Rev. Cari Pattison

Woodstock Reformed Church

Sunday, January 16, 2022

“Need a Real Miracle?”

John 2:1-11

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." 

And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." 

Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, "Fill the jars with water." And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, "Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward." So they took it. 

When 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 and 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." 

Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

***

I once preached on this passage for a wedding of a couple in their 70’s. They were delightfully in love, and it was her 2nd marriage and his 3rd. So I did this whole riff on how “You’ve saved the best for last.”

The bride and groom loved the whole message, and I was pretty proud of it, too, that is, until the reception, when the adult children of their previous marriages came up to me and said, “Yeah, about that whole ‘saving the best for last thing,’ what are you saying about my mom? And my dad?”

[grimace]

I vowed to never preach on this passage again.

Yet here we are.

***

We don’t know whose wedding this was- there’s no mention of the bride or groom. And we don’t even know where Cana was- scholars and historians still debate the whereabouts of this little village in Galilee, named only twice in John’s Gospel. In fact, John is the only one of the 4 Gospel writers who mentions this story.

But I’m so glad he does. Because who doesn’t love a good wedding? As a pastor I’ve had the honor of officiating over 40 weddings, and it’s one of my favorite things- not just because I love a good love story, but because so much that we do in ministry can feel serious. But at a wedding reception, after the ceremony’s done, you get to cue up the DJ, clink the champagne, hit the buffet line, head for the dance floor, and have some real, free-of-charge fun.

So I love that Jesus first miracle- his supernatural debut, if you will- is to make a fun wedding, more fun.

But first, there’s a problem.

The hosts have run out of wine.

To run out of wine at a wedding in first-century Palestine would’ve been embarrassing to say the least. Hospitality is everything in the middle east, and these weddings could last up to a week, with hundreds of people.

The caterer for the party would be beside himself. How did this happen? What are we going to do?

***

I wonder if you know the feeling- of running out of something you desperately need:

The money to pay those tuition bills, medical bills, or outstanding debts…

The treatments to help fight that cancer, heart failure, or dementia…

The time and money to go down and visit that loved one before it’s too late…

I wonder if you know the feeling that you’re running out of options-

To find meaningful work, a loving relationship, or a way to help your child or spouse who’s struggling.

In 21st century America, especially in the Northeast, we can sense this scarcity mentality in churches, too. What do we do when going to church has long since ceased to be the norm? What do we have to offer, when so much of the cultural steam for religion has run out?

Sometimes we can’t even name the source of lack- but something inside us is empty. We just don’t have the energy, the confidence, the hope we once had.

So many people I know have expressed that winter can be a time of particular challenge on that front- the clouds and cold and barrenness outside, can exacerbate a feeling of gray despair and aloneness inside.

Anybody else need a miracle lately?

Not a miracle of parting the Red Sea, but a miracle of parting the waters in life that feel impassable?

A miracle of restoring what’s run dry?

***

I imagine the steward at the wedding that day in Cana wishing for a miracle, searching frantically for how to get more wine, sending people into all the surrounding vineyards.

But Mary takes a different tack. She goes straight to her son and says, “Hey Jesus- they’re out of wine.”

She doesn’t tell him to do anything. She doesn’t ask him any questions. She just states the need.

Now this is only chapter 2, and so far in John’s Gospel, we’ve only had the calling of the disciples and the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan. No miracles. No loaves and fishes. No walking on water.

But Mary knows some things.

In Jesus’ 30 years of life up till now, Mary’s seen some things.

She knows her son. She knows what he’s capable of.

Some of you who are mothers- and maybe fathers too- know what it is to spot potential in your children, sometimes long before they do. Maybe you saw your son’s aptitude for art, your daughter’s gift for building, your rebel child’s ability to see things a different way.

Mary knows her son. And it is her feminine maternal initiative- that little tap on the shoulder- that sets the whole miracle in motion: “Hey Jesus- it’s time.”

***

I was thinking about mothers and sons lately, when my brothers and I put together a book for my mom’s 70th birthday. We wrote our own notes to my mother and compiled short notes from over 40 other friends and relatives as well. But one thing my youngest brother Joe wrote, really struck me.

Joe is a successful engineer, identified as an emerging leader in his company- the same firm my dad worked for, for over 30 years. But here’s what Joe writes in the book:

“It would be easy for someone to think that I became an engineer because of Dad. And while there is some truth to that, the whole truth is that I never would have been without Mom. Growing up, Mom spent an entire summer drilling me on flash cards when my grades in math were poor as a 3rd grader. She signed me up for Math Club when I was in 6th grade despite my refusal and tears. She pushed me to play in the marching band in high school where I learned life skills of hard work, accountability, and dedication while giving me a place to belong. Growing up, I remember Mom rocking me, reading to me, swinging with me on the playground, and driving me to and from hundreds of activities. I know how to be a loving and involved parent because of the example Mom set for us growing up.”

Moms play a bigger role than they know. And I know that not everyone has had a loving and involved mother. One of the beautiful promises of Scripture is that God loves us not only as a Father but also as a fiercely protective and tenderly compassionate mother.

Jesus is fully divine and fully human, so he was most definitely shaped in part by his mom. A mom who paid attention, who pondered things in her heart, who listened to angels, who said “yes” to the miracle before she even knew what it meant.

She tells Jesus there’s no more wine, and this is one of several times where Jesus’ manners to his family seem less than kind. He says, “Woman, what’s that got to do with me? I’m off duty. Let me just enjoy the party.”

Here is where we might imagine an unrecorded moment in the Bible, where Jesus’ mother gives him a look. You know the look.

Mary’s undaunted. She knows her son, she knows what he can do, and she knows it’s his time to shine. We don’t hear from her again in this story. She just states the need, tells Jesus, and walks away in quiet trust.

One of my Catholic friends puts it this way- “It’s not like we worship Mary. We just know the same thing that the servants at the wedding in Cana knew: If you want Jesus to do something, go through his mother.”

And so the miracle begins- not with Jesus touching the jars and saying magic words- but with the loving confidence of a mother who’s never stopped believing in her boy.

Do you trust him like that?

Here’s your first takeaway, if you’re taking notes:

What would it look like to face the thing lacking in our life, or the thing we’re sure is running out in this world, and just name it to Jesus? Try this: you can create one of those prayer jars, where you write the thing you’re worried about on a little notecard or post-it note, and put it in the jar and leave it for Jesus.

***

After Jesus’ initial brush-off, you know what happens next. He spots six large stone jars- jars that could hold 20-30 gallons of water each- and tells the servants to fill ‘em up.

With water.

Because sometimes you gotta start with what you have.

This is the second takeaway:

When you need a real miracle- of healing, recovery, deliverance, provision, hope- you start with the thing you have and you trust that Jesus can turn it into something more.

You start with the sustaining everyday water of your prayers. Your walks. Your handful of people you can rely on. Your giving. Your scriptures- even if you only know John 3:16. You start with your quiet moments in nature and your modest forms of service and your half-believing acts of worship.

And then you wait. And trust. And talk to Jesus’ mother too, if you want, because why not? She’s part of the Christian cloud of witnesses that surrounds us and cheers us on.

***

So with Mary looking on, and the servants filling up this water, Jesus tells them to get a cup of it and bring it to the steward to taste.

And somehow in the lifting of that cup of water, it becomes something not water. It becomes something not even normal wine. It becomes the finest most delicious expensive wine.

The steward can’t believe it. He exclaims- “Most people serve their good wine first, and then bring out the Trader Joe’s and Barefoot wines once people are already tipsy. But this- it’s like the choicest organic Malbec, the rarest vintage wine- it’s like you’ve saved the best for last!”

(Just be careful where you use that line)

You know, Jesus’ first miracle could’ve been a lot more useful. A healing. An exorcism. A feeding for those who were hungry. He could’ve raised the dead or calmed a storm. But for Jesus’ first miracle, the sole purpose is delight. It’s a totally unnecessary 150 gallons of fine wine.

Can you imagine 150 milk-jugs of wine, arriving on your front doorstep? Wine in the Bible represents the goodness of life- laughter, merriment, dancing, and even a little danger. The possibility of intoxication. The Bible elsewhere warns of what happens with an excess of wine.

But as far as symbols go, this water-to-wine miracle signifies joy. It sets the whole tone for Jesus’ ministry- that it will not be one of merely fulfilling ritual rules and laws- it will be one of celebration!

***

My hope for the children of our church, is that their earliest memories of God and faith are not about being quiet in the pews, or memorizing lines, or worrying about their sins. My prayer for our children is that their earliest associations with Jesus are ones of joy! Of donkeys and lambs and Easter egg hunts, of cookies and doughnuts and crafts; of singing and stories and laughing with their friends. Of drawing pictures in the pews and collecting the offerings, of reading and sharing in worship, of loving adults who care about them and believe they have a vital part to play in the things of God.

This is part of why I’m a Christian. Because my earliest days in church community and Christian camps and youth group were memorably fun! The house of God wasn’t just business as usual and sit still. That’s why I’m so grateful for Karl and others… and for the giver of this gift…

Here’s your third takeaway:

No matter what age you are, it’s never too late for a re-boot of joy in your Christian life. I feel joy when I hear Krista and Ken’s music, and those they have singing and playing along. I feel joy when we do special things for holidays. And I feel joy when we walk and eat and talk through the scriptures and spiritual books together. One of my prayers for our church in the coming year, even as we plan and program and think of ways to be the good news of Christ in this world- is that we find more ways to have fun together.

If your experience of following Jesus isn’t one of joy, then start over. Make it so. Listen to worship music that you love. Read stories that inspire you. Spend time with Christians who inspire you. Do more of what makes you really laugh and feel free and most alive. That is the way of Jesus.

***

But joy does not mean ignoring the pain. Jesus livened up the wedding but he addressed what was missing.

Tomorrow is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and in his last book, published in 1967, he writes on the theme, Where do we go from here: chaos or community?

His words could just as well have been written to us today, in a time of Covid, climate change, mistrust in political leaders, decline in western religion, increasing violence, even speculation of civil war.

King says, “Let us be those creative dissenters who will call our beloved nation to a higher destiny, to a new plateau of compassion, to a more noble expression of humanness. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice. Justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love.”

When we think about the miracle our church, our society, and our world most needs- that we ourselves most need- it is the miracle of love that breathes justice. That is what Jesus brings:

A way of wine overflowing, better than imagined, with more than enough for all.

Thanks be to God,

Amen.