Loving God, you revealed your glory and your abundant life through Jesus your Son.  Grant us the vision to be able to see your power at work, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

            Mary was looking forward to seeing some of her relatives.  One of her cousins was getting married in Cana – not too far away from Nazareth – and Mary was going to help with the serving.  It was a beautiful ceremony and a joyous celebration.  However, after only a few days, they had already served the last of the wine.

         Mary knew the shame that would be heaped on the family if they were unable to fulfill their duty of hospitality.  She didn’t want to see this happen, so she appealed to the one person present who might be able to help – her son, Jesus.  Mary knew that people would look askance at her for going in where the men were seated, but she had to at least try.  And so, she went in and quietly let Jesus know that they had run out of wine.

         Jesus’ response can certainly be described as puzzling, as he seems to distance himself from the problem and says, “Mother!  What are you doing in here?”  “My hour has not yet come” (Jn. 2:4).  It is possible that at least part of his response was for the benefit of those sitting close to him.  However, Mary responds as if Jesus had just agreed to help them out.  She goes and makes sure that the servants know to do whatever Jesus tells them to do.

         This is when Jesus tells them to fill up the jars with water and then to draw some out and take it to the chief steward.  The steward takes a sip and is immediately surprised.  This is not water, but wine – and good wine, at that!  Where had this wine come from, and why had the bridegroom and his family saved it until now?  The servants, it seems (and, of course, Jesus and his mother), are the only ones who know where it came from.  Yet, the disciples who were with Jesus must have had an inkling as well, as they saw this sign and believed in him (Jn. 2:11).  And the gospel of John concludes, “Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory” (Jn. 2:11).

         So… for those of us who hear this story now, what are we to make of all this?  Is this an invitation for us to drink lots of good wine?  Is this a story that simply shows us that Jesus participated in family weddings?  Or, is this a symbolic sort of story that helps to reveal who Jesus really is?  As is often the case in the gospel of John, there could be a lot more going on than what meets the eye.

         Some hear this story and see a fulfillment of what Amos spoke about many years earlier.  Amos looked ahead to the time when the kingdom of David would be restored – what some have called the time of the Messiah.  In Amos’ description, this will be a time of abundance, particularly of grain and wine.  Amos writes, “the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it” (Am. 9:13).  Could it be that what happened at the wedding in Cana revealed that the Messiah had come?

         Some also hear this story and are reminded of Jesus’ role in creation.  An oft-repeated statement says that “the water saw its Creator and blushed” (workingpreacher.org).  We sometimes have trouble imagining Jesus’ role in creation, but the gospel of John insists that “all things came into being through him” (Jn. 1:3).

         Besides looking back to creation and to the prophet Amos, this story also points ahead in a number of different ways.  It points ahead to Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection.  It points ahead to the marriage feast of the Lamb in Revelation 19.  It points ahead to the sacrament of the altar and “the blood of Christ shed for you.”  It also makes a point of mentioning that the good wine had been kept until last.

         One has to wonder if this is a sign for all of us that the best is yet to come.  I am reminded of a story that circulated a number of years ago about wanting to be buried with a fork in your hand.  The idea came from keeping your fork for dessert – because the best is yet to come.  As corny as it may seem, there is truth in this story.

         However, perhaps the truth that speaks most clearly to our lives here and now is the abundant goodness of God that shows up in Cana of Galilee.  They go from having “no wine” to having far more than they could ever need.  It’s kind of like year-end in some churches. God’s abundance is always there, but we don’t always look to God for what is needed, or recognize where the abundance has come from.  Thanks be to God for the abundant life that continues to come through Jesus.  Amen.

Epiphany 1 (NL 4)                            John 2:1-11 (1:29-34)

January 9, 2021

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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