|
|
A Sermon by
Cynthia Bauleke
A Sermon by
Cynthia Bauleke Seeing Is Believing I don’t know what it was about last
year - whether cupid was busier than usual, or if stepping into a new millennium
created a sudden urge for commitment, perhaps people believe it would be easier
to remember their anniversary if they started counting from 2000, or maybe it
was just a coincidence that many couples I know chose to get married last year.
For what ever reasons, I had the privilege of officiating at far more weddings
than usual in the past year. When Ron and I were married, somewhere
in the last century, weddings were often small and informal, with family and
friends gathering in a beautiful setting, with a simple ceremony and casual
party. Weddings have become formal once again, with countless details to manage the
wedding takes on a life of it’s own. When I meet with couples to plan the
wedding we talk about their dreams and expectations for their life together
and for their special day. I suggest to them, no matter how well organized,
something will go wrong, to expect it, so it won’t spoil the celebration. I have seen: tuxes with sleeves only
reaching to the elbows, the bride everyone forgot to pick up for the rehearsal
dinner, the wedding dress that had to be ordered three times - until just a few
days before the wedding it was finally right, an outside wedding crowded inside
because of rain, the organist in Seattle who forgot to allow time for Husky
football traffic and arrived an hour late for the ceremony, the photographer who
disappeared with all the negatives, the young ring bearer and flower girl who
discovered right in the middle of the ceremony that it is great fun to jump and
roll down the chancel stairs, and of course the often interesting family
dynamics when in-laws and out-laws gather. With an event as important and
special as a wedding, something is bound to go wrong, hopefully it is minor
enough to not distract from the joy of the day. The wedding Jesus attends in Cana has a
glitch - no wine. The host ran out of wine. This is no minor social
inconvenience. It was not like, "Well, the wine’s gone, so we have to
switch to scotch." Instead, this was a major breach of the demands of
hospitality in first-century Galilee. Wine was as common at a meal as water or
coffee is for us, it was a staple, especially at a wedding. Wedding celebrations
would last for days and the wine was suppose to flow freely through out the
party. In a small place like Cana, a party like this would be remembered, and
talked about by everyone for a long time. This has the makings of a disaster. In
fact, if guests were not properly provided for, they could sue the host for
damages. It was a legal mater to disappoint your guests as well as a social faux
pau. It was Mary, Jesus’ mother who
noticed the wine had given out. She turns to Jesus, "They have no
wine." And you can almost hear Jesus groan, "Aw, Mom, not now, back
off. My hour has not yet come. It’s not time yet." He has other plans.
Yet, in that infuriating way we mothers sometimes have, she ignores Jesus.
Somehow she knows he can fix the unfixable, she tells the servants to do what
ever he tells them. Jesus scraps his own time table and
responds to the situation, so the festivities can continue. Jesus instructs the
servants to fill six large stone jars with water, and when the water is drawn
out - it has turned to wine - not just any wine, this is very fine wine, gallons
and gallons of it. So why this particular wedding? Does
this first sign by Jesus have any lasting effect on those present? Does it
change any lives? It doesn’t seem to have any great impact on those present at
the event. Although Jesus demonstrates great power, few people even know about
it. There are no fireworks, no announcement. The crowds don’t line up to
sample the wine and congratulate Jesus. John doesn’t even call this a
miracle, but a sign, a sign of God’s presence. A sign pointing towards the
unique power of God breaking in through words and deeds. It’s interesting to
me Jesus does not heal the sick, restore sight to the blind, or challenge the
injustice of the institutions of the society for his first sign. He just makes
some wine so the party can continue. It is a festive occasion and Jesus is in
the middle of life seemingly enjoying himself with his friends. He takes
something simple and unassuming, as common as water, and turns it into a gift
that speaks volumes about God’s extravagant love. The ordinary becomes
extraordinary. The bride and groom, the guests - even
the steward - have no idea where the wine comes from - only the servants and the
disciples know what happened. While everyone else is oblivious and parties on,
the disciples, a rag tag group who had left their homes and fishing nets to
follow Jesus, not really knowing who he was or where he would lead them, now,
after seeing this extravagant manifestation revealing the glory of God, now the
disciples believe in him. In Christ they encounter something never before
experienced. Something which radically alters the old, common stuff of their
existence. In water turned to wine they see the grace of God revealed, and
seeing, they believe. When the wine runs out, God is able to
provide in the ordinary, common, everyday circumstances of life. When the wine
gives out, sometimes suddenly and without warning, sometimes unnoticed and
gradually. The joy simply fades from life. It doesn’t usually happen at a
wedding. It is usually a few years down the road when the blush of romance has
died down and the problems of everyday living - paying the mortgage, raising
teenagers, working the same old job - crowd in on us. Perhaps it is a time of
disaster, or loss of health. It may be because of the hurtful actions of others,
or a death, or a betrayal. We may not even notice the wine is running out. When the wine runs out in our lives we
start looking for signs and wonders in a whole lot of places - things to take us
out of the ordinary, everyday, and make us feel alive again. If we are wise,
sooner or later we come back to faith and look for the signs which point to God’s
grace in our lives. Sometimes they happen dramatically, like an Alaskan
springtime, with the ice cracking and the waters flowing, the flowers bursting
into life and flocks of birds arriving. Sometimes it happens slowly and almost
imperceptibly, more like the season change in Bellingham, with crocus and
daffodils poking through the dirt as the days become longer. Either way,
springtime has come! As the new wind is gloriously among, pointing to the
intimate, beautiful power of God. Often people tell me of their
encounters with the holy. It may come in a prayer or a song, through a loved
one, a chance encounter, or a confluence of events. In quiet ways the spirit
whispers it’s message of God’s love, filling our cups to overflowing. Some of you will be wondering: I haven’t
heard the Spirit lately, how did I miss out? Perhaps you have been drinking the
new wine for so long you have forgotten what the old stuff was like. Maybe you
have not missed out; perhaps you are merely suffering from a long familiarity. As I have lived and ministered among
you for many years I have come to know your achievements and heartbreak,
vulnerabilities and resilience. My friends, in your ups and downs the touch of
Christ has created some remarkable wine out of what could have become stagnant,
polluted water. Some of you have known tragedies that
could have made you sour or angry, but you are not. Some of you have achieved so much, you
might have become puffed up with self importance. But you are not like this. Some of you have been so bruised or
injured by other people, you could have become cynical and hard. Yet you have
not. Some could have ended up defeated,
afraid of new challenges, knocking the enthusiasm of others. But it is not so. Some might easily have collapsed into
faithlessness, mocking the idea of a loving God. Yet that is not how it is with
you. My friends, maybe we take each other
for granted in this congregation and miss out on the glory of the new wind
flowing freely. Worse perhaps we take the wine of our personal, individual lives
for granted and severely discount the wondrous sign of God constantly at work in
us. I tell you this: from common, stone
jars, I see with my own eyes the new wine of Christ overflowing in this
congregation. Yet some of you may feel you are out of
the flow, you’re missing out on this. The stale water of old fears, old guilt,
old pride, old sins, your own brokenness may be holding you back. You may be
hesitant to face unknown changes. If this is true for you, have you ever
wondered what you could be if you allowed Christ to touch the stagnant places fo
your life and transform it? Do you dare to imagine it? Be sure of this: for
Christ, it is never too early or too late for the production of new wine. Do not lose the context of joy. The
water-to-wine sign, given at Cana in Galilee, happened at a marriage feast. It
was a joyful occasion, a time for celebration. The way of Christ is a way of
joy: sometimes like a goblet full and bubbling over; sometimes a quiet and
serene joy to be gently savored, in deep trust and gratitude; sometimes it is
the strength to bring you through difficult times. A man who once calculated the amount of
water turned into wine presented the estimate to St. Jerome and asked if the
guests at Cana had drunk all that wine. Jerome responded, "No, we are still
drinking it." There is plenty of wine left at the wedding. It will never
run out. We need only help ourselves, share it with one another, and the world.
Amen ______ With gratitude to Bruce Powers for excerpts from
his sermon Water Into Wine |