The Wedding       Epiphany 2c, 2007           January 14, 2007

The story we have today is that Jesus came to a wedding. Weddings are always important, not only for the bride and groom, but for their whole family and their friends. We can learn a lot about people at a wedding.

I recently talked to an old friend. I’ll call her Sally. Sally told me recently she’s getting married to a man I’ll call Ted. She was so happy, just glowing with joy. They had been dating him for about two years. She met Ted through a mutual friend back in her own hometown in Memphis, about 600 miles away. Even though they were so far apart in distance,

Sally said they had grown really close. She knew that Ted was perfect for her. He’s about the same age and same station in life as her. He has a good job and comes from a good family she’s known for a long time. His first wife died several years ago. Sally said that after she thought long and hard about it, she just wanted him in her life permanently.

She also considered that issues for her family, and some of them were really difficult for her. Her oldest son Terry was just starting college, and he was all for it. He really likes Ted, and is glad to hear that he will become his step father. Her youngest son, Gene was a sophomore in high school. He was apprehensive from the beginning. He said that he didn’t want to move away leave and change schools and leave his friends. Gene said if she got married and moved, he was going to go live with a friend.

Sally was apprehensive about her son and just wasn’t sure how this would work out, but she was really going to try. She was hoping her son Gene would change his mind over time.

I was not sure what to say to her, but I do know that God has already given Sally all the resources to make a good decision. Love and marriage is always filled with uncertainty and mystery. Since we’re all only human and never perfect, one question is, can we love their imperfections? The second question is, are we willing to forsake and give up things for the sake of the marriage? Sally was struggling with many questions.

She wondered if she could get her youngest son, Gen to change his mind. The problem is, people won’t change unless they want to change. I’m sure that her son has several reasons why he’s not willing to move. I told Sally I’d pray for her.

When I heard this story where Jesus comes to a wedding, I thought about Sally, her two sons, and Ted. It doesn’t give us an easy answer on how Sally and Ted and her two sons can work through their problems.

John’s gospel only tells us that Jesus was invited and went to the wedding, along with his mother and his disciples. It doesn’t say how Jesus knew them. Did he grow up with one of them? Was this a niece or nephew, perhaps a childhood friend? Did Jesus approve of their marriage? We don’t know.

It does tell us that the family had jars of water for the Jewish rite of purification. This was a traditional Jewish wedding with a Jewish worship service.

Ever been to a Jewish wedding? It’s a party, a celebration. Even more so in Jesus day, it was a reunion of family and friends that lasted for several days, with all kinds of ceremonial jesters. Wine was then, and is now an important part of that tradition. Today, one of the Jewish traditions is that the newly married couple, both drink from the same wine glass, and then break the glass with a round of applause and shots of “maziltoph.” Which loosely translated means, alriii-ight!”

But for some reason, at this wedding, the wine ran out. It doesn’t say why, or whose fault it was. Maybe there were some who drank much more wine than the caterer anticipated. Whatever the reason, it was a big embarrassment. More than that, it was a bad sign for those getting married.

This is a kind of symbolic problem. What happens to a marriage when the wine runs out? What happens when the money gets tight, and the children are unruly, or another more attractive woman or man comes along. What happens when the wine runs out? Will the joy of the marriage continue?

It’s not really God’s problem. It’s our problem. But I suspect some were praying for God to fix the problem. Like those times when we say, oh God, I have a problem. What should I do? Of course, God leaves such ordinary problems to our own discretion. That’s what we call in theology, free will. The answer to the prayer is to use the good common that God gave us. Next time, don’t drink it so fast!

Jesus’ mother was coaxing Jesus to do something, but Jesus said, “Woman, my time hasn’t come.” I can understand Jesus reluctance to do what his mother asked him to do. Jesus purpose was to forgive sins and open the connection between God and all humanity. It appears that Mary was just trying to manipulate Jesus, even though her request was well intended.

Mary wouldn’t take no for an answer. She went right ahead and told the servers to do whatever he tells you. Jesus reluctantly had to do something to appease her and everyone else at the wedding. Could he use this problem to find a way to fulfill his purpose of bringing the new kingdom?

He looked around, and there were six huge water jars, as big as barrels standing there, about 125 gallons of water, enough to fill a good sized hot tub. The water is for the Jewish rites of purification. The ritual of purification was prescribed by the Torah, which what we gentiles call the Old Testament. This was not water for cleansing, but rather water as a sign of preparation to worship. Worship for them was like worship for us. It’s a time we all come together to meet God, to be with God.

The Torah taught that before they began worship, they had to have a ritual cleansing of their hearts, minds and souls. I understand that in the Jewish tradition written in the book called the Talmud. It tells them how much water to use for the rite of purification. It says that just one cup of water was enough to purify a hundred men. Jews had separate traditions that applied to women. But here, in this story, there is about 125 gallons of water! That is enough water to purify the entire world!

This was no generic miracle. This miracle is a riddle to open our eyes to the light of Christ. When Jesus turned all that purification water into fine wine; he was making a symbolic statement to all people. Everyone who has been baptized and receives Holy Communion will make the connection.

In a few minutes, I’ll lift a cup of ordinary wine and recall what Jesus said. “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin.” He did that on the night that men were coming to arrest him, and one of his closest friends had informed the soldiers where he was. They falsely convicted him, and hung him. But he remained faithful to his promise, and forgives all human sin by his own blood.

So what should we do? Focus each day on living by God’s grace alone through faith alone. That’s it. It might sound simple, but living by grace changes the focus of our life. Living by grace begins with the new birth of baptism, where Jesus purifies us for the kingdom, and we are born again to live in his light. When we stumble in the darkness, by the blood of Christ our sins are forgiven, and we can get up and walk in a new life.

Living by grace changes everything. At school, we don’t have to worry about what others say about us because God love us. At work we don’t have to live in the darkness of the pressures we face. Jesus forgives us, and that’s all that really matters.

Living by the wine of forgiveness changes the focus of weddings for Christians. We recognize that when the wine has run out, the children are all worried, and when the promises our spouse makes are broken, we can still live in a joy even greater than we had on our wedding day. Jesus can turn the water into wine, heal our pain, and bring joy to our sorrow.

When Jesus turned the purification water into the wine of the gospel, there was a clear message for us. Rather than worrying our purity, we can live in with all the dirtiness we find in the world. Since Jesus forgives our sins, we can forgive others. And I assure you the grace of God is more that sufficient for all of us.

Amen