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January 19, 2021 "Joyful Abundance"

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Second Sunday after Epiphany

Isaiah 62:1-5

Psalm 36:5-10

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

John 2:1-11


Dear fellow ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ,

 grace and peace to you

from the one who reveals the glory of God. Amen

 

We are still in the time after Epiphany,

 the time in the church year

where our Bible readings

 each reveal to us something about Jesus,

 

who as the announcing angel in Matthew tells Joseph,

 is from the Holy Spirit

and will save the people from their sins,

 

which is a good,

 if broad,

place to start

but leaves a lot of the details out,

 

details like,

 who is Jesus other than from the Holy Spirit

 and how will he save the people from their sins

- two questions which go well together,

for example if Jesus is a military person

 it might indicate he’ll use military means to save his people.

 So who is this Jesus who will save?

 

So far we have seen Jesus revealed as a human baby

of such low social order

that he is laid in an animal feed trough for his first bed.

 

We have seen the child Jesus

 revealed at King of the Jews

from a sign in the stars,

 

and then last week

we witnessed Jesus’ baptism,

 after which the heavens opened,

the Spirit descended on him

and a voice from heaven-the home of God-

 proclaimed Jesus the chosen beloved child

 with whom God was well pleased.

 

God is certainly involved in this Jesus-

as we would expect,

but we’re still a little unclear on just how God will work through him,

 and here is where it is important to look at the people

 who first experienced these epiphanies. 

 

a young woman and her fiancé, 

 Shepherds

 Some gentile astrologers

Crowds of people in the wilderness gathered by John’s preaching

 

And all this takes place in homes, fields,

even the night skies and the wilderness,

rather than to priests in the temple,

or rulers on the throne,

or even the most religiously observant the scribes and pharisees

with their studies and prayers.

 

God in Jesus

 is being revealed outside the centers and people of power,

even to those who are outside of the promise of a messiah,

 in many unexpected ways,

so unexpected

 that we’re unable to predict

 how this will turn out based on what has been revealed.

 

 And now today

we get the story of Jesus revealing his glory for the first time

 according to the gospel of John,

 

and this glory is revealed not in wisdom or might,

not grand display,

or even an enthusiastic one

 

but a rather reluctant sign

noticed only by servants

 and the few disciples that have begun to follow Jesus,

at the urging of his mother,

 

not in the temple, 

 but at a modest wedding

not for his own sake but for the sake of others.

 

We just heard the story,

 Jesus and his disciples are invited to a wedding,

which in those days was supposed to last days

with festive food and drink,

 celebration all to honor the new couple and the community,

 

 but there’s a problem,

the wine runs out before the party is supposed to be over,

 which will be a great dishonor to the hosts

not a great way to start a new life together.

 

Jesus’ mother is there

 and knowing that he can do something

 points out the situation to him.

 

 Now this is only the third day of Jesus’ public ministry,

 he seems reluctant to make a big display so soon

 but his mother overrides his reluctance

 telling the servants to do whatever he tells them to do.

 

 And what he tells them to do

 is to fill with water six large stone jars

 usually used for rites of purification-

 this is a lot of water that the servants have to haul

 but they fill the jars up to the brim,

 

and then Jesus instructs them to draw some of the water out

 and take it to the chief steward to taste,

who when he does,

 tastes some of the best wine he’s ever tasted,

 

 and he’s astonished

he doesn’t know where the wine came from

but he does know the party has been going on long enough

 that the people wouldn’t mind a lesser wine,

 and he congratulates the bridegroom on saving the good wine for later.

 

And this reveals Jesus’ glory.

 

What does this reveal exactly?

How does a lot of really good wine

 show the magnificence of God?

 

God is magnificent in the abundance of good that flows from God.

 Abundance that results in joyful community. 

 

As the psalmist for this morning remarked:

 

How priceless is your love O God!

All people take refuge under the shadow of your wings.

They feast upon the abundance of your house;

you give them drink from the river of your delights.

For with you is the well of life,

 and in your light we see light.”

 

God is a God of abundance

and isn’t stingy with the feast

 continually providing the best

even when the best won’t be noticed

 because God is one that rejoices in life.

 

We humans forget that sometimes,

we think God prefers strict asceticism from people,

that God prefers purity

 especially somber purity-

 

 and yet Jesus replaced the water for purification

with wine for celebration,

 such an excess of wine

 that it will be a very merry party indeed.

 

Later in the gospel of John

Jesus tells the disciples

“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly”

 

So no wonder his glory is shown in great abundance

in service of a celebration of life

and in a reversal of custom,

saving the best for last,

 all indicating that the Jesus that will continue to be revealed

will challenge our notion of who God is and how God will act.

 

Perhaps it makes sense if we think of this like one of Jesus’ parables:

 The glory of God is like a wedding where the wine has run out…

 

And what does the parable tell us?

In the world the wine will run out

 but with God,

the wine will never run out.

 

 That God’s vision for life

 is a party that never ends

 where the wine is mighty good,

 and that wine is just the icing on the cake,

intoxicants aren’t needed in the presence

 of the one who is the well of life,

 in whose light we see light

Who brings us together in joyful community Amen

 

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