Epiphany 2 [John 2:1-11] (20 January, 2013)

This sermon was preached at St. John's Karoonda (9 am) and Trinity Tailem Bend (11 am)

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ.
One of the things about being from another culture, is that, even when your new culture is pretty similar, you don't know anymore how to be a good guest or a good host. Then you realize how tightly these things are tied in to your culture. For example, in many cultures, you don't bring anything when you're the guest, that's like an insult. And when you're the host, you don't ask people, “oh, what do you want? Tea or coffee?” (that's the hint that you don't have either and they're supposed to say 'nothing thanks'). No, you put out everything you've got: water, tea, coffee, juice, and soft drink. And there's a reason why: guests are more important than money or things or yourself. Now, remember that and look at what Jesus does when he's invited as a guest at a wedding.

If Jesus turns water to wine when he's the guest, he does even better when he's the host.

Transition: This wedding Jesus goes to, he goes as a guest; so do his mother and his disciples. But what happens at this wedding? Oh, they just run out of wine. Well, you don't just run out of wine at a wedding. In a way,

The running out of wine and Jesus' response are both bigger and smaller than we think. The running out of wine is a bigger deal than we think, because weddings are bigger than we think. Think about it, everybody looks forward all year to the Australia Day barbeque because it lasts all day, like the whole day. But every wedding celebration in Jesus' day lasted 7 days – 7 straight days. It was the biggest event on the social calendar. And it's a bigger deal than we think because of the responsibilities that hosts had to their guests. You can't just say “oh, no more wine” because you'll lose your standing in the eyes of the community if you do that, the same way that you'd be shocked if that happened at someone else's wedding. You're prepared, though not exactly happy about it, prepared to spend way way too much on your guests because they are your guests, and they'll have weddings that you'll get invited to, you know? Socially, this is a big deal.

But at the same time, running out of wine is smaller than we think. Our heavenly Father didn't say to his only begotten Son: “now go and make sure parties don't run out of fine Lutheran beverages.” Jesus didn't come to be a bottle shop! So when Mary says “they ran out of wine”, Jesus rightfully says, “that's not really our business/you don't need to stick your nose into this one.”

But at the same time, running out of wine really is bigger than we think. In Isaiah chapter 24, the prophet describes the state of the whole world under sin, and he describes it this way, “The earth lies defiled under its inhabitants; for they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant . . . the wine mourns, the vine languishes, all the merry-hearted sigh . . There is an outcry in the streets for lack of wine; all joy has grown dark; the gladness of the earth is banished.” So what happens at this wedding? They run out of wine! Jesus came because sin is in the world! He's right where he needs to be, which is where sin is, not because the wedding is sinful or wine is sinful (they're not), but because all people are sinful, have a sinful nature. Nothing ruins a celebration like running out of wine? Nothing ruins our relationship with God like breaking his holy commandments to fear, love, and trust in him above all things. We see the results in the verses from Isaiah.

So it's a good thing that Jesus response at this wedding is both bigger and smaller than we think. His response is bigger than we think. It's so great that we know the story so well that we can even have a go at pastors and say, “hey, we're out of wine, why don't you. . .” [I'm not saying that's funny, but people say those things]. But this is a miracle, the water was turned into wine at Jesus' word, at the word of the only Son of God. And the head waiter of the feast, the master of the feast, he says “this wine is better than the first wine, and that's not what people do, they usually bring out the less quality stuff after people are in a good mood.”

But his response is also smaller than we think. The main point isn't so much what Jesus did at this wedding, but why he did it and what the result was. That's why John closes with this verse, “This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.” He did it so that the disciples would believe! So that they would get justification by grace through faith all over them (that's a good party)! [that's a joke, justification by grace through faith by the blood of Jesus is something you get all over you, in holy baptism, but that's because justification is the gracious Father declaring you to be just, to be completely innocent. This is done because Christ's innocence and righteousness are declared to be your own. They are declared to be your own because he died on the cross for you and he declares this good news to you through his Word. And faith sits back and receives this great gift in joy.]

And his response is bigger than we think. In the very next chapter of Isaiah, chapter 25, Isaiah describes what the work of Christ would be, “On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined . . . he will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.” And that's what he does. That's exactly what he does, and at this wedding, he gives a sneak peak of what he will do by his cross and resurrection for you.

Because,

What Jesus does as a guest here is amazing, so what about when he is the host and you're the guest? When Jesus is the guest, he is the best gift at the wedding. At weddings of the Church, he is host. As host, he is the one who blesses marriages and shows that marriages point to the special bond between him and the Church. [John starts counting days for us in chapter one. So here in chapter 2 it's six days after he starts counting. Hmm, six days and a wedding. On the sixth day of creation God created Adam and Eve and conducted their wedding and set up marriage when he said “be fruitful and multiply”.]

When Jesus is the guest, he goes where sin is, when he is the host he puts the sinful nature to death daily in baptism, creates and sustains faith in baptism, and gives a totally justified nature daily in baptism. So faith sits back when it comes to our salvation before God by receiving this justification, but justified people don't sit back, they give thanks to God and serve the world!

When Jesus is the guest, he does the work of the groom and the head steward, because it's their job to make sure there is wine, but he does it instead. As host, he is the one who gathers his Church for a heavenly, holy meal of eternal life and in it distributes a holy gift of his body and blood for the forgiveness of sins. [John begins the reading “On the third day there was a wedding”, and here he's giving that sneak peak again, because where else do we hear “on the third day”? "On the third day he rose from the dead”! So where do we get the meal of the victory over death, a meal of the death and resurrection of our Lord? His Holy Communion.]

That means that on Sundays you're the guest, and that means he's the host here. And that means that Sunday isn't a normal, human get together but a supernatural, divine, service that God gives. It's on Easter that we sing, “this is the feast of victory” - because it is! It's the victory that is Jesus' and is for you!

Conclusion: As a newcomer to this culture, I still have a lot to overcome when it comes to learning how to be a good guest and host. But as a pastor, I work for the Host, the One who died and rose and lives forevermore. As a guest he turned water to wine. As Host, he does big things for his guests, like justifying them by grace through faith in his blood and death. He brings you from death to life. Amen.