Kathryn Z. Johnston Searching for Sunday John 2:1-12 March 24, 2019 Communion Isaiah 25:6-10a Isaiah 25:6-10a On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-matured wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-matured wines strained clear. And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death for ever. Then 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, for the LORD has spoken. It will be said on that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation. For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain. John 2:1-12 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. This is the Word of the Lord Any time I read this story a new detail pops out at me. The Gospel of John opens with: A In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (1:1). From there we are introduced to a prophet named John who sees Jesus and proclaims to everyone around him that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (1:29). John testifies that he saw the Spirit of God descend from heaven like a dove, and remain on Jesus. He then tells his disciples to follow Jesus, and Jesus calls a couple of others, Philip and Nathanael, to follow him as well. That's chapter 1. A In the beginning 1 Searching for Sunday: Communion March 24, 2019
In Chapter two, seemingly out of nowhere, we re at a wedding in Cana B. You d think after a first chapter of The Word becoming flesh, and John the Baptist, and the Holy Spirit descending like a dove, and disciples being called that maybe the first line of the next chapter wouldn t be: On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Wait what? That de-escalated quickly. If we re only reading John, we have no frame of reference for who this woman is. There s no angel Gabriel or fiancé Joseph backstory. Verse 2 then gets around to mentioning that Jesus and his disciples are there as well. Verse 3 then is when the plot thickens, the tragedy happens: C When the wine gave out Whether we drink or not we ve all had those days when the wine gave out. When the exhaustion caught up... When the news overwhelmed When the sighs were deep My friend and colleague, Reverend Ellen Crawford True i wrote about a Kickstarter campaign she heard about a couple of years ago called D The Miracle Machine. Developed by experts in fields of wine and technology, this genius invention was designed to turn water into wine on your countertop just by adding a few ingredients. You choose your wine preferences, fruity or bold, dry or smooth, white or red and The Miracle Machine would turn water into wine in just three days. You could even follow the progress of your wine from an app on your phone. When the wine gave out The truth is that neither a counter-top winemaker or a quick trip to the state store are going to fix the problem. When the wine has completely given out when we are running on fumes a quick fix is not going to make the difference. I mean this literally, as we are only a few weeks out from a sermon on addiction, I also mean this metaphorically. E This story of the wedding at Cana is the first public revelation of who Jesus is, and it reads as though he gets pushed into it by his mom. 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. (2:3-5) Say what you want about being the Son of God, Messiah, Everlasting Counselor, The Prince of Peace. When your mother tells you to make some wine, you best make some wine. B Wedding Singer C Clay Jars D The Miracle Machine E Water into Wine 2 Searching for Sunday: Communion March 24, 2019
Jesus tells the servants to fill these huge jars with water, and they fill them to the brim. This in and of itself was a huge undertaking. It s not like there was a spigot on the side of the house. We have no idea how close the nearest water source was. Apparently miracles require a bit of work behind the scenes. Miracles don t just happen, or at least this one doesn t. Until it does. The jars overflow, thanks to the servants and suddenly there is an abundance of wine. I know I like to talk about the great banquet and the abundance of the feast. When we celebrate Communion by intinction, I hand out huge chunks of bread. What I really want to do is hand out those yummy, warm rolls from Texas Roadhouse and follow it all with a big meal potentially also from Texas Roadhouse. But I digress The details of abundance in this wedding story from Cana cannot be exaggerated 6 water jars, 20-30 gallons each, filled to the brim with the BEST WINE! Weddings went on for days they must have been well into it as the groom is chastised for bringing out the good wine now and this is a quote from the Gospel: after the guests have become drunk. ABUNDANCE! Instead of Franzia box merlot or Gallo jug Chablis there are gallons upon gallons FILLED TO THE BRIM of the very best wine! ABUNDANCE! Friends Where have you experienced this kind of grace? Maybe it s the spouse who carries the load while you get your feet back under you. Maybe it s the friend who seems to always find the funniest cards. Maybe it s the church member who drops off dinner and enough for left overs the next day. Remember that kickstarter, wine-making project I was telling you about earlier The Miracle Machine? Well, the entire thing ended up being a hoax. F..play video: https://vimeo.com/88846743... The press release said: Internet sensation the Miracle Machine, the first affordable wine making device for the home, is not a real device it is just a piece of wood. The fictitious miracle, fronted by wine entrepreneurs Kevin Boyer and Philip James of CustomVine, has generated extensive media coverage around the world since its unveiling nearly two weeks ago. The disruptive program concept was initiated as a pro-bono campaign to support notfor-profit Wine to Water, an organization that provides people around the world with access to clean water, one of life s basic necessities. G Those guys may have disappointed folks who forgot that it is quicker to walk to the store, than wait for a machine to make wine in three days BUT what they were really interested in was making an every day, life-restoring miracle. F VIDEO G Wine to Water 3 Searching for Sunday: Communion March 24, 2019
Their fundraiser raised $200,000, and overall the Wine to Water Project ii has provided clean water to over 800,000 people in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, East Africa, Nepal, southeast Asia, and other regions. All of that begun by a bartender, who figured there was something that could be done about the world s water crisis. Only a few at that wedding know what Jesus does, but for the ones who are in the know, their lives are never the same. Soon he ll be turning the tables, healing the sick, and disrupting the entire world. It will taste like the very best wine. It will sound like the laughter of one who has been healed. It will smell like fish cooked over a campfire and freshly baked bread. It will look like the kingdom of God. And it will feel like home. And along the way when it looks like the wine might give out again, Jesus will still find a way to show up and work a miracle in some old clay jars or maybe even in the passing of a plate filled with chunks of bread and tiny cups the body of Christ broken for you the cup of salvation poured out for you. Now that s some kind of grace. Right here, on our own pew, in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania of all places God is saying, I m throwing a banquet, and all these mismatched, messed-up people are invited. Here, have some wine. In the name of the Creator, the Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. 4 Searching for Sunday: Communion March 24, 2019
A B C D E F H i Some of the flow and ideas for this sermon come from a sermon by the Reverend Ellen Crawford True. John 2:1-12. The Well 2017, Richmond, VA. ii https://www.winetowater.org/ 5 Searching for Sunday: Communion March 24, 2019