Father Gary’s Sermon

Inspired from John 2:1-11

Proclaimed on January 18, 2004

The story of Jesus turning the water into wine at the wedding feast is a very popular one. Indeed, among certain Irish folks another ending was added to this Biblical story. It seems that the father of the bride got a bit carried away when Jesus created the additional 150 gallons of wine. The next morning, he was seriously under the weather and his wife, most solicitous, asked if there was anything she could do. “Yes,” he replied. “I’d just like a nice cup of cold water--but keep it away from Jesus!”

This story of Jesus turning the water into wine seems a most unusual one. Especially when you compare it to other miracles that are credited to him. In this miracle there were no demons to be conquered, nor any terrible diseases to be healed. This was simply a little wedding party that came to the point of ending in social embarrassment. Even within the story itself we find that Jesus was a bit reluctant to do it. Indeed, this miracle was so unimportant that it is only mentioned in the Gospel according to John. The reason John mentions it is because he identifies this as Jesus’ first sign or miraculous action that defined who he was.

To better understand this we need to understand what wine meant to the Hebrew people. During most of their history the Israelites and Jews lived in the mountainous regions of the country. This area received a very limited amount of rainfall. There were very few natural sources of water available to them, other than two seasons of rain during the year, and a few wells. Therefore, the people chiseled out deep cisterns in the limestone formations about them, carefully coating them with plaster to prevent them from leaking. When the rains did come some of the waters would be trapped in these cisterns so that the people would have water the rest of the year.

However, even with all of these cisterns there still was not enough water. But this is where the Hebrew people experienced an annual miracle, which came in the form of grapes. Just as their cisterns were beginning to run dry, the grapes, which needed only the dew from the ground to grow, would begin to ripen. Grapes were the one food that this rocky area of the world could grow in abundance. Therefore, during the dangerous time of the year when the skies refused rain and the cisterns ran dry the people of the land would survive by drinking wine, wine which quite literally saved their lives. During this most threatening of seasons the fruit of the vine gave them new life, as well as filled their hearts with gladness. When Jesus transformed the water into wine he was only doing what the people of the land looked for God to do for them each year when God would take the vine and use it to transform the limited waters of the dew into the abundant new wine captured in the grape.

Later on in this same Gospel Jesus would refer to himself as the “Vine.” From the vine comes the wine that gives new life, new hope, and new joy. Indeed, at his last supper with his disciples Jesus identified the wine as his blood poured out for them to give them new life. The first sign that Jesus provided which disclosed who he was the sign of turning water into wine. In essence, the epiphany that takes place for us at the wedding in Cana is the foretaste of the Eucharistic Banquet, also identified as the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

Today, we Americans have many mixed feelings about this story of Jesus. Indeed, there was an Episcopal priest who was traveling by air to his destination. During the flight he ordered a drink from the hostess. While imbibing his drink he noticed that the passenger next to him was glancing at him with a certain disdain. Not wanting to create a scene the priest asked this young lady if she was uncomfortable with his drinking. She made it clear that she found his drinking while wearing a clerical collar most disconcerting. The priest than asked her what she thought about the story of Jesus turning the water into wine. She immediately responded, “I suppose that Jesus really did do this, but I would have thought more highly of him had he not done it!”

Wine to most Americans today is not an absolute necessity for survival as it was for the ancient Jews and Israelites. To many Americans drinking is more synonymous with alcoholism and alcohol abuse. Indeed, a Methodist by the name of Welch invented a process to prevent the fermentation of the grape, a process that only recently gave us grape juice. He is said to have done this for the church in order to remove the Greek god of wine named Bacchus from the altar of Christ.

I was raised in a church that teaches that it is a sin to drink any beverage that contains alcohol. As a church we celebrated Holy Communion once a year using grape juice and crackers. We were also taught that in the first miracle of Jesus the wine he created was really grape juice, and that was why it was considered so good.

However, while in graduate school I discovered the Episcopal Church. What drew me to this fellowship was the sacrament of Holy Eucharist that was celebrated every Sunday. It was this sacrament that mysteriously and powerfully sustained me through some of my most difficult times of doubt. What was it that drew me? What is it that draws so many others to these Holy Mysteries? For me it was the distinct experience of being in the Mysterious Presence of God. It isn’t anything I can explain, nor is it anything I can reproduce with just any drink of wine, but somehow it happens every time when I gather with the people of God and celebrate the Holy Meal.

I remember asking the priest, while going through Confirmation Classes, why the Episcopal Church uses real wine in communion. He stated somewhat tongue-in-cheek, “We do not take the spirits out of the wine, just as we do not recommend removing the Holy Spirit from our faith.”

I suppose any of us could say that there are many things wrong with the Episcopal Church, but if there is anything that this Church does which is right, it teaches us moderation in all things, it encourages us not to be afraid to think, it provides us with the Holy Eucharist each week, which nurtures our faith and experience of new life, with new hope, and a peaceful joy.

The first sign of Jesus continues to happen even to this day when we come together in his name. Here we celebrate the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, except where he once turned the water into wine, he now turns the wine into his very life, giving us new life in the midst of our dying, new hope in the midst of our despair, and abundant joy where sadness might reign. Among some it might be said, “I’d just like a nice cup of cold water--but keep it away from Jesus!” Among the faithful, however, it is said, “Jesus, as you have done with the wine at Cana, so now do with my life. Transform it into your Life--an everlasting Life of abundant blessing and eternal joy!”