Isaiah
62: 1-5; John 2: 1-11
In the gospel reading, Jesus and
the disciples are just beginning to know each other. The disciples do not yet
know what they have gotten themselves into, except that they like what they
hear Jesus say.
Jesus and the disciples are
invited to a wedding. We do not know anything about the couple; the marriage
itself is not related. Instead, we jump into the story in the middle of the
celebration.
In that culture, weddings were
week-long events. Managing a wedding took some doing, as the wedding planner
had to calculate how many guests there would be, and how much food and wine
would be needed for that number of guests. We can suggest the whole town was
invited, so maybe 400 guests to start, plus other family and friends.
Somehow, there has been a major
miscalculation. We don’t know just how many days the party has been going on,
but during the week, the wine runs out. Wine is essential to the party, because
it was what everyone drank. They didn’t drink water, cola, or juice. They drank
wine.
The longer the party lasted, the
cheaper the wine became, because they were too drunk to taste it. So, in the
beginning, the host might serve Chateau Margaux, in the middle of the week, a
nice Gallo, but by the end of the week, they might offer Ripple or Thunderbird.
Jesus’ mother learns that they
have run out of wine. Notice that his mother is not called Mary, just Jesus’
mother. And note that she appears in John’s gospel only here at the beginning
of his ministry, and at the and, at the cross.
Jesus’ mother says to him, “They
have run out of wine.” Jesus replies, “So? Woman. What does that have to do
with me? Don’t push me into something I’m not ready for.” Mary speaks to the
servants, and instructs them to do whatever Jesus tells them to do. So, she
puts the responsibility back on Jesus, but it is clear that in her opinion he
should do something about the lack of wine.
I find it interesting that only
the servants know the full story. Jesus tells them to put water into the jars
that are normally used for purification rituals. These jars are huge – each
holding 20 or 30 gallons – think curb-side trash cans. And think six of them.
At Jesus’ instruction, one of the
servants then takes some of the liquid – it’s not clear at just what moment the
water turns into wine – to the chief steward – the manager of the household. On
Downton Abbey, this would be Carson. He proclaims to the groom, “This wine is
excellent! Unlike most people, you have saved the best wine for last!”
The story-teller here is John, so
the stories are different from the other gospels. The healings and other events
that Matthew, Mark, and Luke call miracles are called signs by John. Signs
point the way, and in John, the signs of Jesus point to God’s presence in
Jesus, and they point to God’s glory, present in the event.
Today, I want to focus on two
signs. I’m going to borrow a sign from Isaiah about marriage; and use the sign
of divine abundance from John.
One of my favorite moments of
performing weddings is seeing the look on the groom’s face when the bride
appears at the back of the sanctuary. The love and awe shine from his eyes as
he waits for her to arrive by his side. And the anxiety in the bride’s eyes
disappears as soon as she finds the groom waiting for her. Suddenly, love for
each other is all they know, and all is well.
The image of God as our groom and
we as God’s bride appears frequently in scripture. In the passage from Isaiah,
we read that just as a bridegroom rejoices over a bride, so God rejoices over
us, God’s people. It is as if God is standing at the head if the aisle,
watching for us to arrive. When God sees us, the love and awe shine from the
divine eyes. And when we discover God is waiting for us, all our anxiety
disappears, and we know all is well.
When we love someone, we want to
give them good things, lots of good things. When I shop, I often see things I
know Mike would like. It may not cost much, or it may be kind of pricey, but I
get it because I love Mike and I want to give him things he will enjoy.
In the same way, God gives us
things we will enjoy. God never skimps on gifts, either. So, there is not just
one jar of fine wine, but six jars of it. With God, there is an abundance.
Where else can we find an
abundance?
In Scripture: with the
manna and the quails and water from a rock; in the feeding of 5,000 people; in
the healings by Jesus and the disciples. God is known for providing an abundance.
In our food: we have an
abundance of options. We have more brands of food, more flavors of ice cream,
more fresh fruit and vegetables year around, more cuts of meat, and so forth
than just about anywhere else in the world.
In nature: water, grass,
trees, sand, sun, and little lizards are abundant in Florida.
In relationships: with family
and friends we have an abundance of opportunities to offer love and grace to
one another.
In ministry: we have an
abundance of opportunities to serve God by serving God’s people. We have plenty of chances to share Jesus with
those who don’t know him as we do.
In life: we need an
abundance of forgiveness, which we hope to get from one another. We know we get
it from God.
In finances: most of us
have an abundance of money, and happily share it with those who have less.
This abundance we enjoy is not the
result of our own doing, our own hard work, even our own prayers, but gifts
from God, given with love. They are the expression of love from our Divine
Bridegroom to us, the beloved bride.
In John’s gospel, Jesus says, “I came that you
may have life, and have it abundantly.” He means that we have an abundant life
whenever we have a loving, trusting relationship with God. This kind of
abundance is not about money, or possessions, or choices, or even the nature
that surrounds us. This kind of abundance is about knowing we are loved and
forgiven, and in loving God and accepting God’s grace in return.
Please pray with me: Loving God,
we give you thanks for the abundance you pour out onto us. Lead us to remember
that you are the source of all we have. Help us to seek you out as a bride
seeks her groom, as a groom looks for his bride. Amen
