The Second Sunday after Epiphany | 19.01.2025 | John 2:1–11 | Beth A. Schlegel |

 Text English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles (or other version):

^{1 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”}

^{6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. 9 When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” 11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.}

JESUS BUILDS HIS CHURCH …WITH PEOPLE, NOT STONES

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Some years back, the youth group went on a mission trip to Hurricane, WV. We stayed in a high school, sleeping in the classrooms and eating in the cafeteria.

One rainy night, we were called out of our rooms by a fire alarm to gather out in the front parking lot.

The fire company could find no evidence of fire, so we went back to bed.

Two more times that night, the fire alarm called us out of our rooms to gather in front of the building.

It so happened, that this high school had a flat roof, and water was getting into the wiring of the fire system, setting off the alarms.

Three times that night, we were called out of our separate spaces to gather together to await news.

In the Bible, the word “church”, ecclesia, means those called out into an assembly to hear a message.

This Week of Prayer for Christian Unity begins with the confession of Peter in Matthew 16.

Then Jesus asked [the disciples], “And who do you say I am?”¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”¹⁷ Jesus answered, “You are blessed, Simon son of Jonah, because no person taught you that. My Father in heaven showed you who I am. ¹⁸ So I tell you, you are Peter. On this rock I will build my church, and the power of death will not be able to defeat it. NCV

Jesus, the Christ, Son of the living God, builds his church by calling people out of their unbelief into faith in him.

He calls people out from their separate spaces into a public assembly to hear what the living God has to say.

Jesus builds his church in multitudes that are taught and fed from 5 loaves and 2 fishes – and in a small gathering at a centurion’s home where he raises a dead girl to new life.

Jesus builds his church from among his own Jewish people gathered in synagogue, where he announces that the Spirit of God is upon him to preach God’s good news, free those in captivity, give sight to the blind, and bring justice to those who have been treated unfairly.

And he builds his church from among foreigners and Gentiles such as the Samaritan woman and the Roman soldier.

Jesus himself is the focal point for the gathering of those whom he calls out from the masses of unbelief into faith in him as Lord and Savior.

He is the news which we await; the message from God we long for.

And that Word, that news, that divine message is conveyed not only by what Jesus speaks, but also by what he does.

So today, we – with Christians around the globe – have been called out as the church of Jesus Christ – to hear a story of something Jesus did.

John the Good News Storyteller has shaped this story to increase faith in those who hear. So he begins…

On the third day…

Now, John wants us to immediately think: on the third day, Jesus rose from the dead.

This is a story of the new life Jesus brings – God’s promised new creation that has begun with Jesus.

Three days ago, in John’s Gospel, Jesus was baptized and identified as the Son of the Father. His baptism was not just of water, but water and the Holy Spirit – and was a baptism into death.

Now, on the third day, Jesus is at a wedding.

Weddings are big deals – then as now.

Often, God speaks of his own people as his bride, as in our first reading from Isaiah 62:1–5:

You will be called the People God Loves,
and your land will be called the Bride of God,
because the Lord loves you.
…As a man rejoices over his new wife,
so your God will rejoice over you. NCV

Jesus builds his church at this wedding, for which the whole community is called out to celebrate the union of bride and groom.

God’s new creation begun in Jesus becomes visible in the filling of what was empty and the giving of abundance where there was nothing.

The wine had run out.

We don’t know why – did the bridegroom not plan well enough? Was his family too poor? Did they invite too many guests? Were the guests greedy drunkards?

We don’t know and Jesus didn’t care about the why. He cared about the people gathered for this festive occasion.

He cared about showing them that God’s love and mercy are greater than human limits.

So he had empty water jars filled with water which when served, became wine – the best wine – and more than they could ever finish.

On the third day… the wedding was resurrected by the risen Lord Jesus.

On the third day… people experienced the new and abundant life God had long promised.

They began to join Peter in confessing Jesus as indeed the Messiah, the Son of the living God, who delights in us as his beloved spouse.

And so, Jesus continues to build his church with people he calls out from unbelief to faith in him and the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Turn now to someone near you, or if you are alone, look in the mirror, and say to them, “Jesus delights in you.”

Jesus delights in us.

And he gathers us at this foretaste of the heavenly marriage feast to show us how far his love goes – that he gives his life for us – and changes bread and wine into his body and blood so that his death becomes our death and his life becomes our life.

We have been called out from our unbelief into this gathering of faith to hear the Good News of our forgiveness, our redemption, our deliverance, our new life in union with Jesus, Son of the living God.

Let us live this new life, reveling in the abundance of tender mercy and grace he shows us.

In the name of the Father, and of the +Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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© The Rev. Beth A. Schlegel

Pastorschlegel@live.com

St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, York PA, USA

Christ Lutheran Church, Manchester PA, USA