hoping again to meet Christ and be changed. And I know the
God-given victories and transformations with which many of you have
been blessed. This is a sign to be noticed! It is the best
thing in life there is!
This was Jesus' first "sign", and he did it in the
village of Cana in Galilee. There Jesus showed his glory, and his
disciples put their faith in him. That's what we're hoping
for, here in this village of faith called the church. We want to
see and experience that first sign of Christ, and put our faith
in him again, or maybe even for the first time ever. We want to
trust that we may experience his presence here, and know that we are
"God's chosen desire", and that our even our bitterest
tears can become "glorious new wine", and church, again,
like a joyous wedding. Amen.
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