Second Sunday After Epiphany: Who Crashed the Wedding Party?

Today's Scripture Readings

Isaiah 62:1-5 (NRSV)

For Zion's sake I will not keep silent,
and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest,

until her vindication shines out like the dawn,
and her salvation like a burning torch.

The nations shall see your vindication,
and all the kings your glory;

and you shall be called by a new name
that the mouth of the Lord will give.

You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord,
and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.

You shall no more be termed Forsaken,
and your land shall no more be termed Desolate;

but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her,
and your land Married;

for the Lord delights in you,
and your land shall be married.

For as a young man marries a young woman,
so shall your builder marry you,

and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
so shall your God rejoice over you.

Psalm 36: 5-10 (BCP., p.632)


1 Corinthians 12: 1-11 (NRSV)

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans, you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says "Let Jesus be cursed!" and no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit.

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.

John 2: 1-11 (NRSV)

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, "Fill the jars with water." And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, "Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward." So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, "Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now." Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

Blog Reflection

Saint Paul gave us a great way to begin our meditation.  Everyone of us has something special about us that God gave us to share with the family of God's Church; and make a difference in the Church and the world.  Our gifts are different, and they will impact the lives of others very differently.  Yet, they are just as valuable and important.

As Episcopalians, we have been deeply disturbed (and for good reason) by the statement made by the Primates of the Anglican Communion.  The Episcopal Church has been censured for becoming an inclusive church for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning people.  Those who are LGBTQ are justified in responding to this statement with anger, sadness, confusion and concern for LGBTQ people in other parts of the Anglican Communion.  I am sure many others who want nothing to do with religion of any kind have another good reason to avoid it.

Our Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry has suggested that The Episcopal Church's vocation might be to help lead the Anglican Communion to become a fellowship of churches that are truly inclusive of all God's people.   Not a bad thought.

Our Gospel today tells us that Jesus arrived at a very unusual wedding party.  Jesus was there with His mother.  The wedding party and the steward were looking at being ostracized for running out of wine.  Mary asks Jesus, Jesus appears to be the mouthy child in response to her.  Mary tells the servants to do whatever Jesus tells them.  We know the rest of the story from the text.  Jesus made the best wine at the party out of water.  That which was plain and appeared to be useless, became the generosity of God in double doses.  The love of God poured out in Jesus Christ became the life of the party.  God was revealed in Christ who gives of God's Self in totality so that others could draw closer to God.  In particular those who were outcast and in need of being included.  God crashed the wedding party and made a difference by changing the outcome of the story.

There are those who view LGBTQ people as having come to crash the party of "traditional" marriage, family and "the good" of human society.  The fact is LGBTQ people bring as much beauty to marriage, family and the good of all human society as other diverse peoples.  As Episcopalians and Anglicans who are the "via media" we make good use of the gifts God brings to the Church in those who agree with each other, and those who do not agree with each other.  In a quote by the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings, the President of the House of Deputies,

"We re-affirm our identity as Anglican Christians. That identity, since its inception, has included two foundational principles: the ecclesiological autonomy of the church in a given land, and a comprehensive inclusion of divergent theological viewpoints. Our identity as Anglicans has never been a matter of credal or doctrinal subscription, nor of conciliar membership requirements."

The work of Jesus at the wedding at Cana was about bringing together all of the relationships present there into the focus of the relationships shared by everyone there.  They all served a different function from a different point of view; yet their work brought everyone to a similar ending.  Jesus made the water into wine, because people did what they knew how to do in their unique potential and capacity.  

A possible message; God places us where we are with the gifts we have to use them to manifest the presence of God in Christ.  It is the Holy Spirit that empowers us with those gifts.  It is up to us to discern what God would have us do with them.

May we all be open to crashing the parties where God can make a difference through us.

Amen.


Prayers

Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light
of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word
and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ's
glory, that he may be known, worshiped, and obeyed to the
ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with
you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and
for ever. Amen.  (The Book of Common Prayer, p. 215).

Almighty God, who created us in your image: Grant us
grace fearlessly to contend against evil and to make no peace
with oppression; and, that we may reverently use our freedom,
help us to employ it in the maintenance of justice in our
communities and among the nations, to the glory of your holy
Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.  (Prayer for Social Justice, The Book of Common Prayer, p. 260). 

Gracious Father, we pray for thy holy Catholic Church. Fill it
with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt,
purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in any thing it is
amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in
want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake
of Jesus Christ thy Son our Savior. Amen.  (Prayer for the Church, The Book of Common Prayer, p. 816).