[Propertalk] 2 Epiphany c - 1

[Robert P Morrison]

I'm still working this over, but here's the first part of the first
draft.
Bob

THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF ST. ALBAN, ALBANY 2 EPIPHANY C

ISAIAH 62:1-5 17TH JANUARY, 2016

1 CORINTHIANS 12:1-11 PSALM 36:5-10

JOHN 2:1-11

 “THEY HAVE NO WINE.”

 PROBABLY MARY WAS STATING THE OBVIOUS, BUT IT MUST HAVE BEEN SERIOUS
ENOUGH FOR HER TO DRAW IT TO HER SON’S ATTENTION, AND TO THAT OF THE
FRIENDS HE’D BROUGHT WITH HIM.

 “THEY HAVE NO WINE.” THEY HAD SOME, THAT MUCH IS OBVIOUS. NOW
THEY DIDN’T. IT WAS GONE. FINISHED. THE CELEBRATION WAS JEOPARDISED.

 JUST ABOUT EVERY TIME I’VE READ THIS STORY, OR HEARD IT READ, OR
HEARD SERMONS ON IT, THERE’S BEEN SOME SORT OF A CRITICISM OF THE
HOST INFERRED. THE PERSON ASSIGNED TO PROCURE THE REFRESHMENTS MUST
HAVE MISJUDGED THE NUMBER OF GUESTS; OR THE HAPPINESS OF THOSE AT THE
RECEPTION SO THAT THEY STAYED FAR LONGER THAN ANTICIPATED. JUST ABOUT
EVERY TIME, THERE’S SOME CRITICISM WRAPPED UP IN THIS. YOU CAN SEE
AND HEAR MARY, CLICKING HER TONGUE, SHAKING HER HEAD, ROLLING HER EYES
AS SHE MOVED TOWARDS HER SON. YOU CAN HEAR EXASPERATION IN HER SON’S
VOICE, AS IF TO SAY, “DON’T LOOK AT ME. I’M A GUEST.”

 BUT HOW MUCH OF THAT IS ACCURATE? HOW MUCH OF THAT IS OUR MENTAL
ATTITUDE, ALWAYS TRYING TO PIN THE BLAME ON SOMEONE ELSE; ALWAYS
TRYING TO DUCK OUT FROM UNDER ANY RESPONSIBILITY OURSELVES – EVEN
MARY’S SON? THERE’S NOTHING IN THE STORY TO SUGGEST THAT THEY
DIDN’T START WITH WINE. THE STEWARD, IN FACT, SAYS THAT THE BEST
WINE IS LAID OUT FIRST, THEN THE MAD DOG, WHEN PEOPLE WON’T BE ABLE
TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE. THERE WAS WINE TO START WITH. BUT NOTHING IS
SAID ABOUT TOO MANY GUESTS, ABOUT TOO LONG A RECEPTION AFTER THE
WEDDING, ABOUT TOO GREEDY CONSUMPTION AT THE BAR. NOTHING. JUST,
“THEY HAVE NO WINE.” A SIMPLE STATEMENT OF FACT.

 “THERE IS NO WINE”.

 SOMETIMES, WE FORGET IMAGINATION AND SLIP INTO LITERALISM. NOT THAT
FACE-VALUE SHOULD BE DISCOUNTED, BUT GOD LAYS LAYER UPON LAYER IN
EVERY COMMUNICATIVE EFFORT IN AN ATTEMPT TO FILL US WITH JOY, AND
HOPE, AND TRUST. LONG BEFORE CHRISTIAN SYMBOLISM WAS SEEN IN THESE
STORIES AND EVENTS, THE ANCIENT SEARCHING FOR TRUTH AND METAPHOR HAD
FIRED UP PEOPLE’S MINDS AS THEY SOUGHT TO TOUCH THE FACE OF GOD OR,
AT LEAST, THE HEM OF GOD’S GARMENT.

 THROUGHOUT THE BOOKS AND STORIES OF THE FIRST COVENANT RUNS THE
METAPHOR OF MARRIAGE, OF THE COMMITMENT OF TWO PEOPLE TO ONE ANOTHER,
AS SYMBOLIC OF THE PASSION OF GOD FOR HUMAN BEINGS. GOD IS ALWAYS
TRYING TO DELIGHT US WITH SURPRISES, WITH LITTLE GIFTS, WITH WORDS OF
ENDEARMENT AND ENCOURAGEMENT, WITH LITTLE SIGNS LEFT WHERE WE CAN SEE
AND HEAR THEM, ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE TIMES WHEN WE FEEL THAT WE CAN’T
TOUCH OR BE TOUCHED BY GOD.

 LIKE A LOVER NEVER TIRING OF THINKING OF THE BELOVED, GOD OFFERS
SMILES OF COMFORT AND ASSURANCE TO REMIND US OF THE RELATIONSHIP
WE’VE ENTERED.

 DOES THIS MEAN THAT THERE WON’T BE MISUNDERSTANDINGS OR
DISAGREEMENTS, EVEN SEVERE ARGUMENTS? OF COURSE NOT! THERE ARE
CHALLENGES AND MISTAKES EVEN IN THE BEST RELATIONSHIPS. THAT’S ONE
OF THE REASONS WHY JOHN’S GOSPEL WRITER PLACES THIS STORY AT THE
VERY BEGINNING OF JESUS’ MINISTRY, SO CLOSE, IN FACT, THAT JESUS
TURN TO HIS MOTHER AND SAYS, VERY CURTLY, “GIVE ME A BREAK! I
HAVEN’T HAD TIME TO SORT OUT WHAT I’M GOING TO DO AND WHEN I’M
GOING TO DO IT.”

 MARY, AS THE QUINTESSENTIAL JEWISH MOTHER, HOWEVER, GENTLY SETS JESUS
UP, REMINDS HIM THAT HE HAS TO BE READY FOR ANYTHING, AT ANY TIME. AND
WHEN JESUS WAS HEALING, WHEN WE’RE DEALING WITH A CELEBRATION OF HOW
WE’RE LIVING INTO THE COMMITMENT OF LIFE WITH GOD WHICH WE RENEWED
LAST WEEK, THEN WE HAVE TO BE PREPARED. AS LONG AS THE BANQUET LASTS,
WE HAVE TO BE ABLE AND WILLING TO PARTICIPATE.

 THAT’S ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT MARRIAGE. IT’S LIKE OUR LIVES WITH
GOD. WE DON’T CHANGE THINGS OR SET THEM ASIDE AS WE MAY DO DIRTY
CLOTHES. WE’RE CALLED TO WORK ON AS BEST AS WE POSSIBLY CAN. BUT WE
KNOW ALSO THAT WE FALL SHORT. AS HUMANS, WE HAVE DIFFICULTY LIVING UP
TO THE PROMISES. SOMETIMES WE FEEL THAT THINGS BECOME SO VERY DRY,
EVEN THREATENINGLY DRY, THAT WE WONDER WHETHER WE’LL SURVIVE.

 BUT HERE’S WHERE A SECOND METAPHOR FROM THE STORY COMES IN. JUST AS
MARRIAGE IS A RECURRING SYMBOL OF OUR LIFE WITH GOD AND OUR COMMITMENT
TO GOD, SO WINE IS THE SYMBOL OF THE RICHNESS OF GOD’S BLESSING.
WINE IS ITSELF A SYMBOL OF VITALITY, OF PLEASURE, OF GOD’S PROVISION
FOR OUR NEEDS.

 I KNOW THAT THIS CREATES A DIFFICULTY FOR MANY WHO’RE ALLERGIC TO
WINE OR SOME OF THE CHEMICALS IN IT. IF THE METAPHOR CREATES PROBLEMS,
THEN, THINK OF THE GRAPES FROM WHICH WINE IS DERIVED – GRAPES BEING
AN INTERCHANGEABLE METAPHOR FOR GOD’S SWEETNESS AND LOVE.

 WHEN PEOPLE RUN OUT OF WINE, THEN, ESPECIALLY AT A MARRIAGE, THINGS
ARE IN CRISIS MODE. AS I SAID AT THE START, THE LACK OF WINE IS NEVER
LAID AT ANYONE’S FEET IN BLAME. IT’S SIMPLY STATED.

 SOMETIMES OUR RELATIONSHIPS BECOME LIFELESS. WE COMMIT WITH THE BEST
OF INTENTIONS. LAST WEEK, FOR INSTANCE, WE TALKED ABOUT THE DEVOTION
WE’LL GIVE TO THE BREAKING OF BREAD, TO THE APOSTLES’ TEACHING AND
FELLOWSHIP, TO PRAYER. THAT’S A NOT SO SUBTLE REFERENCE TO THE
EXPECTATION THAT NEW AND ESTABLISHED FOLLOWERS OF JESUS WILL WORK ON
MAINTAINING AN ACTIVE SPIRITUAL LIFE IN PRIVATE, BUT ESPECIALLY IN
PUBLIC WORSHIP. IT’S ALSO A REMINDER THAT WE ALL NEED THE
NOURISHMENT OF JESUS’ PRESENCE IN THE SACRAMENT, GIVEN INTO OUR OWN
HANDS AND TAKEN WITHIN OUR BODIES AND SOULS.

 IT’S WHEN WE FORGET THAT PROMISE TO GOD, TO OUR FRIENDS, TO
OURSELVES, THAT WE BEGIN TO RUN THE RISK OF BECOMING DRY.

 “THEY HAVE NO WINE,” SAID MARY. SOMETHING’S MISSING IN THEIR
LIVES. THEY KNOW ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIPS, THE COMMITMENTS, BUT,
SOMEHOW, THEY CAN’T QUITE PIECE EVERYTHING TOGETHER. THE PEOPLE HAVE
LOST THEIR CONTACT WITH GOD. SOMETHING HAS BROKEN THE ABILITY TO
COMMUNICATE. PEOPLE AREN’T ABLE TO HAVE THE JOYFUL, CELEBRATORY
MINISTRY WHICH GOD WISHES FOR THEM.

	
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