“Grace Upon Grace” – John 2:1-11 – January 14, 2006

In December I had the opportunity of attending a wedding reception. It was a busy time of the year and the bride and groom doubted that all the guests they invited would come. Apparently the evening they chose for their wedding happened to be a day when all their invited guests were free. Everyone came, and when they started arriving at the reception hall there were not enough tables to seat all the guests. Within minutes, the groom, some relatives and friends started setting up additional tables and chairs. Then, there was room for everyone. No one had to be turned away.

I am always amazed at the resourcefulness of people when there is a passion about including friends and a desire to be hospitable. This was especially true at that reception. The bride and groom sincerely cared about their guests since they didn’t hesitate to make room for all who had come.

In Jesus’ day, hospitality was crucial. To run out of wine at a wedding would have been an insult. There was actually an unwritten law that the groom and his parents provided enough food and drink for all of their guests. If they ran out, the family would have to “make good,” with gifts and financial resources at future weddings of other relatives or friends. In that day having to make up for the past sin of running out of wine could put a tremendous financial burden on a family.

When we understand the brevity of the situation at the wedding in Cana we can appreciate how urgent it was to provide more wine. Thus, Mary turned to Jesus for a solution. It appeared that Jesus was insulted with the task of finding additional wine. This was not why he came. His mission in life was far more profound than saving a wedding reception by providing the drinks. But, Jesus saved the day. He produced not just any wine but a quality wine. Normally wine has to age in order to be any good. Jesus however made the “good stuff” in a matter of minutes.

The story challenges us with several questions. Why did Jesus take the time to make wine when providing wine was such a low priority for him? How could he make a high quality wine from water, and in such a short period of time? And why would the gospel of John begin his ministry with a wedding?

I believe it all has to do with grace.

Historians believe that the wedding Jesus attended were most likely relatives. The presence of his mother, Mary, seemed to indicate that they were related or at least, close friends. Although we don’t know who the bride and groom were, we do know that Jesus was present. And, it was his presence that saved the day. Or, in other words, grace happened because God was present.

Jesus was an invited guest at the wedding in Cana. And the situation, which could have been a disaster, turned out to be a festive occasion where no one had to be embarrassed. Grace happens when we invite God into our midst. Not that God needs to be invited but great things can happen when we are open and aware of the wondrous things God can do.

For some odd reason, the Midwest is being spared a severe winter. The temperatures have been mild. There has been little or no snow. This means that millions of people are getting a break on their heating bills. As a consequence church attendance has been higher. People don’t have to worry about slipping on the ice. Perhaps God believed that folks here in the Midwest needed a break. When more of her people come, the church is strengthened. We can blame global warming or we can credit Mother nature. Or, we could see the warm weather pattern as grace.

The story of the wedding at Cana also illustrates that acts of compassion start with those we are closest too. Providing resources to maintain a sense of community can be very significant. The church has always been considered as the “bride” of Christ. Therefore, Jesus’ act of compassion reminds us that indeed, one of the most significant attributes of being the church is to be in community and to be hospitable.

Sharing our resources is what we are about. When we hold back we are holding back on God’s grace. One time there was a small village in the hills of Italy. Their primary source of agriculture was the growing of grapes. Many of these small communities have made their livelihoods growing grapes to make wine. Some of it is the finest in the world. What makes each wine unique is the fact that each village has its own recipe. The people grow their own grapes, make their own wine then pour their wine into one giant keg in the center of town. As a result, they had a community wine to which everyone made a contribution.

One year this particular village had a bad growing season. One of the wine makers decided that since things were tight, he didn't want to share his wine with the rest of the village. He sold his wine outside the community. When he went to the center of town to put his share of wine in the keg, he substituted water, figuring that one barrel of water in the gigantic keg would not make a big difference and therefore go unnoticed.

The wine, as was their custom aged in the huge keg for seven years. At the end of the seven years the villagers all gathered with merchants from around the world to open the keg and sell their precious wine. This was a significant event since the village depended on the selling of their wine for a main source of their income. When the big keg was tapped, nothing came out but water. It seemed that everyone in the village that year had the same idea as everyone put water into the keg instead of wine. All they had was one gigantic keg of well-aged water.

When you put nothing into life you get nothing back. It is only when every individual gives of themselves for the good of community that life has quality and meaning. It was true for the little village in Italy that year and it can be true for us today. When Jesus turned the water into wine that day at the wedding at Cana he was putting himself into the life of the community. The reason they now had wine instead of plain ordinary water was that Jesus added his love and life as part of the recipe.

We have a responsibility to share God’s resources with others. When we hold back we cause embarrassment to the community. When we share, God’s grace is distributed to all and His presence is made known.

What if Jesus had refused to change the water to wine? No doubt there would have been chaos and people who were supposed to love each other would have held grudges and the community would have been in disarray.

One time there was a man named Luigi Tarisio. He loved violins and began collecting them. He only purchased those instruments that were of the highest quality. No one knew of his passion until after he died. When his estate was appraised years after his death, they discovered 246 valuable violins. One of those was a Stradivarius which Tarisio had hidden in a dresser drawer. W.Y. Fullerton commented that with his attempt to preserve the instrument Tarisio had robbed the world of a quality instrument for 147 years.

We do not know how Jesus turned water into wine. There is no rational explanation, especially since we know that good wine takes years to produce. How God works is a mystery. The grace of God is sometimes a spontaneous occurrence and it showers upon us for no apparent reason. There are times when grace just simply happens. Unfortunately we are not always capable of accepting the grace of God because we can’t explain it. Consequently, we ignore its life-changing potential.

Ultimately this is a story about transformation. Just as the grace of God can change water into wine, the grace of God can transform our lives. Jesus was about changing lives, therefore it seems only appropriate that his first act of ministry took place at a wedding.` When we are willing to be facilitators of God’s goodness the faith community is strengthened. When we are open to the potential of God’s grace, life can be different, and become vastly improved.

I receive phone calls from people who would like to have their wedding at St. Paul’s Church. Weddings can be time consuming and honestly, there are times when I just say no. Here we have an open policy and folks outside the congregation are welcome to have their weddings here, as long as the schedule and staff are free. The other day I had a conversation with a woman who wanted to know if there would be any chance of her having a wedding here. Both she and her fiancé are Roman Catholic. It is a second marriage for both of them. When I told her they could have her wedding here she was elated. She really didn’t think we would be that open. This made me realize that we extend grace when we are available. Just as God is available to us, God wants us to be available to others.

For me, it was a transforming event. Just about the time you get tired of doing weddings, you remember what life-changing events they can be. I have performed over 300 weddings. I am always amazed at what happens behind the scenes. Complete strangers, relatives and friends of the bride and groom come together for the first time. And on many occasions, I have witnessed healings between friends and relatives who have been estranged from one another. Another phenomenon is that all those presently married are hearing their vows repeated which enriches their marriage. Weddings are a time of great joy, a time of new beginnings but most importantly they are a time of transformation.

The wedding at Cana illustrates that just as God changed plain water into fine wine, God can change lives as well. The story also implies that we as individuals can be facilitators of God’s grace. God can work through us when we are willing to come to the aid of others or when we understand ourselves as integral parts of the community of faith. May we always be open to the presence of God and God’s life-changing grace.

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio