At A Wedding - 2nd Sunday After The Epiphany

For Sunday, January 20th, 2019

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.

 Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the 

mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what

 concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servants,

 "Do whatever he tells you." Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites

 of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, "Fill the jars with

 water." And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, "Now draw some out, and take

 it to the chief steward." So they took it. 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 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." Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed

 his glory; and his disciples believed in him. John 2:1-11

Weddings are often wonderful and challenging, especially for clergy. Folks have traditions,
the wedding couple have ideas that differ from the parents, and everybody wants perfection
and miracles. Trying to keep the couple focused on the marriage and their relationship can
be hard when everyone is worried about the "big day". Too often, the marriage gets lost in
the wedding event.

We find Jesus at a wedding in Cana confronted by his mother. "Do something!", she demands,
which leads me to believe that this was a family wedding, and she wanted her boy to shine. So
much tradition and expectation surrounds this event, even today.  Jesus is reluctant to use
his gifts to please his mother, but gives in, because, well, she IS his mother. The humanity
of it all is palatable.  Jesus chooses to serve the people, despite his human desire to not be
 bullied by his mom. We have all been in these situations, where we are to perform when we
are reluctant. God invites us to see Jesus' humanity and divinity clashing in this drama. And
we are invited to see our God in the midst of the clashes and tug-of-wars of our lives.


Today, I ask God to help me always choose serving others, despite how complicated and
hard the relationships might be. May we work at making miracles happen by offering
ourselves in the love and service of others.


Collect
Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your 
people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ's
 glory, that he may be known, worshipped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; through 
Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now 
and for ever. Amen.