The Second Sunday After Epiphany

John 2:1-11

The Real Miracle At Cana


Grace to you and peace from God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. (Romans 1:7)
I am sure no one among us here would want to experience what the newly weds at Cana experienced. It was a happy occasion, to be sure. The whole town was probably invited. Some of those invited were Mary, the mother of our Lord, the Lord Jesus and his desciples. The bride, or possibly, the groom, was a relative of theirs.
Like all marriages, the bride’s parents made sure that they were marrying off their daughter not only to the right man who had a job. They probably also wanted to make sure that the young bridegroom had a house wherein to shelter his bride, and that he had enough money to spend on a descent wedding reception, for to be lacking in food and drink is a very grave social sin in Jewish society. But that is exactly what happened at this particular marriage feast. But I don’t think anyone was remiss in the wedding preparations. The thing just happened. Most probably, thieves got hold of the wine that was ordered and made off with it.
But you will probably say, “Well, what’s to be done about it. Why don’t we just grin and bear it?” Not so simple. In Jewish society, to run out of wine is not only poor planning on the host’s part, it also implies a host’s lack of respect for his visitors. To the Jews, especially, wine was a gift from the Almighty and signified happiness and abundance. And Jews rarely drank water to chase down a meal. They preferred wine. Water, as we see in our text, was mainly used for washing, purification.
And what appears to be, to us, a simple problem, the lack of wine, was threatening not only the happy outcome of a wedding reception, it was also threatening the reputation of a young married couple about to start a new life.
And, looking at Mary, we see the picture of concern, trying to help the hapless couple out of a bad situation. But the problem was bigger, I think, than even Mary could handle. It wasn’t just a matter of a jug or two of wine short. And the wedding reception was probably held in the evening, after work, to ensure that all the invited guests could come. At any rate, buying wine seemed to be out of the question at the time. And so, Mary ran to her Son and simply told him the problem: “They have no wine.” Was Mary hoping that Jesus would perform a miracle so that a couple would not be put to shame? Possibly. But think for a moment: is this sort of problem worth a miracle from the King of kings, the Son of the Almighty?
And that seemed to be the thinking of the Son also, for he answered his mother: “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” And this answer seems to put Mary in her place, and so, she turns to the servants and tells them: “Do whatever he tells you.” And by this she meant that if Jesus were to tell the people to go home, because there was no more wine, then that is probably what would happen.
But Jesus doesn’t send the guests home. Instead, the Lord himself creates a solution to the big problem of the newly weds: out of six huge jars of water used not for drinking but for washing, the Lord creates wine. Not just wine, but lots of it – 115 liters, St. John says. And not just wine, if we go by the word of the governor of the feast, but good wine, delicious wine. Wine made by the Lord of heaven and earth, probably the same kind of wine they drank in heaven.
Interstingly, John does not call this event a miracle, but a sign. St. John tells us that “This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee.” If what happened at Cana was a sign, then it points to a truth. And so, the bridegroom at Cana is but a sign of the TRUE BRIDEGROOM, Christ, and the bride at Cana is a sign of the true Bridegroom’s bride: the Church. The wedding at Cana is but a sign of the true wedding of the true Bridegroom and his Bride, Christ and the Church.
MALADY
But now, how then are we to understand the lack of wine at Cana? I would venture that the physical lack of wine is also a sign pointing to our spiritual lack. Like the wedding at Cana, no matter how hard or fervent we prepare, all our best efforts still come up short.
And isn’t it true that so many people today strive so mightily to reach heaven? Just look at the recently concluded feast day of the Black Nazarene at Quiapo. Not only thousands, but millions of Filipino Roman Catholics came to this feast, trying with all their might to get close, possibly touch the statue of the Black Nazarene. Millions of Filipino religious struggled to lay hold, even for an instant, the rope pulling the statue of the Black Nazarene. And for what? A devotee of the Black Nazarene told me last night that he hoped some of his sins would be wiped away by his efforts. Millions braved the crush of millions of people, the heat of the day, going barefoot, fervently hoping some of their sins would be forgiven by their efforts. But try as they might, all their efforts still amount to nithing. They may have been fervent in their preparations and prayers, a lot of them probably were decent people, but all this still means nothing. None of their efforts mean a ting.
And we are no better. Oh, we may not be ardent devotees of graven images, true, and we may abhor praying to the saints, even to Mary. We may not believe in indulgences or the mortification of the flesh. But so often, we also do not acknowledge and put our trust in God’s promises, in his Word. I am pretty certain that for many of us, the last time we held a bible and read from it was last Sunday. When was the last time we said to ourselves, “I am baptized”? Isn’t that the reason we put the baptismal font at the doors of our church? To remind us of our baptism, that we were saved by water and by God’s Word? When was the last time we rejoiced in our reception of the Lord’s true bod and blood at the Sacrament of the Altar?
Oh yes. To be sure, we have failed, like the couple at Cana. Like them we have failed in our preparations to receive the True Bridegroom. And whatever we do, the Lord will always tell us: “What have I to do with you?” All of our efforts are worthless. Our prayers, devotions, good works are all worthless. Because we are sinful.
GOSPEL
And yet, all is not lost, for the true Bridegroom takes pity on us poor sinners. The Lord comes to us and he says: “Give me the waters of your preparations, the waters of your efforts and good works, for these will not suffice. I will turn that into something else. I will turn that into wine, good, delicious wine to make you drunk with the happiness of heaven. My happiness. Ny heaven.” The true Bridegroom comes to our sinful world and takes the water of our rituals and empty preparations ang transforms it into the wine of gladness, the gladness of heaven. He went to Calvary and spilled, for us, the best wine of all: his precious, innocent blood, and he died for us, so that we who are dead in sin might have life from heaven, eternal life.
And from the true Bridegroom we recieve such priceless gifts: grace, forgiveness and life, through his life, given for the life of the world.
His Word brings happiness and hope for us. His Word gives us what we so desperately need: forgiveness. His Sacraments give us what we need: eternal life. It is indeed a miracle that the Lord would come down to earth to be like us so that, by his deat, we may become like him: holy, pure, and fellow heirs with him of his riches in heaven.
In the last verse of our text, St. John tells us that “This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.” And this is true even for us today. Through his Word, through his Sacraments, the Lord has manifested his glory. And through his Word and through his Sacraments, the Lord fills our empty cups with the wine of heaven, the wine of gladness, the true wine of the true Bridegroom which gives us grace, forgiveness and life. This is most certainly true. This is most certainly for you.
May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen. (Philippians 4:7)

excerpts from Anne Rice's CHRIST THE LORD: THE ROAD TO CANA

“James stood regarding me with cold contempt, ready at any moment to erupt. My brothers were now grouped about, behind him. . .
I looked unwaveringly at James.
‘I am weary of you, my brother,’ I said. ‘In my heart, I’m weary.’
He narrowed his eyes. He was astonished.
My mother came back. She held a chest which was heavy for her to hold, and Mara and Esther assisted her as she brought it forward and set it down on the floor in front of us.
Decades it had been hidden away, this chest, ever since our return from Egypt. James had seen this chest. James knew what it was, but my own brothers never set eyes on it. . .It was a Persian chest, plated in gold and exquisitely decorated with curling vines and pomegranates. Even the handles of the chest were gold. . .
‘It’s never enough for you, is it, James!’ I said. My voice was low. I struggled against my anger. ‘Not the angels filling up the night skies over Bethlehem, not tghe shepherds who came through the stable door to tell my mother and father of the angels’ song, no, not enough for you. And not the magi themselves, the richly clad men from Persia who descended on the narrow streets of Bethlehem with their caravan, brought there by a star that lighted the very Heavens. Not enough for you! Not enough for you that you yourself saw these men put this chest at the foot of my cradle. No, not enough, never enough, no sign ever. Not the words of our blessed cousin Elizabeth, mother of John bar Zachariah, before she died – when she told us all the words spoken by her husband as he named his son, John. No, not enough. Not even the words of the prophets.’
I stopped. He was frightened. He backed away and my brothers shifted uneasily away from me.
I stepped forward and James stepped back again.
‘Well, you are my older brother,’ I said. ‘and you are the head of this family, and I owe you obedience, and I owe you patience. . .’”

Church History In Four Minutes?

The Wonder Girls!

The English version

The Mousetrap of His Cross

I got this from Rev. Gregory Alms' blog, Incarnatus Est:

Augustine, Sermon 130:

Along came the redeemer and conquered the deceiver. And what did our redeemer do to our captor? To pay our price, he set the mousetrap of his cross; as bait he placed there his own blood. While the devil, though, was able to shed that blood, he did not earn the right to drink it. And because he shed the blood of one who was not his debtor, he was ordered to release those who were his debtors" (PL 38:726-27).

Edmund Hill, The Works of Augustine: Sermons III/4, Brooklyn: New City Press, 1992, 311

Nobody But You

In my generation, it was, "Shake Your Booty!"

Not The Woman's Faith

The Fourteenth Sunday After Pentecost

Isaiah 35:4-7
James 2:1-10,14-18
Mark 7:24-30


Grace to you and peace from God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. (Romans 1:7)
Sometimes, when we read incidents like this in the life of our Lord, it becomes so easy for our focus to shift from our Lord to somewhere, someone else. Well, this happens a lot with many passages, and surely with our Gospel reading this morning.
And from there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden. But immediately a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. And he said to her, "Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." But she answered him, "Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." And he said to her, "For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter." And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.
The woman in our Gospel passage this morning doesn’t have anything, zero, zilch, nada, going for her. In Jewish society, women weren’t given much attention or importance, much less what they said. In Jewish society, women ranked below men in authority, in credibility. Women in Jewish society could not just come up to any man and casually strike up a conversation with him.
Secondly, St, Mark tells us that “the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth.” Being a Gentile, she could not intermingle with Jews, for she was considered unclean. This meant that she could not have any fellowship with God’s people. What is more painful, the Jews called Gentiles dogs. To the Jews, the Gentiles were no better than dogs. In Jewish worship, dogs can never be kosher. Dogs were unclean because they rooted around in garbage. In Jesus’ time, you, a Gentile, a dog, can never be a part of God’s chosen people, could never participate in the worship of God’s people, could never receive the promises and blessing of God, could never enter or be a part of God’s kingdom. Because you were a Gentile, you were a dog. You had no rights no matter who you were, no matter how good you were, no matter how sincere you were, no matter how good you were. Because you were a Gentile, you were an outsider. This was the problem of the Syrophoenician woman. She was a woman, she was a Gentile. She had no rights or anything that she could present to God or to God’s people that would make her acceptable.
Which makes me wonder about the title that most bibles put in this account. The TEV entitles this passage “A Woman’s Faith.” The NIV has “The Faith of a Syrophoenician Woman.” The ESV has “The Syrophoenician Woman’s Faith.” Well, you might ask, “So what? What of it? It is true: the woman had great faith.” True enough. But my complaint with this is that I don’t think faith is the issue in this passage. Because if the woman’s faith is the issue in this passage, what then are we to do with the Lord? Do we relegate him to the margins of our bibles, or worse, make him into a footnote, firm in our belief that he could not possibly deny grace to this woman who has demonstrated such great faith? I should hope not.
Well, St. Mark tells us: And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. And he said to her, "Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." Fair enough. For do we not do the same thing? Do we cook a fine meal and then feed it to the household pets first? That would be the height of absurdity. The Lord is right: feed the children first, and then the dogs can have whatever is left. It is what is meet and right.
The woman replies: "Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." And she is right. You don’t need faith to say this. Only common sense. She was only following the Lord’s logic to its logical conclusion. Where is faith in that?
This woman truly had nothing going for her. She was a woman, a Gentile. And yet, a miracle happens: And he said to her, "For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter." And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone. Why? Because of her faith? She was a woman. She was a Gentile. She had no hope. But St. Mark is telling us that now, in Jesus Christ, because of the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ, even foreigners, Gentiles, can find joy and acceptance in God’s house, in God’s temple.
MALADY
No one among us here thinks of himself or herself as an animal, right? Much less a dog. In fact, I guess we would be offended if someone told us that we smelled like a goat, or had the manners of a dog. For sure, we would never eat anyone’s leftovers, would we? And we surely would not act like dogs who have no shame or consciousness of what they looked like or what they did. We do not pee or poo like dogs whenever the urge caught up with us. And we would never just go up to any man or woman on the street and mount him or her simply because the urge came upon us. No, God forbid, we are not like that. We know right from wrong, unlike dogs. In our eyes, and, we would like to think, in other people’s eyes, we have more self respect than mere dogs. And that is also usually the thing we get wrong when we interpret this passage: we always tend to interpret this passage only from a horizontal point of view, that is, only from a human perspective. As a result, we lose our focus upon our Lord. We often forget the vertical perspective – God’s perspective.
And here’s the rub: from God’s perspective, we are truly no better than dogs. We are dogs in the sight of God. We are no different from the Syrophoenician woman: we are Gentiles. We are unclean. We have no right to stand before God, and there is nothing we can bring before God to make us acceptable to him. And we have no right to expect anything from God. BECAUSE WE, LIKE THE SYROPHOENICIAN WOMAN, ARE SINFUL. In this, we are like dogs. A dog is a dog not because of the things it does. A dog does the things it does because that is its nature, because it is a dog. The same is true for us. We aren’t sinful because we commit sins. It’s the other way around: we commit sin because we are sinful. That is our nature. Because we are by nature sinful and unclean, it is impossible for us not to sin. And no matter how sincere we are, no matter if we have faith as huge as Disneyland, God still would not accept us. Because our sincerity, our faith, will always be stained with sin. Because we, like the Syrophoenician woman, are sinful.
GOSPEL
But look at what the Lord does when the Syrophoenician woman approaches him and strikes up a conversation with him: HE TALKS WITH THE WOMAN! The Lord didn’t have to do that! No one would scold him if ever he chose to ignore the woman. And yet, THE LORD TALKS TO THE WOMAN! And so, the whole point of our passage, the Good News, is not the woman’s faith, no matter how great it may be. It is the Lord’s mercy! The Good News, for the woman, for us, is this: because of the Lord’s mercy, even Gentiles, even those excluded from God’s kingdom, can now find joy in his presence. Because of the Lord’s mercy, even dogs find acceptance in God’s house, in his kingdom. Because of the mercy of the Lord!
And Jesus, in his mercy, doesn’t give us leftover food. Indeed, he does not even give us food fit for humans. HE GIVES US SOMETHING MORE: HE GIVES US HIS TRUE BODY AND TRUE BLOOD. HE GIVES US HIS WORD, THE TRUE BREAD THAT COMES FROM HEAVEN WHICH GIVES US TRUE LIFE: ETERNAL LIFE! Eternal life, won for us by the Lord on Calvary, where his body was broken for us, where his blood was shed for us, as he hung on the cross! Eternal life, which he now gives us through his Word, through his Sacranents. It is these which strengthen and preserve our faith. Faith is not strengthened by difficulty. A strong faith stands up to virtually any confrontation. BUT IT IS GOD – through the Gospel – who makes it strong in the first place. It is not in asking for mercy, over and over, but in receiving mercy, that faith is strengthened.
In the final analysis, the Syrophoenician woman’s faith was strengthened not when she asked for mercy, but when she received mercy from the Lord.
And isn’t it the same with us? Our faith is strengthened, grows, only when we recieve mercy from our Lord, through his Word, through his Sacraments, through his atoning death on the cross – FOR US. This is most certainly true. This is most certainly for you.
May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen. (Philippians 4:7)