The Sermon Text —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.

When pastors get together for a social evening they often begin to share "Favorite wedding stories." Nearly everyone participates, and there are some dandy tales to be told. There is the story of the groom who dropped the bride’s ring which fell through the cold air return that was next to the altar. The congregation heard the ring clanging as it made it merry way toward the furnace. The pastor borrowed a ring from one of the attendants and the service continued. At the reception the original ring, retrieved by a furnace repairman, ceremonially replaced the borrowed ring.

Most of the stories have to do with people who are late, items that were forgotten (in one case the bride left her shoes at her home ten miles away. The problem was solved by the entire party going bare-foot down the aisle). There are frightening stories of grooms who faint, perfectly wonderful women who morph into ‘bridezilla’s mom’ as they try to manipulate everyone, including their daughter, to make the perfect wedding.

Is it possible that the story we just read out of John’s gospel was first told by Peter or another disciple as they sat around a campfire one night trying to top the other in telling tales about Jesus? "Did you hear about the wedding that ran out of wine?" they might have begun.

Weddings were often multi-day events in the first century. Running out of wine was a most embarrassing experience for the parents. Somehow Mary, the mother of Jesus got involved and said to him, "They have no wine." How is that for a mother’s approach? It compares to other favorite command-less demands placed on an adult child by their mom. "Your room is a mess." "The garbage is almost overflowing." "If the grass gets any longer we’re going to have to buy a goat."

When Jesus protested that it was not the right time for him his mother never replied directly. Instead she spoke to the servants: "Do whatever he tells you," she said. Which, when you come to think of it, is the key to the Christian ethical life. Doing what he tells us is what all who claim to be followers ought to do.

In this case the instructions were brief. Standing near-by were some old pots, used to store water for ceremonial cleansing. In what seems to be a change of heart, Jesus told the servants to fill the six twenty to thirty gallon containers with water. They did. He then told them to draw some out and take it to the host. Again, he did what he told them, and the host said, "Wow! This is a lot better than the wine we served earlier."

Like every good story you normally find the key to a Biblical story at the end. Some may refer to it as "the punch line." This story is no exception. The storyteller finishes by saying: "Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him."

A sign. One scholar says a sign is similar to a clue used in a treasure hunt. So this is a clue to help us figure out who Jesus is and what he is about. The clue says that one of the places Jesus meets us, that God touches us, is in a wedding, at a party. The clue helps us understand Jesus. Under-standing Jesus helps us understand God.

There are six other clues or signs in John’s gospel. The clues are events that tell us that God is not way up in the clouds. God is not separated from us. God is near. God is involved in the world he created and with the people he loves. "The kingdom of God is at hand," Jesus says. Better yet, these stories suggest that heaven and earth frequently overlap and interlock. The key is to understand the clues and be able to identify those places where heaven touches earth, where God touches us.

The Bible is a record of many such encounters. In the New Testament we see God healing people –raising Lazarus, feeding hungry people who have nothing to eat. Many of the clues are miraculous events that startle us.

But some of the moments are rather ordinary. Elijah discovers that heaven intersects with earth in the most ordinary way imaginable. He ran and hid from his enemies on a mountain. First there was an earthquake, then a tornado and finally a fire. God was not to be experienced in any of these. Finally, there was a quiet voice that spoke. God was in the voice. Moses had a major encounter with God, not in church, but while climbing a mountain. Suddenly he realized he was on holy ground. It was an experience with the numinous, the holy. It was a place where heaven and earth intersected.

Years ago a friend and I traveled to Glacier National Park where we drove to Logan Pass and then hiked along the Continental Divide toward the Granite Park Chalet. That night, standing near our tents, we stood looking out to the north and the west and watched the clouds roll past us. The stars were so close that we thought we could reach out and touch them. One of us began to recite Psalm 8, "O Lord, our Lord how majestic is thy name in all the earth.."Soon we were saying: "When I look at the heavens, the work of your hands, the sun and the moon which you established, what are humans that you notice us, mere humans that you care for us." Both of us look back at that moment as one when heaven touched earth and God touched us.

Recently a man said, "As I was holding my infant son I knew that I had a miracle in my hands." It was a moment when heaven touched earth. Perhaps that has happened to you when you walked in the woods, or stood looking at an ocean. It could have taken place at a concert, or while you were praying in your bedroom. My first extraordinary experience with God was at a Bible camp when I was 18. These sacramental moments, when you discover that heaven indeed intersects with earth can take place when you are in love or when you have just been healed, or when you have been the recipient or giver of a great kindness.

Or it can happen in worship – during a sermon, singing a hymn, or receiving the body of Christ.

John’s gospel tells us that it happened at a wedding when they ran out of wine. Jesus used six large stone jars that held the water used for the rite of purification. As you know, Jesus wasn’t too keen on these kinds of ceremonies. They appeared to be hoops people had created for others to jump through. Jesus didn’t require his disciples to wash their hands ceremonially. So it is interesting that he used the old to do a new thing, storing new wine.

I grew up in a church that talked about the evils of drink nearly every Sunday. Nearly every Sunday they talked about temperance, which means a moderate use of alcohol, though they really meant abstinence. The anti-drink movement produced a number of stories, including this one.

Lena did her best to convince her pastor that he ought to preach frequently about the evils of all forms of alcoholic drink. Time after time she would say to him, "You must tell the people that drink is the devil’s tool."

One day she nailed the pastor after the service and again demanded that he give more time in his sermons to the evils of alcohol. In desperation the pastor said, "But Lena, Jesus himself turned water into wine."

They didn’t like it during his life time either. The sour- faced crowd has always attempted to drain the joy out of religious faith and make it dull and serious. They didn’t like the fact that Jesus loved to party. As your read through the New Testament it is clear that Tony Campolo has it right when he says, "The Kingdom of God is a party!" It is a responsible party, but there is a sense of joy and celebration involved.

For the people in this story the wedding became an occasion to witness the glory of Jesus. They got to see him in action. The result was a terrific experience, an experience where heaven and earth came together. It was an ordinary event, something that we do many times in our lives. The key is to keep our eyes open. To be alert. God’s fingerprints are all over his world. How do we prepare ourselves to see those fingerprints? We start with the words of Mary: Do what he tells you. Where do we start? By doing something for someone who has no way of repaying us. By forgiving someone, caring for someone. Mostly it takes place when we love one another.

One of my favorite stories speaks to this.

May your love turn your home, your work place and the place where you play into a place of love, a holy place, this week. Amen

© 2007