Sermon for January 14th 2007

It’s sooo tempting to offer a sermon this morning on the Gospel reading about why I think, as do others, that this wedding is either Jesus’ own wedding, or a wedding of one of his children … I say it’s tempting, but NOT that tempting … instead, the direction I found myself drawn to was towards a reflection on the production of over 150 gallons of wine. Not just ordinary wine, but the very best vintage …

How can you approach this reading, and NOT want to reflect on what THAT action represents?

It begins with remembering what wine is. Like my time with the children, you can’t get wine without stomping a few grapes … you take round, ripe grapes and stomp on them. Then you gather and strain what results and with time, a little bit of rot, and some patience you move from grapes to juice to wine … and hopefully not to vinegar (that’s another sermon for another day). With the right grapes and the right blend and the right conditions you can have a fine vintage … with the wrong grapes and the wrong blend and the wrong conditions you get stuff that’s not even worthy of the screw top bottles that hold it …

So, our Gospel reading begins with a miracle not only of epic proportions, but a miracle that is almost off the scale. There were six large, huge stone jars holding over 150 GALLONS of water … and every drop was turned into the finest vintage of wine … This story is about extravagance and abundance … This story is about the generosity of God revealed not just through the abundance, but through the quality too.

God is generous. And God’s generosity knows no bounds or limits.

But the question we need to ask ourselves is simply this – “Do we tust in that abundance? Do we trust in this Grace? Do we trust in God’s generosity?”

That’s the underlying question concept comes in that moment of time when we stand bewildered before the abundance of God’s grace present and manifest or real in our lives. It’s the question we face when we feel it wash over us … when, we are REDEEMED and made new.

Do we trust in God’s generosity?

Isaiah touches on this in his reading when, in the midst of great turmoil and suffering and struggle, we suddenly find ourselves overwhelmed by God’s generous Grace and we are renamed … we, like Israel move from “forsaken” and “desolate” to “my delight is in her – Hepzibah” and “my beloved – Beulah” … It’s a significant step … it’s a crucial step.

In the Church, the action of renewal and renaming is so important that we actualize it in Baptism when we call the Child by name – we SAY their name in the presence of that Generous Grace and each of us are made new…

Individually, we experience it in our lives through our baptism, and we experience it over and over when in the midst of those dark moments we ALL struggle with, we suddenly become aware of the holy and we feel not only comforted, but made new … we are called by name and overwhelmed by the gift of limitless Grace …

As a community of faith, we have been on a journey back from the darkness … it would be too easy to say now that what we have ahead is too much, or too expensive, or too much work … and to throw our hands in the air and simply say – “forget it …” But when we step into the presence of God’s grace and feel it; when we hear our names called … called by name … we can not only stumble forward, we can plant one foot in front of the other and move forward confident that not only is God with us, but God loves us unconditionally … That extravagant, generous grace …

And so, our journey forward requires … no, our journey forward demands that each of us bring the gifts and talents that we have in abundance, and share them not only with God, but with one another … Paul, writing to the conflict riddled Church in Corinth was urging them to look beyond the petty bickering of the moment and to instead embrace the Spiritual reality - that together they had MUCH to do … and they would achieve it only when they allow that generous grace to wash over them.

We all have talents and abilities to share. We all have gifts and skills to offer. We all bring something unique and special to the table … this table, where we break bread and pour out the cup … owe need to trust in our abilities and talents … we need to trust in the abilities and talents of others … but most importantly, we need to trust in God …

Ah, there’s the rub … trust …

It’s easy to feel the doubt in moments of darkness.

It’s easy to feel the buoyancy of rejoicing when life is good.

It’s easy to look out for our own selfish interests.

But it is less easy to trust in God and the community of faith, and each other throughout life …

Yet, in the diversity of the human family, we MUST trust in others all the time … we must trust in the abundant, unending, condition-less love of God in our lives, and in the life of our community and world …

It’s NOT easy. Sometimes it takes a HUGE risk … In the commentary material for this week’s readings, they cite the example of Habitat for Humanity, which was started when a very successful, very wealthy business man Miller Fuller decided that his lifestyle wasn’t enough. He decided that with his abundant wealth, and business and political connections he could begin to make a BIG difference in the world. So he resigned from his business, sold his possessions and started a small mission is southern Georgia where he began building houses for the poor – one house at a time, with the future home owner labouring with him through something called sweat equity … One hammer blow, one nail, one board, one house at a time … Now Habitat for Humanity wraps itself around the world and has built over 200 000 homes for needy families … And it all began because one man and his wife decided to do something with their talents and abilities …

There were days he wondered – “why?” – there were times he wondered if he shouldn’t just give up … there times he thought – what difference will I really make … Now 30 years later – he has made a huge difference by bringing together people with diverse talents and abilities … one a Habitat worksite you may find yourself alongside President Jimmy Carter or some other celebrity, or the future home owner – they all work together … They live the values of I Corinthians 12 … and they celebrate the abundance of God’s grace as found and shared in God’s children …

So, we return to that 150 gallons … that’s a lot of wine. That’s a lot of very very good wine. That is extravagance that is off the scale … And yet, here it is. It grabs our attention and tells us – “This is what the Kingdom of God is really like !!”

The Kingdom of God is where gallons of the finest vintage are there … the Kingdom of God is where there us only abundance … the kingdom of God is where ALL are the beloved … The Kingdom of God is where there is only love and grace …

The Kingdom of God is without limit and without condition … if we dare to believe.

And so we stand before the huge stone jars watch as the water that moments ago we as good and loyal servants had poured in there ourselves, and with our jaws hanging agape we watch as the finest wine is poured out and passed around … Such is the Kingdom of God: abundance, extravagance, and celebration … it’s stretch, but in this moment we MUST have the courage to realize that God’s wine will never run out. Sometimes when we think it has run out, we find in the plentiful water around and within us that God’s best wine is still being served.

Today, and in the coming days, let us hold our chalices and enjoy, for the best is yet to come …
In this we can trust and believe …
May it be so, thanks be to God.