1-17-10 Cup

Today is the Second Sunday of Epiphany. As mentioned last week, and every Epiphany, epiphany means "revelation." It is from the Greek, like so many of our religious words. Epi-phanos, where the root, phanos, means "appearance," and epi as a prefix means "outer" or "sudden." Epi-phanos, an outer or sudden appearance or revelation.

Of course, in our context, we are talking about God, or the Son of God. The outer appearance or revelation of the Son of God. I told you last week, there are three major revelations of Jesus as the Son of God that are highlighted during Epiphany.

First of all, there is the appearance of Jesus as the Christ to the Wise Men. The touching manger scene culminating in gift giving described in Matthew. Second, there is the baptism of our Lord, where the Holy Spirit descends upon an adult Jesus "like a dove," and God's voice is heard to adopt Jesus, saying, "Thou are my son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased."

And third, the story of the Transfiguration, where Jesus in journey toJerusalem is seen to be aglow with God by Peter, James and John, upon a mountain top.

These three epiphanies, Magi, baptism and Transfiguration. Actually, there is a fourth. I was just trying to keep it short last Sunday for I knew some of the guys were anxious to get to the football games. Sorry about the outcomes.

The fourth epiphany, usually reserved as the traditional scripture reading for the Second Sunday of Epiphany is the wedding at Cana, where Jesus is revealed to be the Christ in his first miracle in the Gospel of John, his water to wine trick.

Well, true to tradition, this happens to be our lectionary reading for this morning. So I thought I would be true to tradition, as well as polite, and invite you to Cana on this Second Sunday of Epiphany.

Actually, a few of you have been there with me. Cana, among the hills of Galilee, some four miles northeast of Nazareth. You'll recall we stopped there and visited a church run by an order of nuns, said to be built upon the sight of the wedding feast in Cana.

Actually there are several churches said to be built upon the sight of Jesus first miracle in more than one community said to be the original Cana. It is good for business. Nevertheless, the foundation of the church we visited does date back to the 4^th century, the current Catholic structure is lovely, the sisters who run it are hospitable, and the gift shop across the street is excellent. Indeed, Patsy Vargo purchased two chalices there which we now use for our communion service here (show). Ah, connections!

The miracle at the wedding in Cana. This story has been historically important to the church. Not for permission to drink, mind you, as you might imagine or hope, though as UCCers we do not need permission for we are not from a teetotaler tradition. Our Puritan forebears held it was not the booze that was bad, but the drunkard who was demented. The Puritans preached personal responsibility and moderation in the pleasures of life, the fermented fruit of the vine being among them.

I mean here it is right in the Bible, Jesus' first miracle, changing water into wine. And in our Old Testament text for this morning as well, "On this mountain (which means getting closer to heaven) the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food and well-aged wines." No, our Jewish theological forebears were not teetotalers either.

No, this story has been important historically for the church not because it blesses a beverage, but because it blesses marriage. So much so that marriage is elevated to the status of sacrament in the Catholic Church, not because we have evidence that Jesus was married, but because we have this story where Jesus attended a wedding ceremony and miraculously blessed it with wine.

And even among us low church types, like the UCC, where marriage is a sacred ceremony though not a sacrament, reference to Jesus' presence at the wedding in Cana can be included as a part of the wedding liturgy.

Though I don't tend to use it, I read to you right out of the UCC Book of Worship, where the minister is invited to say at the top of the wedding ceremony, "As this woman and this man give themselves to each other today, we remember that at Cana in Galilee our Savior Jesus Christ made the wedding feast a sign of God's reign of love." There you have it, the revelation of God in marriage through the miracle at Cana.

Or out of the Methodist Book of Worship the minister can say in his/her opening remarks, "With his presence and power, Jesus graced a wedding in Cana of Galilee." Therefore, it is implied from this story, Jesus' presence and power graces every Christian wedding, including the one in which the minister is reading this liturgy. Of course, the Methodists do come from a teetotaler tradition, so I don't think they get too much further into the story. Which is to say, they skip the wedding reception.

The point is, the historic church used this story to overcome a problem. Jesus does not preach about marriage. Three years, he doesn't mention it, at least as recorded in the gospels, except for a paragraph about divorce where Jesus takes a more conservative though not all that clear stance than the prevailing Mosaic law which actually allows for divorce. (Mtt.19:3-9)

Jesus, himself, was not married, as far as we know, despite the ever present conspiracy theorists. So as Christians who are to follow Jesus, does this mean we should maintain celibacy? Certainly some Christians do, as the highest calling in Christ. Witness the priesthood. But how about the rest of us? No marriage? No children? This is certainly a tough way to grow a church. Witness the Shakers, who are celibate, and nearly extinct.

The church delivers us from this dilemma by reading this story and saying, "Ah, ha. Here it is! Jesus attended a wedding in Cana and did a good deed. Surely in this way he blesses the institution of marriage. So let us get hitched and host a toast."

Relax if this doesn't make sense. Actually, this is not why the story is in the Bible. However, this is an illustration of the church in conversation with God's holy Word, doing the work of the church, which includes sanctifying marriage. Which is a good thing. Be happy!

No, the real gospel message of this story is not about marriage. The meaning, and its full revolutionary impact, can be seen by noticing where it is placed. This is the first act Jesus does in his ministry in John, told as it is at the beginning of the second chapter in John.

The first chapter in the Gospel of John has three parts:

1) the majestic opening prologue, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God..."

2) the introduction to John the Baptist, who introduces and baptizes Jesus,

3) and, finally, Jesus' calling of his disciples.

First chapter one. Then, chapter two. We're ready to roll. Jesus ministry is about to begin. We are on the "third day" since Jesus' baptism. First stop, Cana. On he road from Nazareth to the Sea of Galilee. Home of Nathanael (Jn.21:2), one of the disciples Jesus has just called, and perhaps the reason for the invitation.

Anyway, Jesus is there, along with his mother Mary, and the other disciples, attending the wedding in Cana of whom we know not. Perhaps it is Nathanael's sister? I like to think. But it is not important. What is important is this is the debut of Jesus' ministry in the Gospel of John. This is the first thing he does. Jesus is "making a statement." By the way, in the other gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke, the opening scene is different. They all agree, Jesus' first act of ministry is to preach a sermon in his hometown of Nazareth. It's a great sermon, using Isaiah as his text, where Isaiah prophesies the new kingdom, "when all debts will be forgiven, all captives set free, the blind shall be made to see, and the poor and oppressed set to liberty." (Lk.4:16-21).

Jesus concludes his sermon by saying, "Brothers and sisters, the time is now!" A good sermon for the start of a new year, don't you think? Especially in the face of a global disaster. Brothers and sisters, it is 20-10, and the Kingdom is at hand! Now act like it!

Nevertheless whereas Matthew, Mark and Luke have Jesus beginning his

ministry with a stirring sermon and call to action, John starts Jesus' ministry

with a party. I ask you, whose congregation would you rather attend? Jewish

weddings were festive affairs, lasting eight days, with much food and drink,

music and drink, dancing and drink, fellowship and drink. No wonder they ran

out of wine.

Let's join the wedding party in progress in Cana? As we enter we overhear a strange conversation between Jesus and his mother. As the reception has been going on for a while, Mary says to her son, "They are out of wine." Highly embarrassing as hospitality is foremost. It is nice of Mary to notice. Or does she want another drink? We don't know.

But Mary, the Jewish mother, says to her son, "Jesus, do something." Responds Jesus, "Why?" Isn't this refreshing? Jesus, "So, what concern is that to you or to me?" True, it wasn't their wedding. They're the guests. This is clearly the host's problem. Says Jesus, "So?"

Or as some translations put it, including The Good News, Jesus says to his mother, "Don't tell me what to do." Whoa! Jesus to his mother. And I remind you, this is not just any old mother, this is Mother Mary.

Mary turns to the servants of the house, and says, "Do what (my schmuck son) tells you to do," which sounds an awful lot like a Jewish mama saying indirectly to her son, "Did I give you a choice? Fix it!"

Ah, me, the complexities of parent-child relationships. Right here in the Bible! We'll let the Catholic Mariologists work this one out. We are still waiting for our first glass of wine.

Which serves us right for being late. Apparently the host has miscalculated the capacity of the crowd to cavort, for the flagons of wine are flat.

We notice six jars made of stone, each with a capacity to hold 20 or 30 gallons. These are large jugs, for the purpose of holding water to be used in the Jewish ritual of purification, kind of like our baptism. Jesus notices the jars as well, and orders the servants to fill the jars with water. The sub-point here, especially for our youth in attendance: don't argue with your mother. She always wins.

Then Jesus says to the servants, "Now draw out some water and take it to the chief steward," who is the guy at the bar in charge of serving the wine. Only by the time it gets to the steward, who tastes it, the water is turned to wine. Not only is it wine, but it is fine wine, much better than the wine the cheapskate bridegroom was serving in the beginning.

Whereupon the steward calls the congregation to attention and announces what an exceptionally fine fellow the bridegroom is, for whereas people usually serve their best wine first, and only later bring out the cheap stuff, when the jolly guests are a lot less discerning, say by day four of the reception, this exceptional host, boasts the steward, has saved the best wine for last. 150 gallons worth! So, let's party hardy. And may the bride and groom live happily ever after.

What's going on here? Well, first of all let's realize the crowd is clueless. They are not aware of the miracle, are they? The stewards covers it up with his declaration. The crowd thinks the host is the most, and they carry on, dancing into the dark.

Only the servants and the disciples are aware of the miracle, as John concludes, "Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him."

Which is the clue as to why John includes this miracle in his gospel. No, this is not a promotion for Mogen David wines. It is to "reveal the glory of the Lord." It is an epiphany! Get it? Like the Wise Men in Matthew viewing the infant Jesus and beholding the Christ, this is the disciples at a wedding witnessing the miracle that they might believe and begin their labors with the Lord.

By the way, the specifics of the miracle are irrelevant. Don't hang up here. How he did it is not important. The point is, the miracle points to whom Jesus is. Jesus is Lord.

Of course, John is not going to give up here. He is going to share six more miracles for the same purpose, to proclaim Jesus as the Messiah for whom the Hebrews have long waited. Wait no more. He is the One. He is here. The Kingdom of God is at hand!

You have heard it said, "Serve no wine before its time." For centuries the Jews had waited for the ripe time. As prophesied, they were in anticipation of the messianic banquet, that time, as Isaiah and others had preached, when "the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines... (when) the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth." (Isa.25:6, 8)

John says in Jesus the time is now. Look, he turned water into wine. "That's your sign!" Let the banquet begin.

Which, by the way, is the same thing Matthew, Mark and Luke are saying in

their gospels, where they start with Jesus' sermon quoting Isaiah, saying,

"Brothers and sisters, turn your calendars, the Kingdom has come!"

Jesus says this in every way every day, from his first sermon and his first sign, to his last, for those who will believe. The love of God is here, ready to claim you, and cleanse you, and commit you to the causes on the earth for which the Creator cries, "to bring the good news to the poor, to set free the captives, to bring sight to the blind, and set at liberty the oppressed." (Lk.4:18) That is, to "care for the least of these, my brothers and sisters." (Mtt.25:40)

Well, my brothers and sisters, what a great time to be alive, and what a great time for the church to be the church. We enter the 2010^th Year of our Lord, even if it is off to a tough start in Haiti. For just as Jesus multiplied five loaves and two fish to feed 5000, and just as Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, more miracles to come in John, so Jesus filled huge vats with water and turned it into wine, that our cup might overfloweth with the gift of life. So accept your baptism, acknowledge your abundance, and go out into this new year and live like it, including caring for the people in Haiti!

AMEN.