Epiphany 2C 2007 John 2:1-11

I once read a children’s sermon which had this to say:
Surprises can be fun! What are some of the things that surprise you?
The sun coming up every single morning, day after day.
Seeing a red and gold sunset so bright and colorful that it almost takes your breath away.
Learning that a caterpillar comes out of a cocoon as a beautiful butterfly.
Having blueberry pancakes for breakfast when you expected cold cereal.
Receiving a letter from a friend.
Thinking about the size of a whale.
Receiving a gift that you didn't expect.
Knowing that your heart beats over 100,000 times a day. (1.)

To a child these things can seem like miracles. It was at the wedding at Cana that we traditionally say that Jesus performed his first miracle. But the Gospel of John treats it as a sign rather than a miracle. What’s the difference? A sign is a miracle whose meaning and significance is hidden. We know that this water into wine is a miracle and sign of the earliest manifestation of Jesus’ divine power over earthly matter – but the wedding guests, the steward, and the bride and groom did not.

Why does Jesus start out his ministry supplying wine for a party? Why not do something, well, a little more significant? Consider the situation: a first-century Jewish wedding in a village named Cana, just down the road from Nazareth.

Weddings there were an even bigger deal than they are now. There were no sports teams, television, movie theaters, or computer games. So weddings were the best things going for entertainment. And a wedding didn't last for a few hours. It went on for seven days –– seven days! –– and the entire community was invited. Wine was essential to these weddings.

And so the bridal couple ran out of wine in the middle of their wedding feast. Fifty years from now, when they celebrate their golden anniversary, people whispering, " They ran out of wine at their wedding!"

Mary notices when the last wine jug is emptied and tells Jesus to fix it. Jesus seems to be indifferent but Mary tells the wait staff to do whatever Jesus tells them to do. After all this woman has talked with an archangel and angels, seen the angles dance in the sky, been given gifts by exotic visitors from the East.)

When this joyous wedding celebration is about to crash into the brick wall of social disaster, Jesus acts. He tells the wait staff to fill with water a half dozen big stone jars and drag them over to the banquet manager. Curious about what's in the jars, the wine steward takes a sip. It's wine! Really good wine! Not the cheap jug sort that comes with a screw top, but the wine that appears on fancy menus at an outrageous price.

And isn’t it an odd way to launch a ministry? Or is it? First, what Jesus does is an act of compassion, meeting the needs of people where they are.

It also says something about the significance of marriage in the eyes of God. From the Book of Common Prayer marriage service: "The bond and covenant of marriage was established by God in creation, and our Lord Jesus Christ adorned this manner of life by his presence and first miracle at a wedding at Cana in Galilee." (BCP p. 423)

But there’s more. This story is a sign about life. Miracles happen. Signs of Jesus at work appear all around us. They happen whether or not we acknowledge them. They benefit us whether or not we notice them. Yet it's a joy to see these signs for what they are and believe in the one to whom they point.

What we think of as miracles are not weird exceptions to the orderly laws of the universe. They have the same origin as those laws. Indeed, they teach us the context of those laws. One commentator noted that "The miracles of Jesus were the ordinary works of his father, wrought small and swift that we might take them in."

And Saint Augustine: "He who made the wine that day at the marriage feast does this every year in vines. But we do not wonder at the latter because it happens every year; it has lost its marvel by its constant occurrence."

To grow in grace means to become increasingly aware that everything in life is a miracle, a sign pointing to Christ. As St. Basil says: "All the objects in the world are an invitation to faith, not unbelief." (2)

So, look closely, look carefully, and you will find the signs of Christ everywhere in the world. The best wine is all around us – we are awash in it.

AMEN


1. Lois Parker Edstrom, 2007, SermonWriter for Epiphany 2C 2007

2.. Charles Hoffacker, 2007, in SermonWriter for Epiphany 2C 2007