Wine and Signs

Here is the text of the sermon I delivered at Dobbs Ferry (NY) Lutheran Church on January 17, 2010.

Lord,

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, for you are my Rock and my Redeemer. AMEN

I saw a report on the TODAY show two weeks ago about how to save money and be frugal in the New Year. One of the recommendations was for couples who are looking to get married is to consider a January wedding, instead of a spring or a summer wedding. The cost of reception halls are considerably cheaper in Mid January then say June or July, at the height of the wedding season. So I found it interesting, a sign maybe, that the today’s Gospel story is that of a wedding in Cana.

Who would have known that nearly two thousand years later that the lectionary’s lesson would be so appropriate, in the placement of one of the most famous wedding stories to be told in the middle of January?

The writer of John lets us be a witness to a wedding where Jesus begins his ministry by performing what is called his first miracle. We are brought to the wedding on its third day and we know that Mary, Jesus, and his disciples had been invited to share in this celebration.

Now, in biblical time life was simple, but weddings were not.

Weddings tended to be a week-long celebration and were an event for the entire community. So, this being the third day, we are reaching the half-way point. I guess in a modern wedding we are looking at the about the end of cocktail hour and the meal is about to be served, when the unthinkable happens; “Dude, we are running out of wine.”

Now it does not take a theologian to realize that this could be an issue. Today’s weddings typically involve wine and spirits. The free flowing of them tends to be a sign of good time and a successful celebration for the happy couple. In biblical time the water often was not safe to drink, so wine was the drink of choice. The wine would typically be diluted and would be the only liquid refreshments being served.

So running out of it would be a major fau pax.

If the wine did run out, it would definitely be the way THIS wedding would be remembered. The couple’s 50^th wedding anniversary would still carry the shame of; “Remember when they ran out of Wine at their wedding?!?”

To go even further in ancient Near Eastern law there was an element of reciprocity. It was a legal responsibility or requirement to provide an appropriate wedding gift to a couple when attending these extravagant affairs.

So, in theory, the bride & groom might even be financially liable for not providing adequately for their guests during this week-long celebration. Running out of wine was just not an acceptable situation. This had the makings of a major issue for our couple.

The wedding was in Cana, about ten miles north of Nazareth. We are never told who was getting married, but we can gather from the fact that Mary and Jesus had been invited to this wedding, that it was probably a blood relative or very close friend of Mary and Jesus. Ten miles by foot is a big deal to travel in these times.

We are not told that Mary was actually involved in the organizing of the wedding, but we do get the feeling that she wants to make sure things are done right. So when she learns of the situation of limited vino, she looks for a solution. Turning to Jesus she tells him; “They have no more wine.”

Now, I know if my mom told me at my cousin’s wedding that there was no more liquor my first reaction would have been; “What do you expect me to do about it?”

It is not like Jesus owned the local vineyard and could have jugs or wine delivered. Or was it?

How often have we wished that we could order God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, to do what we want God to do? Mary, being the mother of Jesus, knew something. I guess those conversations with the arc angel and believing that God had great plans for her son did give her some insight into what Jesus was capable of doing. Yet Jesus seemed reluctant, and states that his time has not yet come.

But Mary, his mother, like many mothers, has faith in her son, and believes that Jesus will be able to address the situation and she instructs the servants to; “Do what he tells you.”

Mary shows us, as believers in Christ, that we need to have faith and confidence that Jesus has the power to act and react to the events and difficulties that we face in our lives.

Mary’s faith and confidence reminds us to give the Holy Spirit the freedom to act.

Mary’s faith and confidence reminds us that God can provide beyond our understanding.

We can trust God; the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, We can trust in God’s remarkable ability to react to the events that affect our lives.

Now my wife Nicole can attest that if our sons Camden and Casey (and our daughter Caroline as well,) are told that the playroom is messy their typical response would be; “But Mom…”

Likewise, if they would begin cleaning the room without being told specifically what they were suppose to do we would consider this a miracle.

While they are children of God, they are still my sons, and like their dad, they do require … directions. Fortunately for Mary, the Son of God knew what needed to be done, and we witness, through the Gospel, how his ministry would begin.

The narrator of this Gospel tells us Jesus instructs the servants to fill 6 large jars with water. Now each of these jugs could hold about between 25 to 30 gallons, so we are talking about over 150 gallons of water that Jesus would turn into the finest of wines. This will be more than enough wine to satisfy the needs of the celebration.

Jesus then instructs one of the servants to fill a cup from the one of the jars and bring it to the person in charge to taste. Now wouldn’t you be worried being the waiter bringing a cup of what was just water to the person in charge to taste?!?

Our man in charge, who most likely was a prominate member of the family or the community, has no clue what was happening.

No clue that there was no more wine. No clue about the water that was in jugs. And, after tasting the cup brought to him, he now thinks that the Groom, who was responsible for supplying the wine, has no clue!

He questions our nameless groom why the best wine was being served after everyone has already had the lesser wine. It was customary for the best to be served first while the taste buds were freshest.

What is not custom is to have Jesus Christ being an impromptu wine steward at your wedding.

What is not custom is to be a witness to the first sign of Jesus giving all those who gather this new wine of grace, truth, and love that can come only from the Glory of God.

This first time only a select few were full witnesses of the Power of his Glory. Only a select few knew what had just happened.

Now, we look for miracles. Often in times of tragedy we look for them the most. A year ago Friday there was “The Miracle on The Hudson” when US Airways Flight 1549’s jet landed in the icy river without a loss of life. And today we continue to hold out hope of witnessing more miracles in Haiti as those who are missing may continue to be found among the rubble from the recent earthquake and aftershocks. We look for Miracles, but are they what we should be looking for?

This story is often referred to as a miracle; the turning of water into wine. The beloved King James Version’s 11th verse reads:

This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; (John 2:11 KJV)

As a Seminarian student I have been given the daunting task of looking at the original Greek text. The original text does not call it a miracle, the text uses the Greek word shmeiovn (sem-eion) which is translated as sign.

Look again at our text again. Verse 11 says:

Jesus did this, the first of his signs, (John 2:11 NRS)

Think about it, what are signs?

Signs direct us, and point us to things.

The signs themselves are not what are important. The wine is not what was important. The wine was consumed by those at the wedding who only recognized it for its superior quality not for its miraculous production. It is what Jesus is capable of doing that is what is important.

It is what the signs show us, what signs tell us, and what signs direct us to … that matter.

There are signs in our lives all the time. We follow them and recognize them many times without being conscious of what the signs are telling us.

But what if you miss a sign?

What if you miss the sign reminding you to exit here?

The sign telling you the speed limit is now 25 miles per hour?

Or that sign that said next rest area 56 miles?

It doesn’t have to be when we travel.

There are signs telling us of some great deal in our stores or that sign that was to remind us that the bank branch will be closed tomorrow in observance of Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday.

Then there are those subtle sign like a runny nose or a slight fever when we start to get sick. Or the signs that our friends and family give off when they need a hug or a kiss, or just need us to be with them.

When we miss a sign, we miss opportunities to be a witness to the Glory of God. Yet we are still graced with being able to partake in the drinking of the Wine of Abundance that Jesus Christ gives to all that attend the banquet of life.

Those at the wedding were not aware of the sign that had just appeared, yet they were able to share in the Glory that was the wine that Jesus had provided.

Likewise the children today witnessed signs earlier. They witnessed signs HERE pointing to the Glory of God, and like the guests at the wedding you may not have witnessed the sign, but you still graced with the message these signs are pointing us towards.

Chapters 2 thru 12 in the Gospel of John are often called the Books of Signs, because in them Jesus performs signs that reveal his Glory. Jesus will go on to heal the son of a Canaan city official, heal a sick man, feed five thousand people, walk on water, heal a blind man and raise Lazarus from the dead. All are signs pointing to the fact that he is the Son of God. All these signs are witnessed by many and points to the Glory of God that is in him, through him and from him. All the Glory of God is revealed to all that believe.

Yet this first sign, the turning of water into wine, was witnessed by a just a select few; his mother, the servants, his disciples, and us as witnesses of the Message.

We as believers in Christ get to witness through the scriptures all the signs of his Glory, from his birth, his baptism, and now we have witnessed the beginning of his ministry. As we move forward we will witness once again his suffering, his dying, his death, his resurrection, and all the signs of his everlasting life. As Christians we continue to look for the signs that remind us of the Glory of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen