What Pastor Jon Preached on Sunday, January 17th, 2010

The Second Sunday after Epiphany
Isaiah 62:1-5 • Psalm 36:5-10 • 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 • John 2:1-11

"On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, 'They have no wine.' And Jesus said to her, 'Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.' His mother said to the servants, 'Do whatever he tells you.' Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, 'Fill the jars with water.' And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, 'Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.' So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, 'Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.' Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him."


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I’ve been thinking a lot about weddings this week—and about one wedding in particular.

James had waited for this day for a long time. Ever since he had laid eyes on his bride to be, he had known there would be this special day coming in their future. And it had now come…this was it. There was no turning back.

The day so far had gone great. The ceremony was uplifting and memorable—just as they had planned it, with tears of joy, and resounding applause—the only surprise came with a ring-bearer who bumped his head on a pew coming up the aisle. Things continued to go well at the reception as it got underway. Great food was on the menu; the open bar was flowing and the hundreds of family and friends there were even mingling and getting to know each other. As James was in the middle of a glass-clinking kiss with his new wife, the matr’d tapped him on the shoulder and said, “Sir, there’s an issue.” “What is it?” “We seem to have run out of all drinks sir.” “What should we do, sir?” “What?! You mean there’s nothing left at all? No champagne, no toasts…not even any soda?” “No sir. Sorry sir. What shall we do? It’s almost time for the toast.” “It’s your place, I hired you to have the drinks—you go figure it out!” At this point in the evening, it was so early—what would happen? How would they continue?

Someone who had ended up on the guest list, a man named Jesus (a friend of a friend), got wind of the issue when his mother came back to their table from the bathroom. She had heard the wait staff talking about this. “Can’t you go and do something about it, Jesus? Please! They’re going to be waiting forever!” “No,” Jesus said. “My hour has not yet come.” So the mom went to the servers and kitchen workers and said, “My son—he’s going to help you. Listen to him!” Getting anxious, Jesus got up and walked out of the ballroom to get some fresh air. As he walked down the hallway he saw six huge stone jars, perhaps used for plants or decoration. They were enormous—four feet high, and about a foot wide. And he thought for a minute… and he pulled one of the servers over and said, “fill these all up with water in the kitchen. Go do it!” So they did, and brought them back to Jesus. Jesus said, “Now, go, take a cup and give some of this to the matre’d.” So they took it to him, and when he tasted it—he tasted…wine! And this was not just “two buck Chuck” this was aged, vintage stuff! “Ha, this groom is a genius!” he thought. Without even asking, he figured it was the groom who had figured something out—he was the only one he had told. Soon the wine was in everyone’s glass, and the first toast was about to start.

The matre’d walked over to James and said, “It’s been taken care of, sir.” “What happened, how’d you do it” James said. “What do you mean—you pulled this off! I don’t know how you did it but you provided some excellent, excellent wine! This will be a night you’ll never forget!” And James looked around and wondered how this had happened. He looked up, and saw a familiar face, a friend of a friend he had met a few times—Jesus—standing by the door, winking at him. It was him! He had saved the night! James looked over at his lovely wife, and looked up to see his parents and in-laws getting up to toast, with their glasses full. This would definitely be a night he would never forget.

Jesus was the life of this party. He went to bat for everyone—when all the flow of the wedding had nearly come to a screeching halt. Jesus was there to bring it back, with new wine—new life.

Where has the party almost come to a halt; or where has it come to a screeching halt for us? Where do we turn for renewal and can’t seem to find it there anymore? What are those empty stone vessels in our lives that Jesus wishes to make new, and reveal his glory through? What limits do we put on others—on our relationships, on those we choose not to deal with, on our enemies, on United Lutheran—that ends up turning these things into empty stone jars that cannot become bearers of new life?

Jesus makes such stones flow again. Jesus makes our own stone hearts flow again. When our vessel becomes dry, when we can’t seem to find a full well anywhere to sustain us, Jesus makes our hearts full again, and makes it flow were we thought it had ended long ago. Jesus himself is the vessel, the rock we can return to again and again, that never runs dry even as our own well runs dry. We find in Jesus the flowing treasure of God’s glory pouring out and flowing out to us—again and again, never-ending, never running dry. Jesus, not us, he is the source to rely on to keep our vessel pouring over with his forgiveness, his mercy, and his compassion.

The wedding at Cana is not the first and only time Jesus brings new life out of the stone rock that has become empty. By the way of the cross, at the empty tomb, the hour for which Jesus came, Jesus emerges from the empty stone cold vessel, to reveal God’s resurrection glory, of new life that cannot be defeated by death. At the tomb Jesus re-enacts this first miracle at Cana, which also happens on the “third day” (Jn 2:1) where he emerges from an empty stone in the form of poured out new wine, given for all, where nothing had been. Jesus makes real a revived resurrection at this intimate wedding gathering that he re-actives with God’s Spirit that he gives freely, and shares freely.

We have entered into in the church year, amidst the retail time of the year that has already moved on to Valentine’s Day. We continue to be guided by the light of Christ in this season following Epiphany. It’s that light that will continue to get revealed more and more brightly by these wonders, signs and miracles of Jesus, whose glory this week comes to revive our stone hearts. Jesus comes to rejoice in God’s glory made known to us in him.

How will we know and share this Jesus? How will we know and share this Jesus who flows so freely and openly among and through us? How will we share this cup of Jesus poured out at this table for us, today? What will our church’s witness be to the reviving celebration Jesus makes possible? What will our witness be when we see earthquakes rattling already-poverty stricken Haiti; when we hear gunshots continuing to ring out in the nearby Austin neighborhood; or when we see the emptying of stone hearts? Jesus promises to make his new life flow through us—no matter how tapped out the world may seem. Jesus makes it flow—so let us go with that flow which will never run dry—that flow that re-makes us, and that re-makes the world. Amen.