Meditation on John 2:1-11
January 20, 2013
***
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 the servants, “Fill the jars
with water.” And they filled them up to the brim.
Then Jesus 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.
(John 2:1-11)
***
A Christmas card arrived in our mailbox this past week with a sparkling
winter scene, children sledding in the snow. My friend Hugh Miller from Pine
Grove Presbyterian Church in the village of Sunnyburn, Pennsylvania, had sent
it.
Hugh is a widower, a retired teacher of high school history, German, and
mathematics. He hasn’t hardly missed church or Sunday school at Pine Grove his
entire life, save for when he was overseas serving his country in WWII. He grew
up on a farm within walking distance of the church and still lives in the old
family farmhouse.
Hugh is an awesome Sunday school teacher. He is one of the most gentle,
humble men I have ever met. With his quiet and unassuming manner, he leads shy,
older adults to interpret and apply the Bible to their everyday lives.
Hugh was teaching the adult Sunday school class when I came for my
internship in 2008. My friend Bessie has
been a member of the church since her husband and she moved up from Baltimore
and bought land to farm in the area in the 1960s. Bessie taught the children
and youth. Hugh and Bessie write me
every year.
Hugh’s letter went like this:
“Dear Jim, Karen and
boys:
I enjoyed your letter so much and was very
glad to hear from you. I am still
teaching the adult class in Sunday school.
We were going to combine the adult and young adult classes but the young
adult class was unhappy about that. I am
not sure whether it was because of me or they wanted to stay with Bessie. She
and I were going to take turns at teaching to lighten the load for each of us.
I am glad you are enjoying your pastorate
and I am sure they feel they are ‘blest’ to have you. We haven’t had much snow here yet but I
expect you would be very willing to share.
Best wishes for a great year ahead in His
service. I am sure I’ll continue
likewise, as long as my church will have me and the Lord allows me to
serve. (Signed) Hugh”
When I arrived at Pine Grove, I wasn’t sure what the Lord was preparing
me to do for Him. Bessie and Hugh encouraged me by word and example to continue
my discernment of a call to pastoral ministry. They demonstrated with their
humble, cheerful service that there was no higher honor or calling than
teaching, equipping others to follow and serve the Lord.
But teaching wasn’t all they did; no task was beneath them or too
difficult. Or required too high a level
of commitment to Christ and His church. From cleaning to putting up Christmas
decorations to shoveling icy sidewalks or taking out trash, from delivering
food to the hungry and washing dishes, to serving and clearing tables at the
annual Thanksgiving dinner. They would
direct traffic, sing in the choir, usher and greet, set up chairs, bake cakes
and roast turkeys, or serve as a deacon and elder. They were willing to do anything the Lord
and the church asked them to do.
They showed me that this is what being a servant means. Giving Him your all!
And that when we do in faith whatever the Lord asks, expecting His
blessings, we would be blessed and be a blessing to others.
And good things—sometimes even amazing things—would happen.
***
In our reading in John, we see faith and obedient service rewarded by
divine action. Jesus, his mother, and
all the disciples were at a wedding in Cana of Galilee. And they ran out of
wine. Jesus’ mother expected her son to
do something about it. She said to him,
“They have no wine.”
Jesus protested that it was not their concern. His time had not yet come. But Mary ignores
his protest. Demonstrating her faith in his divine power, she turns to the
servants and says, “Do whatever he tells you.”
The servants obey. They fill with
water the stone water jars. They draw out some of the liquid and bring it to
the chief steward, who doesn’t know what is going on. He confirms the miracle,
without knowing a miracle has taken place.
He pulls aside the bridegroom and compliments him on saving the best
wine for last, instead of serving the best wine first, before the wedding party
became too tipsy to notice their cups were being replenished with less
expensive, inferior wine.
Seems like such a small thing, water into wine, compared to Christ’s
miraculous healings and the feeding of the 5,000 with a few loaves and fish
that would come later. Only Mary, the
disciples, Jesus and the servants knew that the good wine was ordinary water
with the necessary ingredient of faith that something amazing was about to
happen. Because of who Jesus really
was.
This was the first of His “signs,” proof of His glory to His disciples,
whom he had just called to “come and follow me.”
***
I am very excited for our congregational meeting today! I know the
Spirit is empowering people in our church to be leaders. When the nominating committee asked them to
serve on session, they prayed about it, searched their hearts, and conferred
with their families. And today they
will, with our encouragement, accept the challenge and responsibility, knowing
they are not alone. That God is with
them and they are truly called to this ministry.
We are all just ordinary people, those who are called to lead in
Christ’s church. But Christian leaders
have two things in common—they have faith in His power to work through them and
are willing to obey God’s call to ministry.
Today, several people will stand up and accept that call. They will
proclaim the Gospel through humble service to our Lord and to our
community. With hearts open to the
Spirit’s work in and through them, they will be ruling elders.
But all of us must have faith that God will use us, even those who are
not comfortable serving in such a public call to ministry as a ruling elder. We
must believe without doubt that something good will happen in and through
us—not because we are good. But because
of who Jesus really is!
Someday we will look back and think, water into wine is really such a
small thing, compared to the miracles of healing, spiritual nourishment, and
reconciliation that have happened in this community.
But I have learned from my Christian friends, loyal servants like Hugh
and Bessie, that we all must be willing to do anything—anything—the Lord tells
us to do. No task is beneath us or too
difficult. Or requires too high a level
of commitment to Christ and His church.
And when we do in faith whatever the Lord asks, expecting His blessings
and divine action, we will be blessed and be a blessing to others.
And good things—even amazing things—will happen.
Let us pray.
Holy Spirit, renew
and refresh us. Give us your wisdom and
guide us in your will as we choose leaders in our congregation. Equip them to be your loyal, humble
servants. Equip all of us to be your
loyal, humble servants. Forgive us if we have lacked the faith that you will
work through all of us and build your church.
Forgive us when we have not believed that something amazing will happen
here because of Your Son, Jesus Christ, and His saving work. Forgive us if we were critical of our
leaders in the past, but were unwilling to walk alongside them, give them our
prayerful support, and help them to be effective leaders. Make us all, Lord,
into who you want us to be. In Christ we
pray. Amen.
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