SERMON
TITLE: Water and Wine
Preached by the Rev. John Lee on January 14,
2007 at DPUC
SCRIPTURE:
John 2:1-11
2:1 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the
mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to
the wedding. 3 When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him,
"They have no wine." 4 And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what
concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come." 5 His mother
said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." 6 Now standing
there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each
holding twenty or thirty gallons.
2:7 Jesus said to them, "Fill the jars with water." And they
filled them up to the brim. 8 He said to them, "Now draw some out, and
take it to the chief steward." So they took it. 9 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 10
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."
2:11 Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and
revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
Water and Wine
Alvin Toffler is an American writer and futurist. He is known for his works discussing the digital revolution, communications revolution, corporate revolution and technological singularity. He is also a former associate editor of Fortune magazine. His early work focused on technology and its impact through effects like information overload. Then he moved to examine the reaction of and changes in society. He once said that the illiterate of the future will not be the person who cannot read. It will be the person who does not know how to learn. He wrote several books like, Future Shock (1970), The Eco-Spasm Report (1975), The Third Wave (1980), Previews & Premises (1983), Powershift: Knowledge, Wealth and Violence at the Edge of the 21st Century (1990), War and Anti-War (1995). (adopted and modified from Wikipedia by John Lee)
Toffler created a new terminology, in his most recent book, Revolutionary Wealth, “obsoledge” by combining two words, obsolete and knowledge. This new word means that knowledge of the past is not knowledge of today anymore. It gives a serious challenge to those who are on the past knowledge and experiences. The truth of yesterday cannot be the truth of today any more - this is one of the new ways we see things around us as we work, as we live, and as we love.
Today’s Gospel reading of
Palestinian
wedding in Jesus’ time was a celebration of the community which lasts about a
weak. Celebration of wedding includes a ritual of purification. The context of
this story tells us that, for this purpose of conducting the ritual of
purification, Jesus and his disciples were invited to a wedding celebration in
Cana,
The guests, most of whom were town’s people, drank too much and the wine was running out. People asked for more wine and the wedding feast was in crisis. The mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." And Jesus saw that people were drunk and unable to participate in the purification ritual, for which he was invited, so he was a bit disappointed. He said to her, "Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come." His mother was so anguished and said to the servants, "Do whatever Jesus tells you."
Even in the crisis, Jesus is clear about what he had to do and until the last minute. Jesus does what he has to do. There were six stone water jars each holding twenty or thirty gallons. These were for the Jewish rites of purification, fulfilling the rules on ceremonial washing. Jesus commanded servants to fill jugs with water. And they filled them up to the brim. Jesus said to them, "Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward." So they took it. This is what we can learn about Jesus’ way of working.
Jesus was discreet in the time of crisis and knows what they need. Jesus does what he needs to do until the last minute. When the steward tasted the water, he said to bridegroom, “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.” What was hidden in the past, works today as precious.
Is it a story of miracle? I couldn’t find any clues from this passage that it is miracle.
Jesus did not say he was going to exercise a miracle. Instead, the steward who was drunk said it is the best wine. It is the story of Jesus’ discretion of what is best and most needed in the time of crisis. This story is quite similar to Toffler’s saying, knowledge of yesterday is not the knowledge of today anymore.
But this story tells us more than that. While Toffler’s notion means that the things of past is useless and we should throw them into the trash, what the wedding story tells us is that the things in the past which were not valued enough, now can be valued as a precious thing. Another important thing we learn from Jesus is that Jesus provides us with what is really needed. In the situation when people were shouting for more wine, Jesus commands the servants to bring them the water of purification. What is the result? People drank it and said, it is better than the best wine.
People nowadays are in crisis as they are
requesting more money, more power, more fun and more and more and more. By the
development of modern industry and technology of communication and
transportation, people live in abundance. But people’s desires are endless. The
gap between rich and poor becomes wider and wider. In their new lifestyle, love
is replaced as a tool for a simple pleasure and fun. The world now is like the third
day of the wedding feast in
When Jesus comes into this world where the life should be celebrated, and hear the shouting for more wine, that is, more money, power and fun, what Jesus will bring us? There is no question about it. Jesus will bring us the water of purification that gives new life, the love that gives the real joy of life, the spirit of mutual respect to live in harmony. These are more precious than money, more power and more fun that people are crazy about.
As disciples of Jesus, let us reassess what we truly need in our daily lives in this world of crisis. Alvin Toffler has a partial truth that yesterday’s knowledge is not that of today. We need to re-vision what brings us hope for the future, what brings us peace, and what brings us joy of fulfilling our life purpose. The Bible teaches the truth of today. Something that was not valued enough yesterday can be valued more as precious today. That is love.
I have met with a lovely loving couple during the week. Brandy and Michael were in my premarital class. We shared what the purpose of life is, what it means to live out God’s will and so on. We also had an assessment of life skills relating to married life that involved answering more than hundred and fifty questions. My surprising discovery was that, as a young couple, they demonstrated excellent life skills for married life as a family within God’s household. I was confident that they were made to live together.
What I realized from this first session was that it is not the life skills that makes the married life successful, but the love of God that leads the new life with God’s harmony and blessing. As Toffler reminds us, we need to learn how to learn. And we need to be aware of change of perception, change of knowledge we need in our postmodern world. But there is one truth never changes. It is love, the love of God.
I stated in my new year’s sermon that we will study about the future world and future life that is coming to us. It will be an exciting journey that we will bring ourselves on, one or two years later. If we bring ourselves for five, ten years after, it will be a fascinating journey that we will experience a new and transforming gospel from the future. As we begin a new life at this time of the new year, Jesus brings us something fundamental, precious and never changing gift of truth in life. That is love: love our God, love our neighbours as we love ourselves.
Today we celebrate the Holy Communion. We will eat a piece of bread and we will drink grape juice. These are gift of love that Jesus brings us through his Spirit. This is the water of purification that Jesus brought to the people in crisis, and to us as the gift for new life. And as we share it, the gift for new life, we will say that it is the best wine we ever tasted, the real joy in God the father, the Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
This site is prepared by the Rev. John Young-Jung Lee,
a minister of The United Church of Canada
with volunteers who are committed in the works
of Peace and Justice in our global village
Volunteers are wecome. Please Contact web master
Acknowledgement:
Web planning team: Marion Current, Hannah Lee
Technical support & web designer: David Nam-Joong Kim
Art design team: Raymond NamKi Jung, Johnny Jong Hyun Jeong
Updated January 14, 2007