John 2:1-11
This Sunday’s gospel is more than a story about a good time at a wedding reception. Jesus, his disciples, his mother, and others are gathered for the party. However, in this good time story, there is a problem too. For some reason, the party planner at this wedding misjudged the amount of wine required. Did more people show up than sent in their RSVP cards? Did they party a little harder than usual? Were the servers helping themselves as they served? We aren’t told why there is no wine left, just simply that there is a need for more.
Today, we might talk about “saving face,” or “keeping up appearances,” both concepts which would have been of extreme importance in Jesus’ day, and sadly still can be. For the host to run short of provision would have been an embarrassing social faux pas. It would have reflected poorly on their ability, their status, their family and their household. We might not fully ascribe our confessional language (being captive or in bondage to sin and unable to free ourselves) to this host for their lack of party planning, but they are in a bind, and they are in need.
"...the wine is not like the cheap bottles from the discount grocery store, it is the good stuff you might ship home after your winery tour."
At first, Jesus is cautious. When his mother wants him to do something about the wine shortage, he shies away, reminding her that his hour has not yet come. After all, he is just a guest at this event, not the host. “Mom, just let me hide in the corner,” he seems to be saying. Perhaps this is a Jesus-as-introvert moment with which some of us might identify. Still, the stewards are summoned, the water jars filled to their brims, and Jesus transforms that which was problematic into that which is abundant and even exceeds expectations as the wine is not like the cheap bottles from the discount grocery store, it is the good stuff you might ship home after your winery tour.
The sign-performer Jesus shows us at Cana that cups overflow, water becomes wine, gifts abound, life trumps death, and with grace upon grace God showers us all with love. From the very beginning of his public ministry, Jesus is transforming the tangible as signs of who he is and was and will be forevermore.
This event might remind us of Martin Luther’s explanation of the first article of the Apostles’ Creed, that “God daily and abundantly provides shoes and clothing, food and drink, house and farm, spouse and children, fields, livestock, and all property; along with all the necessities and nourishment for this body and life.” Our God is a God of provision and protection and preservation. Digging into Luther's explanation is always a wise move.
The water into wine at the Cana wedding reminds us that our God is a God of provision whose love and grace go beyond our greatest imagination. It not just about Jesus keeping the party going in this story, but about God revealed in Jesus providing abundantly and extravagantly. It’s about God providing love and forgiveness and truth and peace and community and hope for all.
PASTOR KELLY FAULSTICH serves as Pastor at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Chicago, Illinois. Before that she served as Pastor at Emmanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church in Warren, Ohio and as Associate Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in River Forest, Illinois. She grew up in the western suburbs of Chicago and attended Valparaiso University receiving degrees in English, education, and theology. Pr. Faulstich received her MDiv from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago where she served as student assistant to the Dean of the Chapel under Mark Bangert. She also received her DMin in preaching from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.
Comments