"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work."

 

         John tells us about a wedding that Jesus attended along with his disciples. At the wedding feast, Jesus took plain water which was to be used for hand washing and turned it into choice wine. The Gospel of John is filled with pictures and images and symbols that lead us to Jesus, the Messiah, the one who bears our sins and gives us life eternal. In Biblical language, the wedding feast was used as a symbol of the presence of the Messiah. When the prophets spoke of the end-times "Day of the Lord," the blessing of God among his people was pictured as an abundance of wine in the land:

         "On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine - the best of meats and the finest of wines. On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth." -- Isaiah 25:6-8

         So when Jesus turned plain water into an abundance of choice wine at a wedding feast, his disciples saw his glory, saw his identity as Messiah, and believed in him.

         Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, we too can come to faith and receive this gift of life. The wine is the joy of Christ's presence, the Holy Spirit poured out upon us. The wine is to be shared, as gifts to strengthen one another and to offer as Good News to the world. Jesus turns the plain water of our lives to choice wine, and we are to give it to the whole church and to the world.

         Ordinary water, used for hand washing in the ritual of purification, became choice wine in the celebration of a wedding. The custom in those days was to hold a wedding feast lasting up to a week. The whole village would be present for the wedding; in fact, weddings were the chief form of celebration for the people.

         At this wedding feast, they ran out of wine. That was a serious problem, because it would indicate an inadequate gift had been given to the village. The bridegroom's family would feel shame in the community. This family may have been poor. Toward the end of the wedding, Mary discovers that they have no more wine, they only have water. That ordinary water becomes through Jesus the choice wine, the quality of which not even the rich would be able to match. In fact, the rich would be serving an inferior wine at that point in the week.

         Actually very little is known about wedding customs in New Testament times, or about the place of the wine and how much was consumed and why it seemed to be so important. So many of our questions go unanswered.

         The point for John is that the disciples believed in Jesus after they saw this miracle. They saw that Jesus is the Messiah who brings to the world the fullness of the Holy Spirit. There is a clear connection between the wine at the wedding and the Holy Spirit.

Many people in Jesus' day were feeling depleted, like the wine of God's grace had run out in their lives. They were longing for God's salvation. They longed for the outpouring of the spirit upon them. Many people felt spiritually dry and far from God. The old rituals did not seem to bring them renewal and life. It had been a long time since they had a prophet speak to them. The oppression of Rome and the constant reminder of their lack of freedom weighed heavily upon them.

         Sometimes we feel depletion in our lives and souls today. We push too hard, run too fast, and try to meet too many demands. We end up tired. Somewhere we lose our sense of humor. We do not feel the happiness in life, the joy of life that once was ours. Lacking energy, we discover that temptations to sin are stronger. The world offers so many forms of energy that turn out to be empty. We reach for things to make us feel alive, young again, free of pain. Many of those things are empty, harmful, leaving us guilty and trapped.

         Along with this, there comes a spiritual depletion or emptiness. Worship seems bland, ordinary, lacking life. We go through the motions. Our prayer life diminishes. We catch ourselves daydreaming during our devotions, if we even have time for such. Sunday school drops from our Sunday routine.

We feel depleted.

         The wine of gladness has run out.

         We long for an experience of Jesus the Messiah. Jesus is the one who transforms the water of worn out ritual and external religion into heart experience. Jesus is the one who brings renewal, who brings transforming experience, the taste of grace, the infilling of the Holy Spirit. When we meet Jesus, we are alive again.

         This is where that interesting word of the church comes in: Epiphany. It means the manifestation of Christ to the world. And this manifestation or experience of Christ begins with the disciples of Christ. It begins with us and then moves out from us. As the living Lord steps into your life at your point of depletion or shame, he brings to you the fullness of the Spirit that overcomes the world.

         The new wine of gladness comes to us in Christ. He gives us the Spirit, he gives us his grace, and it lives in us in varied forms. There are, in Christ, many forms of grace, many spiritual gifts, and many ministries to be expressed. We are to use this grace to bless and build up one another. Then we are to offer this grace to our neighbors, to this community, and to the world.

         The experience of Christ leads us to share Christ, to minister the varied forms of grace.

This is where we wonder:

• Who am I to share the Gospel?
• What could I possibly share with others?
• What do I have to give?

It seems to us that we only have "water" in our lives to give.

 

         But even the water of our lives becomes choice wine when given in Christ. When in faith we offer to a person in need that cup of cold water, it is received as choice wine. Something happens when we allow Christ to have and use our gifts, even our plain gifts. Such gifts are not plain at all to the person who receives the gift.

         That is why prayer is so important for us. It is only as we pray, and often as we pray together, that the plain water of our lives becomes the choice wine of Christ for the world. What we can think up and plan and organize and carry out in our own strength is really very limited. But as we pray together, Christ transforms it into effective ministry.

         We don't make the water into wine. Christ does.

         Christ turns the water into wine. We can humbly ask him for it.

         "Lord, could you turn the ordinary water of my faith into the wine of new gladness?"

         We can trust him with our lives.

         "Lord Jesus, would you take control of my life?"

         We can open up our hearts to his Lordship.

         "Lord, I want to do your will, live by your gift and walk in your light."

         We can receive his love.

         Amen.