January 20th,
2019 “Abundant
Generosity” Rev. Heather Jepsen
John 2:1-11 with
Psalm 36:5-10
Last Sunday we read about Jesus in the
gospel of Luke and this Sunday we have a Jesus story from the gospel of
John. Many of you know I preach the
lectionary cycle, which is a three year set of readings chosen by the early
church. We are in year C of the cycle
and rather than focus on one gospel we will be jumping back and forth between
Luke and John. The Jesus in the gospel
of John is a very different guy than the Jesus in Luke’s gospel. This week we will look at how Jesus begins
his ministry in John’s gospel and next Sunday we will look at how Jesus’
ministry begins in the gospel of Luke.
So far in John’s gospel Jesus has been
baptized and has collected a few followers for himself. Now it’s the third day, and Jesus decides to
attend a wedding with his mother and his disciples. It’s kind of a strange story, but the wine at
the wedding runs out. The wedding party
would have lasted for days and to run out of wine early on would lead to some
pretty grumpy guests. Mary points out to
her son that the wine is gone and Jesus brushes her aside “what concern is that
to you and me?”. But before we know it,
the stewards fill the ritual washing jars, Jesus waves his hand, and suddenly
there were another 180 gallons of wine to go around. It’s not the cheap stuff either, as the local
sommelier is impressed with this vintage’s bouquet. 180 gallons of fine wine? Now that’s some party!
The writer of the gospel of John tells
us that when he did this, turning the water into wine, that it was the first of
Jesus’ signs and it revealed his glory.
Because of this act, his disciples believed in him.
Being a fan of fine wine myself I
totally love this story. But all the
same, it can be hard to find a place where this story intersects with our own
lives. While we might be able to think
of weddings gone awry, we can hardly relate to Jesus’ ability to just fix
it. And while 180 gallons of wine sounds
like a great party, it also seems like a waste of a miracle. Jesus will only perform seven signs in John’s
Gospel, why waste a sign on a party? 180
gallons is probably too much wine anyway, no matter how good it is. Honestly, that could just lead to a lot of
drunk people.
So what is Jesus doing here and what
does this miracle mean? If this is a
sign pointing to who Jesus is, then who exactly is Jesus?
John’s writing is always rich with
symbology and this story is no exception.
We get a clue to that right away with the mention that it’s the third
day. Third day, isn’t that the day Jesus
will rise again at the end of the gospel?
And the wine in the ritual washing jars, that can’t be a
coincidence. The washing ritual was a
sign of the old religion and the purification rites necessary to attend
collective meals like this. To replace
that water with wine is a symbol that Jesus is turning the old ways of religion
on its head. And obviously, nobody is
going to be doing the ritual washing now that the jars are filled with
wine. Jesus is taking old, tired, ways
of doing church and making them new.
Much of the gospel of John revolves around the struggle of faithful
people as they seek to separate themselves from the Jewish religion and form a
new faith centered on the person of Jesus Christ.
I can find a connection for us
there. We are obviously part of that new
religion. We are no longer bound by the
traditions of the old ways, like ritual washing and such. In fact, as part of the Reformed church, we
have left more than one tradition behind as we seek to respond to the
continuing call of the Holy Spirit. Even
in the local church story, Jesus is pouring new wine into old water jars as
this church itself continues to be filled with the Holy Spirit. As new families come, the face of the church
changes. We have new life and energy and
are able to shift our focus with the shifting times, flexibly responding to
God’s call in our world. From mission in
Africa to new local ministries, from fresh worship experiences to new elders on
session, are of these are new wine in old water jars. These are all ways Jesus is pouring new life
into the story of the church.
Another part of the symbology of John’s
text is found in the abundance of wine.
180 gallons is a lot, more than any party would need. The amount is meant to be over the top, it is
meant to be shocking, and it is meant to get our attention. This abundant amount of wine is a symbol of
God fulfilling promises made in the Hebrew Scriptures. Our Psalm for today is an example of those
promises. The Psalmist tells us that the
people of God will feast on the abundance of God’s house and will drink from
the river of delights. The steadfast
love of God is expressed in imagery of an abundant table. Jesus’ miracle of creating an abundance of
wine is meant to be a sign of God’s abundance coming to life. It is a sign of the Old Testament promises
fulfilled through the person of Jesus Christ.
As people who live lives of abundance,
it can be hard for us to find a way to connect with this part of the
story. Many of us here in worship today
already have an abundance of food in our homes.
And compared with our friends in Africa and other poverty stricken
areas, even the poorest amongst us are rich.
Examining my own life, I can tell you that I don’t leave the table
hungry. In fact, I think I eat three
abundant meals a day, and if I want more there is always more food available to
me. Like most Americans, I am faced with
such abundance at meals that I struggle not to eat too much. As people who are already living the promise
of abundance, how can we relate to this story?
The place I found meaning in this part
of the story is in generosity.
Generosity and abundance are twins.
Jesus’ gift of wine is abundant and it is generous. And as the wine was poured, the wine was
shared. The wine steward and the host
did not horde the wine, instead they shared it around. It was the best wine ever and instead of
being cellared for another 10 years it was poured out and enjoyed. There was more than enough for everyone. The gift was abundant and the host was then
generous.
As a person who has already experienced
the abundant blessings of God, this text this morning reminds me to share. If my water jar is filled with new wine, I
need to respond with generosity and share with my neighbor. This can be a financial sharing, as I give
gifts of money to my church and other needs which touch my heart. This can be in a sharing of goods. Souper bowl Sunday is coming up and I can buy
extra groceries and then bring them to church to share with the Food
Center. This can be a sharing of food
that I make, if I have a neighbor in need and my recipe is too big for my
family of four, I can take soup to their house instead of freezing leftovers
for myself another day. The miracle of
abundance asks for a miracle of generosity.
But even more than those acts of
sharing tangible goods, this morning I am thinking of sharing my talents with
the world. See, I feel like I myself am
filled with new wine. I am filled with
new religion, if I am filled with a new love of God poured into my heart by
Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and then I want to share that love around. I want to be generous with my time, offering
gifts of ministry and compassion wherever I go.
Like folks sharing wine at the party, I want to share the spirit of
Christ with the world. If there is a
need, I want to fill it.
Like Jesus, I may balk at first,
“what’s that to me” but eventually I’ll come around. That’s why you find me doing so many extra
jobs here at the church. From mopping up
a water spill to cleaning out the gutters, during the week there are tasks to
do and I am ready to help and share. I
can’t do it all, but I am ready to do what I can. I am also
ready to share my faith with you in worship and pastoral care. I am ready to meet with you and talk through
hard times. I am also ready to just be
your friend, like when I bump into you at the grocery store and I’m happy to chat
about the weather or the Chiefs. “Go
Chiefs!”
My point is, I feel like God has filled
my heart with this new wine. Where once
I was simply an empty water jar, now I am filled to the brim with the best
vintage. I have 180 gallons of God’s
love to spread around and I am happy to share.
I want to laugh and smile with you.
I want to cry with you in the sad times.
I want to cheer with you. And I
want to help you when you need help. I
want to share the love of God poured into my heart with you. God has given me an abundance of faith, love,
and hope and I want to be generous with that abundance in my world. I hope you feel that way too about the
abundant gifts God has given you.
The wedding at Cana is a bit of an odd
story but it is a good story too. This
story tells us that Jesus began his ministry at a wedding of all places, taking
time to celebrate with family and friends.
It tells us that Jesus was generous and valued happiness and celebration
as well as a good glass of wine. This
story tells us that God’s love is abundant, there is more than we could ever
want or need. And this story tells us
that our response to God’s abundance should be to share it around.
I hope today that you can find
examples of God’s abundance in your own life.
I hope you can find empty water jars that are now filled with new
wine. I hope you can find gifts that God
has given you to share, from financial blessings to gifts of faith and
love. Our world is a hungry and broken
place. Let us share God’s abundance with
all those in need. Let us respond to the
abundance we have experienced with our own abundant generosity. Amen.
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