Epiphany 2C RCL

17 January 2010

The Rev’d Lloyd Prator

New York City

This is the season of Epiphany. It begins with the familiar story of the wise men coming to visit the infant Jesus at the manger at Bethlehem, according to Matthew’s Gospel. And, then there is the story in Luke about Jesus going to visit the teacher at the temple and driving his parents nuts because they thought he had been kidnaped. All of the gospels, have a story of Jesus’ baptism, which we read in Luke’s version last week. And then, because he always has to be different, John gives us today’s story about Jesus changing water into wine.

These are all pieces of the Epiphany puzzle. The Magi remind us that Jesus is for all the nations. The story of Jesus in the temple reminds us that Jesus is for the Jews—and the first Christians were indeed Jews. All the baptism stories show Jesus illustrating how we are to become part of his divine life.

And then the changing of the water into wine, what point does that story reach for.

First, and simplest, the story tells us that you can see the same thing in different ways. We don’t know if John the Evangelist did not like the story of the impudent child or the inquisitive wise men. We just don’t know. But we do know that when it came to telling us about the Epiphany, John thought the story about the wine and the water would do the trick and was just as important as the wise men.

And it does. In fact, in some ways John’s decision to make the Epiphany a story about changing wine is about the best way in the world to make Jesus and his story accessible to modern men and women. For centguries, people have got the story of Jesus through to others by telling stories. The Magi is one of the stories. The child in the temple is another. But the other way people have connected up with Jesus is through the sacraments.

Sacraments are funny things. They are like signposts. This is the way to Jesus. Son of god, next exit. Turn right in 400 feet, as your Garmin Nuvi might say. They are like signs in that they take you to the place they advertise. They are more than signs, because once you choose to follow one of them, you are at your destination already, there is no more work to do. Once you are in the exit lane you are already there. So, they are like signs with power. They are like signs which give a gift. They take you there, they cause you to be there with no effort of your own.

And the gift is Jesus Christ. The destination is Jesus Christ.
So the story about the wine jars is a story about how Jesus makes himself known to his people. And he does it in the most ordinary of ways. This story has got a thick religious veneer on it, so we might benefit from stripping it down a little.

The evangelist tells the story compellingly. On the third day he says. The third day. Heard that one before. Lots of really hot things happen on the third day, nudge, nudge, poke, poke. Jesus and his disciples were invited to a wedding feast. His mother came. Jesus sighed. Ah, that women, always under foot. And sure enough, the wine ran out, and Jesus mother nudged him. This is a lousy party, they should have got better caterers, they have run out of wine. Oh, that woman, what a nudge! Well, anything to shut her up.

How shall we do this,? Let’s start with water. And he did, he told the servants to fill some nearby jars with water—they were water jars used for well, something like baptisms! Again, nudge, nudge, poke, poke. But when they drew out the water, expecting it still to be just Evian, lo and behold it was a very nice merlot, better than the ordinary burgundy that the host had initially provided. And everyone noticed the better wine, but only the servants knew how it had come to be.

This is a good story about how to make an initial foray into this Jesus business. It tells us so much.

First of all, great things happen on the third day. In Genesis, the newly created waters fed the grass and the trees on the third day. On the third day after his crucifixion, Jesus entered a new realm of life just as astonishing as the new life in the garden oh the third day of Genesis. The third day is the day of resurrection.

Second thing, great things happen in the midst of the grinding ordinariness of human life. A nagging mother, a shortage of provisions, a hot day and a demanding bride and groom whose servants probably feared the worst—all of these things were the stuff of life, which Jesus used to show his stuff.

Third things, the poor and those at the bottom of the rail, often have the most to teach us. It was the servants who knew where the wine came from.

Fourth thing: When it comes to God, ours is a party- giving god and he not particular about having everything in order. On that day, the best wine was served when everyone was relaxing a little. You know what a wedding reception is like: After an hour or two, the perfect peach colored silk shoes come off the brides feet because look well they might, but they hurt like hell. The groom has untied the silk bow tie that made him look so elegant, and it is now curled up in the bottom of a shrimp cocktail cup. The father of the bride has dispensed with the peach Bellini’s that were the signature drink of the wedding and is working on the bourbon of death. And we all know with what alacrity the couple feed their cake to each other. This is the point when the new wine was found and offered. It is as if God beheld the party and said, yes it is good, it is very elegant, but when it comes to me, you don’t have to put on so many airs. Relax and enjoy the best.

And we are told at the end, that in this story God has revealed—he has revealed what? His demand for perfection? His insistence on the best? His rigid law? No, we are told in this that God revealed his glory.

God revealed his glory at the baptism of his son last week, when the heavens opened and the glory of God shone forth on Jesus. God also revealed his glory in our baptism when the way to heaven is opened and our adoption as Gods sons and daughters is complete. And the glory is of God revealed when a couple, passionately in love with each other, discover the power r of Jesus to take their love, transform it and use it for the very purposes of God himself.

It doesn’t get much better than that.