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SECOND SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY

The Quiet Work of God

John 2:1-11

How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is giv’n!

So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heav’n.

No ear may hear his coming, but in this world of sin,

Where meek souls will receive him, still the dear Christ enters in.

            “O Little Town of Bethlehem” is a beloved Christmas carol we sing every year.  It’s one of my personal favorites and this verse – the third verse – is my favorite verse of the hymn.  It conveys the quietness and the mystery of what God is doing at Christmas.  No blaring trumpets, no rolling drums, no amazed throngs to call attention to God’s action.  Far beyond the reach of cameras and crowds, God carries out the work of salvation and hope.

            This is the way God often works – out of sight, out of sound, without flamboyance or fanfare – but working, nonetheless.  The birth of Jesus is one example.  We get another in the second chapter of John.  John begins with a great hymn about Jesus – In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God…and the Word became flesh and lived among us!  There is the witness of John the Baptist who cries out, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!”  There are even Jesus own words – You will see greater things that these!  You will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man!

After all of this high-sounding talk, Jesus lands at a wedding.  In many ways, it is an ordinary wedding.  It is a celebration of something people do all the time and have done it nearly as long as humans have been on the planet. 

But right at the beginning we get a sign that this is no ordinary wedding – at least it is not an ordinary story about an ordinary wedding.  “On the third day…” is how this story begins.  This is a sign that this story is not just about two people getting married.  This is a story that points to something greater.  It points to resurrection, because it was “on the third day” that the empty tomb was discovered.

The very next thing we learn is that Mary, the mother of Jesus, is there.  Almost as an afterthought we learn that Jesus and his disciples are there, too.  This is odd because we assume that the main character of the story is Jesus.  We assume he is the star, but instead Mary gets top billing.  Hmmm…  We’ll come back to this.

The stage is set.  The main characters have been introduced.  Immediately we cut to the chase.  “When the wine gave out…”  This is the worst possible news.  It is even worse than, “We have no more casserole.”  With every women’s group I have ever worked, the great fear is that they will run out of food at the potluck.  But this is much worse.  Without wine, this wedding – which normally would go for an entire week – will come to a screeching halt.  Guests will quickly remember other things they need to be doing.  The family will live with shame for years.  And the happy couple will not stand a chance.  This is unthinkable.  It is the worst possible news.  “When the wine gave out…”

Mary takes action.  We do not know where her knowledge comes from, because, in the Gospel of John, this is her first appearance.  But she seems to know that her son has the capacity to do something about this disaster.  Again, with simplicity and brevity, she delivers the news to him – “They have no wine.”  There is no moaning.  There is no kvetching.  There is no tone of, “These poor people!  You’ve got to do something!”  There is only a reporting of the state of things, as sad as it may be.

Jesus responds harshly – “Woman!  Why are you involving me?  It’s not time for me to reveal myself.”  The time for revelation is the cross, the only other time, by the way, that Mary, the mother of Jesus, appears in the Gospel of John.

In spite of this, Mary is not deterred.  She does what she can.  She tells the servants – “Do whatever he tells you.” (We’ll come back to this, too.)

Now we get to the miracle: There happen to be six huge stone jars there.  They are not for storing liquid that is to be sipped or drunk, but liquid for bathing in.  Jesus speaks to the servants – Fill them with water.  They fill them with water.  Then Jesus tells them to take some of the water from those jars and give it to the caterer.  What does the caterer do?  He doesn’t summon Jesus to offer thanks for averting disaster.  He doesn’t even ask the servants where the wine came from.  No, he calls the bridegroom and expresses amazement that, just when he expected cheap wine, he gets the best wine.

The caterer does not know where the wine came from.  The bridegroom has no idea.  The guests don’t have a clue.  But the servants know.  Mary knows.  Apparently, at the end, the disciples know, too, but no one else.

This story is a sign, although a very quiet one.  It is a sign that points us to Jesus, not to the wondrous miracle worker, but to Jesus on the cross, where his true glory – the glory of his love – is revealed.  Just as John the Baptist only points to Jesus – “Behold, the Lamb of God!” – so, this story also points to Jesus who, out of love, will offer his life for the sake of the world. 

So, what are we to do in the meantime?  I think this is where Mary comes in. 

Mary does two things: First, she brings the needs of the world to Jesus.  She states them directly.  She states them succinctly.  She does not try to lay a guilt trip on Jesus.  She only says, “They have no wine.”  And, despite Jesus’ brush-off, she has confidence that he has heard her.

We too can offer our needs and the needs of the world to God and be confident that we are heard.  “My son needs a job.”  “My daughter is struggling.”  “My parents are getting weaker.”  “The people in Haiti are devastated.”  We can offer our needs to God in prayer without begging or pleading and be confident that we are heard and that, no matter what the initial response, God will work.

Second, Mary goes to the servants and says, “Do whatever he tells you.”  So we too can do what Jesus tells us – Abide in me.  Listen to my voice.  Believe in God.  Believe also in me.  Wash one another’s feet.  Love one another as I have loved you.

As we follow him to the cross, as we wait for three days, as we wait for the final consummation at his marriage feast, we do as he says and believe in him.  We pray.  We follow.  And we trust that, in his time, we will be summoned to the great banquet.

No ear may hear his coming, but in this world of sin,

Where meek souls will receive him, still the dear Christ enters in.