If Jesus could transform
common water
into wedding wine,
spit and dirt
into new sight,
troubled sea
into a pathway
well water
into living water
could Christ transform
the waters of my life
shallow
murky
polluted
stagnant
sour
into a shower
of blessing?
The late Scott Peck, in the book “The Road Less Travelled” began by saying “Life is hard.” As I discussed the readings this week with other clergy, the “why” questions kept coming up - why 9/11, why Hurricane Katrina, a 15 year old killed on a snowmobile, a diagnosis of terminal cancer, a young woman suffering a miscarriage...
...these “why” questions arise again in the aftermath of the earthquake which has devastated Haiti, a tiny island country already struggling to climb out from destruction of hurricanes. Whenever horrendous things happen, the most frequent question we all ask is “why”? For people who believe that God is Love, one of the questions we ask in such situations is “Where is God?”
In the midst of the Haiti disaster, we were treated once again to idiotic remarks by Pat Robertson, that the people of Haiti made a pact with Satan years ago to help them overcome the French, and now they are suffering because of that. Robertson, who is not a pastor in any way, and whose personal dealings and finances are highly suspect, presumes not only to pass judgment, but to twist history; after all, any black person who dares to stand up to white colonials must be evil. There is nothing more than racism at the root of his rhetoric.
Rev. Gord Waldie, in Thunder Bay, writes in his blog “For one author I read last year the question of evil caused him to give up on faith.” Bart Ehrman struggled with the varied Scriptural explanations of evil events (punishment, testing, mystery), and decided they were lacking. The reality is that there are no answers to such events except “because”.
So the question, in the face of such suffering, and such complete idiocy, is how can we continue to proclaim God’s goodness and compassion when the world turns upside down?
In our readings this week, Jesus attends a wedding. Weddings then were not the kind of ceremony we imagine; the betrothal was performed much earlier with a cup of wine, and when the woman went to live with the man, they were married. The celebrations often went on for close to a week - and wine was the safest thing to drink. The water was set aside for the rituals of purification.
Here is a wedding, and an impending disaster. If the wine ran out the host would be considered cheap, and chintzy. Most hosts put out the good wine first, got people going, and then served up the cheap wine when the guests wouldn’t notice. Think about this: Jesus created some 120 or more gallons of wine, after the cheap wine was gone.
I wonder what the servants were thinking. Water in the jars? But those are for ritual washing, purification. We can't use those jars for wine. We've never done that before.
Now take water out? Take it to the host? It's only water. He's already upset about how things are going. Smell it? It's only.......wait a minute! What is this? And who are you?
The Cana miracle opens Jesus’ ministry with a miracle of abundant grace, a miracle of hope and possibilities. John calls this miracle a “sign”. This name for miracle reminds us that miracles are more than spectacular action. They are signs that point beyond any one particular act or event to what can be seen of God in the miracle. This sign points to Jesus “glory”. In the Hebrew Scriptures, “glory” is the term for the manifestation of God’s presence. Jesus makes God’s presence known in the grace-filled abundance of the wine.
Wine was so vital to the culture and economy of Israel, that it took on important theological significance. Wine was used throughout the scriptures as a symbol of holy joy. Isaiah used the lack of wine as a sign of desolation, and an abundance of good wine was a sign of the arrival of God’s new age. Wine was a powerful theological metaphor that everyone understood.
And that's how it happens - this thing we call a miracle, the turning of water into wine. By faithfulness and grace ordinary human lives and the things we offer are transformed into something holy and life-giving for the world. The late Fred Rogers, of Mr. Rogers fame, was a Presbyterian minister. When he was asked where God could be found, he responded “Look for the helpers.”
Haiti has suffered a long, long time; earlier this week it looked as if the wine finally ran out. After generations of misrule and disorder, decades of oppressive government, and two years of small recoveries from hurricane damage, whatever fragile hope remained of rebuilding their nation was crushed in the rubbing together of giant tectonic plates below the surface of the ocean. This was not a judgement of God, but the result of a world still in the making, upon which the ground beneath all our feet is never as solid as we imagine.
In the wake of disaster, as a first impulse of God's Spirit at work, and before anything else can arise to stifle or qualify the response, relief and aid has flowed from all parts of the globe. The Chinese were the first to reach Haiti with first-aid teams and dogs trained to find survivors in the rubble; a search-and-rescue team from Iceland, who knows how many teams from other countries, the military from the States and Canada, World Development and Relief Emergency Response at the United Church, PWDR in the Anglican Church, United Methodist, Disciples of Christ, Doctors without Borders, international and religious medical teams and relief agencies all at work together to help bring something good out of the horrible thing that happened.
Six twenty-plus-gallon jars full to overflowing with ordinary human work and commitment, given as soon as the word was heard. Water upon water of charitable and humanitarian work poured into the gaping need. Each dollar and each act just a drop in the bucket, to be sure. But added together enough to keep hope alive, enough to maintain or restore faith in a living God, enough to give reason for thanks in the midst of an intolerable situation.
And isn't that what life is? Isn't that what the wedding feast called the earth is like? Disaster is not uncommon, things change and give way, the ground we stand on is never quite solid, but when we offer what we can in faith, in hope and in love, the incredible grace and abundance of God can be glimpsed in the midst of everything else.
What we give becomes more than we think it can be. Every dollar given is matched in relief funds - $200 from Glen Ayr becomes $1000 in aid.
In the world as in our worship, and in our worship as in the world, each drop in the bucket is important, for that is the only way the the jars be made full - as full as God desires and needs for the story of the kingdom to continue?
Water into wine; and from ordinary water, good wine flowing. It sounds miraculous.
Fat Tuesday Word Jazz
So in our need for hope for survival
It’s time to turn the pages of the Bible
To the wedding in Cana in the land near Galilee
Where Jesus and his mom enjoyed festivity
Noshing on the free eats
Eating on the free treats
Sipping on the red wine
Having quite a swell time
“Hey, bartender, can you top off my glass
What’s that you say? There’s no wine in the flask?
Ran out so soon? That’s so low-class!”
The crowd at the wedding
Lounged on the bedding
Watched CNN and PBS
ABC and CBS
About CFO’s and CEO’s
IOU’s and HMO’s
Waited for refills
Waited for bailout packages
Waited for stimulus checks
Waited for debt consolidation
Waited for mortgage restructuring
Waited for responses to their resumes
Waited for emails from personnel departments
Midnight rolled around
No more wine was found
Tuesday the party popped
Wednesday the party flopped
Jesus said “Let’s go
Come on, Mom, let’s blow.”
But Mary told him “No!
It isn’t time to go
The wine has got to flow
The people need to know
That – we can!
we can!
we can be full
we can be fillers
we can be healed
we can be healers
we can be free
we can be freers
we can be kind
we can be kinder
we can be loved
we can be lovers
we can be Love….
So make it so!”
She told her son
Who didn’t want
To be the One…
May it be so.
Sources:
1. “Where is God”, newspaper column by Rev. Gord Waldie
2. Sermon material from Rev. Susan Leo, Bridgeport United Church of Christ, Oregon.
3. Sermon material from Rev. John Shearman, retired United Church of Canada.
4. Tom Lane “Imaging the Word”, opening poem.
5. Bill Burklo, selected parts of ‘Fat Tuesday Word Jazz’ in the blog “Musings” from February 27, 2009.
6. “Water into Wine”, sermon for January 17, 2010 by Rev. Brian Donst, Emmanuel United Church, Hamilton, ON.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Friday, January 1, 2010
New Light in a New Year January 3, 2009 Epiphany Sunday Matthew 2:1-12
Do you like to travel? You all probably know that Norio and I travel a lot, and love almost any mode of travel. In 2008 - between us - we went to Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Cuba, Japan, and the eastern US. Some of those trips were by land, some were by air, and some by sea. In 2009 we went to Panama, Colombia, the western Caribbean, Japan, Cuba, and the eastern provinces of Canada. Once again it was by land, sea, and air. Norio has just returned from yet another trip to Japan, and I am just preparing to go to the western Caribbean. We don’t seem to get tired of it. I’d say the only thing is we don’t get to spend nearly long enough in any one place, and always see just enough to make us want to go back and explore some more.
The first time I travelled was as a three-year old, moving from one town in Saskatchewan to another. Then, as a four-year-old, to yet another town in the northern parts of Saskatchewan; then as a 12yr old to Winnipeg, and as a 24 yr old to Japan - and of course on to Viet Nam, Australia and the US.
I suspect that travel is something which gets into the blood - especially for those of us who were children of ministers, where moving was a part of life all the time. I still feel a little sorry for my childhood friends, who have never left the home where they were born, never seen another part of even this country. They always comment on how busy Norio and I are, how do we manage it. The notion of travelling to other places frightens them.
Travelling, even going somewhere for just a few hours, changes us if we have our eyes, ears, and senses open. Last January, I went to a city in Colombia - Cartagena de Indias - for just a few hours - but in that time I saw the Museum of the Inquisition and heard tales of Spanish torture; saw a church where Jesuit priests who defended the indigenous peoples were slaughtered; and heard stories about the heroics of some of those priests. I saw enough of Colombia to be changed by the experience, and to want to go back again and learn more.
In Panama, I saw a country struggling to modernise itself - building everywhere - and heard the pride of people who now have control of their own destiny. They have a vision for their country, and are working to make it happen. If we are open to seeing, even such a short time can change us, because it changes how we see our own lives as well.
As we come into a new year, - 2010 - what is it which leads us as a congregation? What are the ideas, hopes, plans which may be born in us today? What ideas to we want to honour and worship? What is our potential for life in the future??? What makes us look up, look forward, step out on the road? There are many churches whose primary goal is keeping the doors open. I’ve served a couple of them. That is their star. They will follow that star with enthusiasm until either the church closes, or, until they realise that God has many bright lights which can lead s journey.
What about spiritual growth? Being a caring community, lively community of faith? What about faith exploration with young and old together? What about pastoral care and outreach being done by this congregation? If we can get ourselves out of “survival” mode, and spend more time focusing on what we are being called to be and to do now, where would the journey take us? Who else might be drawn to the light?
When the magi left their home countries, heading for Judea, they were not tourists, not on a trip to have some fun, or to get away from a cold Canadian winter. They believed their journey had a purpose of incredible importance. But stars don’t always shine in clear skies, and a trip following a star using hand-held instruments is full of danger. They were following a brilliant light, some of the time, but it was far away and not always reliable. They wanted to follow the way that they were being shown, even though they did not have a clear idea of where it would take them, but sometimes they could not see the way at all, and had to stop and ask for directions.
It sounds an awful lot like where we often find ourselves, doesn't it? We have some idea of where we would like to go as we look to the future. We know what kind of changes would make our lives better, and our world better, but we have no clear idea of how to get there. That is the part which frustrates us - because we are so used to having clear ideas about everything - that letting go and trusting even if we don’t see ready answers is the hardest thing to do.
And in the middle of all of this, Jesus is born; he is on a journey himself, growing up as a child of oppression, through pain and joy, being led by a light, and striving to teach people around him about what God is doing in the world. He trusted; he had questions, but he trusted God. We have to trust that the light which leads us will help us to set life-giving priorities. We have to resist being deterred when we find ourselves in unfamiliar territory, and on a journey which asks us to search even we cannot see completely clearly.
The magi didn’t know how the story ended - and in fact for them it didn’t end. They met Herod, and with a flash of insight knew that was not the way to go; they found the child, and knew they had found something special; and at the end they knew they could not return home the same way. They didn’t spend years in Egypt and then go home. If the story is true, they were in one place briefly - Matthew says the found the house where Jesus was, and offered their gifts. They might have stayed overnight, or a couple of days. Yet their lives were completely changed by the experience.
Throughout Advent, through Christmas, and into Epiphany we travel a road - to a town where Jesus was born, and then on into Egypt. We try, in this short season, to find new insight; to learn new things about ourselves and our faith. Today, with the Magi, we come to the house and find the child. We offer our gifts, and we leave again on the journey, trusting that God is with us.
Sources: With material from Rev. Tim Dayfoot, Orono Pastoral Charge, Ontario.
The first time I travelled was as a three-year old, moving from one town in Saskatchewan to another. Then, as a four-year-old, to yet another town in the northern parts of Saskatchewan; then as a 12yr old to Winnipeg, and as a 24 yr old to Japan - and of course on to Viet Nam, Australia and the US.
I suspect that travel is something which gets into the blood - especially for those of us who were children of ministers, where moving was a part of life all the time. I still feel a little sorry for my childhood friends, who have never left the home where they were born, never seen another part of even this country. They always comment on how busy Norio and I are, how do we manage it. The notion of travelling to other places frightens them.
Travelling, even going somewhere for just a few hours, changes us if we have our eyes, ears, and senses open. Last January, I went to a city in Colombia - Cartagena de Indias - for just a few hours - but in that time I saw the Museum of the Inquisition and heard tales of Spanish torture; saw a church where Jesuit priests who defended the indigenous peoples were slaughtered; and heard stories about the heroics of some of those priests. I saw enough of Colombia to be changed by the experience, and to want to go back again and learn more.
In Panama, I saw a country struggling to modernise itself - building everywhere - and heard the pride of people who now have control of their own destiny. They have a vision for their country, and are working to make it happen. If we are open to seeing, even such a short time can change us, because it changes how we see our own lives as well.
As we come into a new year, - 2010 - what is it which leads us as a congregation? What are the ideas, hopes, plans which may be born in us today? What ideas to we want to honour and worship? What is our potential for life in the future??? What makes us look up, look forward, step out on the road? There are many churches whose primary goal is keeping the doors open. I’ve served a couple of them. That is their star. They will follow that star with enthusiasm until either the church closes, or, until they realise that God has many bright lights which can lead s journey.
What about spiritual growth? Being a caring community, lively community of faith? What about faith exploration with young and old together? What about pastoral care and outreach being done by this congregation? If we can get ourselves out of “survival” mode, and spend more time focusing on what we are being called to be and to do now, where would the journey take us? Who else might be drawn to the light?
When the magi left their home countries, heading for Judea, they were not tourists, not on a trip to have some fun, or to get away from a cold Canadian winter. They believed their journey had a purpose of incredible importance. But stars don’t always shine in clear skies, and a trip following a star using hand-held instruments is full of danger. They were following a brilliant light, some of the time, but it was far away and not always reliable. They wanted to follow the way that they were being shown, even though they did not have a clear idea of where it would take them, but sometimes they could not see the way at all, and had to stop and ask for directions.
It sounds an awful lot like where we often find ourselves, doesn't it? We have some idea of where we would like to go as we look to the future. We know what kind of changes would make our lives better, and our world better, but we have no clear idea of how to get there. That is the part which frustrates us - because we are so used to having clear ideas about everything - that letting go and trusting even if we don’t see ready answers is the hardest thing to do.
And in the middle of all of this, Jesus is born; he is on a journey himself, growing up as a child of oppression, through pain and joy, being led by a light, and striving to teach people around him about what God is doing in the world. He trusted; he had questions, but he trusted God. We have to trust that the light which leads us will help us to set life-giving priorities. We have to resist being deterred when we find ourselves in unfamiliar territory, and on a journey which asks us to search even we cannot see completely clearly.
The magi didn’t know how the story ended - and in fact for them it didn’t end. They met Herod, and with a flash of insight knew that was not the way to go; they found the child, and knew they had found something special; and at the end they knew they could not return home the same way. They didn’t spend years in Egypt and then go home. If the story is true, they were in one place briefly - Matthew says the found the house where Jesus was, and offered their gifts. They might have stayed overnight, or a couple of days. Yet their lives were completely changed by the experience.
Throughout Advent, through Christmas, and into Epiphany we travel a road - to a town where Jesus was born, and then on into Egypt. We try, in this short season, to find new insight; to learn new things about ourselves and our faith. Today, with the Magi, we come to the house and find the child. We offer our gifts, and we leave again on the journey, trusting that God is with us.
Sources: With material from Rev. Tim Dayfoot, Orono Pastoral Charge, Ontario.
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