Isaiah 62:1-5
1 Corinthians 12:1-11
John 2:1-11
Psalm 96 or 96:1-10
Is there a wedding that stands out in your mind as memorable--one that had a particular ring of sincerity or happiness to it? One that was well organized with everything going smoothly? Sometimes it's the love and sincerity of the bride and groom that shines through. Other times it's the feeling of love and togetherness that exudes from the family.
Weddings are happy times and I remember fondly my two daughters' weddings -- Alison who was married in May of 2000 and Megan who got married in September of 2001.
Each wedding was very different from the other one reflecting each girl's preferences and likes. Alison's was a bigger wedding having been married in St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral in Minneapolis. Megan's wedding was a very small and intimate one being married in the Gayle Mansion in Minneapolis.
There are many books written about wedding etiquette. In fact, you know it's an industry in itself bringing in millions of dollars to caterers, musicians, florists and wedding planners, to name a few.
There are rules and guidelines about dress, toasts, and sharing of expenses. It all comes with heavy costs too as those of you know who have married off sons and daughters. There are rights things to say in toasts and things not to say--there are suggestions as to how to deal with divorced couples, blended families and I could go on and on.
In today's Gospel, we find Jesus at a wedding in Cana of Galilee. It seemed to be a small town wedding. Picture yourself there. His disciples are there with him as well as his mother, Mary. In those days where there was very little entertainment, weddings were occasions for the whole village to meet together socially. In the Middle East where Jesus grew up, weddings usually lasted for a week or more since people came from long distances.
Experts on the social customs of that day and era tell us that running out of wine was a major social "boo-boo--a big faux pas." It wasn't just a minor social inconvenience. It would be comparable to inviting people to a late afternoon or early morning wedding and running out of food half way through the festivities. It might also be comparable to having the food served to one's guests burned or later, the food causing ones' guests severe illnesses.
The family is running out of wine. This is the predicament that Mary senses. If something isn't done about it, this family would be ridiculed and remembered as the family which ran out of wine! The bride and groom would never live it down!
Mary asks Jesus to help when she says, "They have no wine." Jesus at first seems indifferent but after his response his mother tells the servants to do what Jesus tells them. Jesus performs his first miracle--his first sign. It's called the "Sign of Cana."
What does all this mean for you and me in January 2004 in Little Falls, Minnesota?
In the Bible, wine, because of all that it symbolizes, is one of God's most precious gifts. "It gladdens hearts" and that of God himself. It is a blessing from heaven. It eases the curse that lies over earth and the labor that goes with tilling the soil.
On the religious level, wine has special significance. Its look evokes the great punishments that God reserves for those who offend him. On the other hand, its abundance suggests the happiness and joy of the messianic age.
Jesus didn't have to perform this miracle but he did it because of the needs of those around him. He did it out of love and concern for everyone at the wedding celebration. Jesus spent his life on earth for the sake of others. He didn't change water into wine to satisfy his own ego.
What about us? Do we use our gifts for the service of others? And each of us has gifts-- because as was read in today's Epistle--there are varieties of gifts but the same Spirit and varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities but it is the same God who activates all of them in us, in everyone.
Perhaps you have the gift of being a good listener; a good musician; a good speaker with words; good with food preparation, baking; good with young people; good with older people; good with typing; good with figures; good with computers; good with embroidery; good with organizing; good to greet people, make them feel at home. Are you using your gifts for ministry in our Total Ministry parish or are you thinking--"Oh, well, the team can do most of it now."
And don't say-- you have no gifts! Everyone has talents, gifts and skills they can use in the ministry of the church. Pray to know these gifts, pray this week to recognize and use these gifts in God's service. That's your charge this week--identify one gift you have and then figure out how you will use it in the church to help others.
The "Sign of Cana" is not merely a nice cozy story from Jesus' life recounting one day when he happened to be at a wedding. It is a revelation of the glory of Christ, which is the source and object of our faith, as well as an invitation to contemplate the glory of the Lord throughout this Epiphany season.
Won't you let Jesus turn your life from water into wine? When you take wine at communion, ask him, the eternal bridegroom, to affirm your gifts and make you one with Him as you do his work in the world. Ask for the blood of Christ to inebriate you with his love. For "you shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord and a royal diadem in the hand of your God."
Amen.