[Propertalk] 2 Epiphany - Jan. 17, 2010 - Sermon quotes - Part 2

[Joe Parrish]

This is a private miracle, subdued and quiet. It is not some flashy show of divine power. Only a few people, including the reader, know what actually happened. Jesus was even reluctant to do anything at the event. It was not meant to happen, but the persistence of his mother led him to perform what has become one of the most famous of his miracles. 
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...enough wine for the whole village now...

http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?lect_date=1/17/2010#

Roy Harrisville, 2010
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The "mother of Jesus" appears for the first time in the gospel; the last time is when she stands at the foot of the cross. On both occasions, Jesus addresses her as "Woman" (v. 4), a title roughly equivalent to Madam today...

http://montreal.anglican.org/comments/archive/cpr02m.shtml

Chris Haslam
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In 1:50, Jesus has told Nathanael: "You will see greater things than these". This prophecy is beginning to be fulfilled.

http://montreal.anglican.org/comments/archive/cpr02l.shtml

Chris Haslam
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Chung Hyun Kyung has suggested that Mary is much more important to this story than we usually think; after all, she raised Jesus to practice "compassionate justice." 
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Renita Weems (2000) provides a lovely reflection that compares the spiritual journey to marriage: "It hits highs and lows, goes through seasons of ecstasy and ennui, and you find yourself wondering whether it's possible to regain the passion, the conviction, the spiritual momentum you once enjoyed. The message of this second Sunday after the Epiphany is yes. Take those empty stone jars, fill them to the brim with the water of hope, prayer, and persistence, and draw from them." 
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For further reflection:

Sören Kierkegaard, 19th century
Christ turned water into wine, but the church has succeeded in doing something even more difficult: it has turned wine into water.

The Dalai Lama, 21st century
Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.

Richard Cizik, National Association of Evangelicals, 21st century 
When I die, God isn't going to ask me "Did I create the Earth in six days or five days?" but "What did you do with what I gave you?"

Carl Lewis, 20th century
Life is about timing.

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I would like to tell you about a hero of mine: my son, John Kent, who teaches fourth grade in an urban school district in another part of Ohio <> Several years ago, when John was still a new teacher, his successes felt few and far between. But one day, he told me about something that happened during parent-teacher conferences. He had a student, a little girl, who had been struggling with her work, but John told me in a very matter-of-fact way that he had been working on a special educational plan for this little girl, and she had shown a lot of progress. When her mother came in for the conference, she thanked John for the amazing difference he had made in her daughter's life. John - instinctively remembering where his own gifts came from - responded humbly and simply, explaining the educational plan and lifting up the little girl's own efforts. But the mother, he said, leaned across the desk at him, and raised her own voice as she interrupted him:  "No, you don't understand, Mr. Huey, God has sent you to us!" John said they both looked at each other for a long moment, and for that moment he paused to see his work and his calling through new - or maybe renewed - eyes. 

http://www.ucc.org/worship/samuel/january-17-2010.html

Kate Huey, 2010
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