Second Sunday after Epiphany

Readings – Isaiah 62: 1-5; Psalm 36: 5-10; I Corinthians 12: 1-11; John 2: 1-11

From the prelude, from the prolog, of the Gospel according to St. John:

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth…From His fullness, we have all received, grace upon grace.  The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 

Jesus is “full of grace and truth”; we have all received grace upon grace”.  So, it begins.  There is no birth narrative in St. John’s Gospel.  Instead, the story begins with people from Jerusalem questioning John the Baptist at Bethany.  John declared that he saw the Spirit descending like a dove on Jesus at his baptism in the river Jordan. 

The next day John pointed to Jesus as the Lamb of God, and some of John’s disciples left him to follow Jesus, Andrew and Simon Peter.  The next day Philip followed, and then Nathanael. 

That same day Jesus and his followers arrived at a wedding in Cana, and the wine ran out. Maybe it ran out because Jesus arrived with his followers, and they were not expected.  At the wedding feast Mary, mother of Jesus, directed him to deal with it.  She said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you”.  Six large stone jars were nearby, water jars for purification holding 20-30 gallons each.  The servants filled them.  Then the contents of the large jars were taken to the steward and then to the wedding guests.  The wine, once tasted by the steward, was declared to be superb, excellent.  The Gospel author makes it clear, the water purposed for washing away dirt and grime was transformed into wine for celebrating the wedding. 

The descending of the Holy Spirit, the descending of the dove, initiated the transformation of cleansing water into celebrative wine.  This Jesus came to Cana to bring joy, to celebrate with delicious fine wine.  Here we have the theme of the Gospel according to St. John.           

Jesus is “full of grace & truth”; “we have all received grace”;
“Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ”

Not only did Jesus bring grace and truth, he brought it with abundance.  How many people were at that wedding feast?  We are not told, but 120-180 gallons of wine was probably enough for all of Cana to enjoy for weeks!  It was over the top, it was extravagant.  To borrow from a well-known hymn, this wine was amazing grace.

  Andrew, Simon Peter, Nathanael and Philip were just the first to follow that Jesus of abundant, of amazing grace.  And that grace, that extraordinary wine, continues to flow.  It is here in this place.  It is about to be poured into a chalice for you.

In chapter six St. John shares another miracle story, the story of the feeding of the 5,000 when so much was left over.  Philip discovered that a boy had five small barley loaves to share with the gathered crowd.  When all were satisfied twelve baskets of left over bread were gathered up, one basket for each of the twelve traditional tribes of Israel.  Extravagance! Abundance! Wine in Cana, bread on the mountain beside the Sea of Galilee.  These two stories show us the eucharist feast prepared for the earliest followers of Jesus, and for us, too, and I would add – for all.  There were no guidelines to follow at the wedding feast, all received.  There were no guidelines to follow on the mountain side, all received.  The grace of Jesus was abundant and amazing.  The grace of Jesus is abundant and amazing. 

Jesus is the one we follow, like Andrew, Simon Peter, Nathanael and Philip.  And we are not only to follow and receive bread and wine, we are to share what we have received.  Wine and bread, abundant, amazing and extravagant grace is to be our life’s mission, too.  This is not some “woke” idea; this is Gospel based living.  This is following the one who was crucified, dead, and buried in a tomb, and who rose from the dead on the third day.  Death could not contain his amazing grace, death could not contain his abundant extravagance. 

May we drink the wine of Cana, and eat the bread of the mountainside by the Sea of Galilee, and may we pass it on. 

May we pass it on.

Amen