John 2:1-11 / Epiphany 2

01/16/21 | Sermon on John 2:1-11 | by Andrew F. Weisner |

John 2:1-11

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. ²Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. ³When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ ⁴And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.’ ⁵His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ ⁶Now standing there were six stone water-jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. ⁷Jesus said to them, ‘Fill the jars with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim. ⁸He said to them, ‘Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.’ So they took it. ⁹When 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 ¹⁰and 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.’ ¹¹Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

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Homily

The hymn Songs of Thankfulness and Praise (often sung to the tune „Salzburg“), with its text by the 19th century British Churchman Christopher Wordsworth (1807-85), memorably expresses themes and scriptural texts familiar at this time of the Church year. On the feast of the Epiphany („Theophany“ in the eastern Church) and days following, these events and stories related to the life of Christ receive emphasis…

…The Star that guided the Wise Men to the child Jesus; the baptism of Jesus, in the early Church, was celebrated Epiphany day. Also celebrated on Epiphany Day in ages past: Jesus’ first miracle, his changing water into wine at a wedding at Cana, recorded in St. John’s gospel. All of these were (are) signs, manifestations, of Jesus’ divinity, i.e., the presence of God with, and in, this human being, Jesus. What used to be celebrated on a single day, the church now celebrates and stretches out through the nativity and Epiphany seasons.

Wordsworth’s fine hymn text for this time of year calls upon us to thank and praise God, and reminds us of the manifestation of God’s presence among us in Christ.

Songs of Thankfulness and Praise, Jesus, Lord, to thee we raise.

“Manifested by a star to the sages from afar.” A-HA! See? There’s the star and the Wise Men. – Next verse:

Manifest at Jordan’s stream, prophet, priest, and king supreme. – See? “…at Jordan’s stream” – there’s Jesus’ baptism at the River Jordan! The verse continues:

And at Cana, wedding guest, in thy God-head manifest. Manifest in power divine, changing water into wine; anthems be to thee addressed: God in flesh made manifest!

Right there, in 2 verses!: THREE major themes for this season: the star, which designated something very special by its guiding, in this case, designating the presence of divinity, leading to Jesus, and then the adoration by the Magi/Wise Men, „sages from afar“. At the baptism of Jesus: God the Father’s voice from heaven, announcing Jesus as his Son, and the appearance of the dove. Then Jesus, himself, displaying his power and control over nature, quietly changing water into wine, without attracting much attention to himself, but nonetheless showing to a few people his divine power, that his presence is the presence of God.

These three events all point to a particular theme and truth: Incarnation, “in flesh,” in humanity; instances of a message near the very end of the Bible, from St. John’s Revelation chapter 21:3, which, in this one sentence, is a summary of a major message of the Bible: “Behold, God lives among human beings, he makes his home among them.”

God, the almighty, creator God, can be – is! – among us, in the world, present among human beings, and we realize it when we have the eyes of faith to see his presence. God’s presence is symbolized and actual in the birth, life, and even death of Jesus of Nazareth. Those who were willing to see, could see, that in the presence of this man, Jesus, the God and author of the universe and history  was present.

Furthermore, along with that message: our humanness, our flesh, blood, thoughts, feelings, emotions, and even vulnerability (even our weaknesses), are not “merely” humanness, but are also, potentially, „vehicles,“ means for the presence of God, because God assumes, God takes on, flesh and humanness. God the creator, in Jesus, in a stable, took on flesh and blood and „baby-ness,“  and made it the presence of God.

And what we see in this changing water into wine: Jesus, the presence of God among us, can take an element of nature, water, and change it, make the substance and the event of the change something for God’s own purposes. “Water changed to wine” becomes a story that travels through the centuries, a symbol, of God’s presence and power through Jesus. And it is a foreshadowing (a symbol, an indication) of what happens with and to us: simple elements of nature – our humanness, our flesh and blood – become transformed, changed, into the presence of God in this world; that you can be – sometimes, indeed, undoubtedly, you are – the presence of God for others. YOU, by God’s grace and power – by the same power that changed water into wine – you, have been transformed to be (and are) the presence of Christ for others.

And how does such a transformation (your own transformation and change) take place? One of them: through simple elements of nature, bread and wine, changed, transformed, to be for you, for us, the very presence, the body and blood, of Christ.

Amen: Come, Lord Jesus.

The Rev. Andrew F. Weisner,

The North American Lutheran Church (NALC)

Antioch Lutheran Church, Dallas, North Carolina