Sonia Falaschi-Ray’s Sermon 22 January 2012 January 23, 2012

Sermon
Picture the scene: Open courtyard, village house, tables laden with food, bride and groom with immediate family @ top table, friends, relatives, in fact perhaps the whole village along with Mary, Jesus and his disciples, all having a good time. Cats prowling in hope of falling food, dogs scratching themselves. A light breeze in a warm autumn evening. Cicadas competing with the speeches. The scent of roast lamb.
Then, Mary notices what could become a social disaster and turns to Jesus.
“The wine’s run out”
“What?”
“The wine’s run out”
“What has that to do with you or me?”
“He’s your cousin. Anyhow have you seen how much your friends have drunk? Especially that Simon Peter.
“They’re fishermen.”
“And they drink like fish. You must do something.”
“What had you in mind?”
“You know what to do.”
“Not now Mama, it’s not the right time.”
“Let me be the judge of that. Waiter!”
“Yes Ma’am.”
“Do what ever he says.”
“Yes Ma’am.”

Mary attempted to avert a situation that was about to become seriously embarrassing. Embarrassing for the bridegroom, the host, who might look stingy, or poor at planning. But also potentially embarrassing for the guests. Traditionally, as wedding celebrations could extend for several days, it was expected that wedding guests would supply some wine. Who knows whether or not the disciples were part of the problem?

That Mary noticed, and expected Jesus to do something, implies he was a senior male at the proceedings. The wedding was in Galilee, in Jesus’ home district. Joseph may have been dead, as no mention is made of him. So Jesus would have been the head of his branch of the family.
“My time has not yet come” …. “My time has not yet come.”

What was this time that he considered or maybe just hoped had not yet come? In John 12:27 Jesus predicts his death, and says “Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? “Father save me from this hour?” No it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, Glorify your name.” Jesus knew the moment he performed the first of his miraculous signs, which would show who he really was, he was on an unstoppable trajectory to crucifixion. Humanly speaking, that must have filled him with horror. “My time has not yet come.”

Mama knew differently! No Middle Eastern man is master in his own home when Mama is present. Mary knew His time had come and carried on regardless. “Waiter! Do whatever he tells you.”

As always in John’s gospel, the story and its details point beyond themselves to the person of Jesus as the son of God. This story starts, “On the third day a wedding took place.” The third day is of course also highly symbolic, foreshadowing the resurrection when God’s name was glorified.

Also, Jesus often uses the example of a wedding feast as an analogy for the Kingdom of Heaven, and describes himself as the bridegroom at that feast. This is what we together can look forward to. In heaven we won’t be sitting on hard pews in a chilly church but enjoying a great celebration with each other. I can see some of you are not sure how much fun that will be. Have confidence that your resurrection selves will be tuned to enjoy everyone’s company.

Back to Cana. In the lobby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding about 100 litres. Now in John, these stone water jars are symbolic of the Old Covenant. Jews had to be ritually clean before eating and stone was deemed not to transmit impurities, unlike earthenware which might have to be smashed if it became contaminated.

“Do whatever he tells you.”
“Fill ’em up.” “Yes Sir.”
Let’s just think about the quantities here. As the invitations were extended to Jesus’ disciples, this was a big do, and will have spread over several evenings. Perhaps the whole village of Cana was invited? Maybe 150 people? A litre per head? They had possibly consumed 150 litres of wine. A prudent person, considering people had probably drunk quite enough already, might consider another glass or two more than sufficient. Jesus created 4-5 times what they had already drunk!

Jesus displayed an undeserved, extraordinary generosity. That is a definition of Grace. As John says in his prologue, “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” We are pivoting here from the Old Covenant of Moses to the New Covenant of Jesus.

“Now draw some out and take it to the Toast Master.” He tasted it, called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the best wine first and then the plonk after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
“Yes. Right.” Goodness knows what the bridegroom thought.
Jesus is not into plonk. Think Chateau Lafitte Grand Cru. – Those of you who know more about wine than I do can supply your own year.
So here is Jesus, saving host and guests from embarrassment, triggering the journey which will take him to the cross, and showing how he, the true vine whose father is the gardener overlays the old law of Moses of ritual washing and temporary purification with a New Covenant, full of grace.

And what grace. Grace that multiplies five-fold, with exceptional quality, and tactfully done.
“This was the first of his miraculous signs”. “He thus revealed his glory and his disciples put their faith in him.”

Jesus shows us what grace is – undeserved, exceptional generosity and he asks us, if we have faith in him, if we profess to love him, to do the same. It is worth spending a little time trying to recognise God’s grace towards each of us. Maybe in our life opportunities, our being born in a free country, our health, our families, our education, our resources – many thing over which we have had no input or influence. We should love Him because he first loved us. It is just so easy to take our circumstances for granted, not realising that they are gifts and that we are very lucky.

So what can we do? Perhaps this week each of us can find an opportunity to exhibit some of that undeserved, unlimited generosity, which never embarrasses its recipient. Grace. Maybe, in the time we give someone whose company may not be all that congenial to us? Not just sufficient time but a generous amount of time.

Maybe in the attention we pay to someone. Really listening to what they have to say. Perhaps someone close to us, where we think we know what they are going to say and we would normally switch onto auto-pilot. This time, really listening to the meaning behind the familiar words.

Or a financial opportunity might arise where we can be joyfully and tactfully generous – so that our right hand doesn’t know what our left hand is doing. Not like those celebrities who feign coyness when interviewed about their charity work, while making sure it is part of their public relations briefing. After all, our Offertory prayer declares that the money in the collection is a token of the fact that all that we have actually belongs to God – “Of your own do we give you.” I wonder if I always believe that? I am sure I don’t always act as if I do.

So, this week, let’s see if each of us can demonstrate our thankfulness to God for his abounding grace by offering to someone, literally or metaphorically, not a glass or two of plonk but a magnum of Chateau Lafitte.

Let us pray:
Sonia Falaschi-Ray