"Cana-Grace"
Sermon for 2nd Sunday After Epiphany
Do you eat every day? This is a question that comes up in a song I heard a few years ago. It was written by pastor/song-writer Brian Sirchio after he went to Haiti to work with the poor on a mission trip.[1] The song tells the story of striking up a conversation with a man when he asked him a question.
"Do you think I'm rich?
And this was his response to me
He said, well how many times a week do you eat?
Well his question took my voice away
And then he said, you mean you eat every day?
And I said, yeah, and he just said this
Well if you eat each day, you're rich."
The images of Haiti this week have been staggering to say the least. It's almost too much to comprehend--the devastation, death, and destruction that this small country is suffering. The song's lyrics have played like a broken record in my head all week as I've seen countless reports and read numerous articles about the earthquake that struck this past Tuesday. I'm sure many of you can relate to the feelings of helplessness and heartache that come with the pictures and reports.
Amid the unfamiliar images and stories of this week, our Gospel lesson stands out today as one that is likely a familiar passage. It's one of the best-known passages in all of the Gospel of John. Jesus' first miracle, or sign as John calls it, takes place early in his ministry. Jesus has just come onto the scene and has just called his disciples. And then they find themselves invited to attend a big celebration. Jesus, his mother, and the disciples are in Cana of Galilee to attend the wedding of someone familiar, likely a family member of Jesus. Wedding celebrations in this time were extensive, as they usually celebrated for seven days. Hospitality was not only important in this culture, it was expected. Social etiquette indicated that the family would save for months or years in order to have a lavish wedding, and it would be a disgrace for the newlyweds if things went badly.
In John's story the symbolism and power of the story is palpable. This is a story about God's care and concern for people. This is also a story about grace, abundance, and celebration---the grace of God given to the people in abundance and the celebration that happens because of it. The crisis of running out of wine would result in social disgrace. Their hospitality would be judged as poor, and they would receive the shame of their guests because they had not planned and saved properly to ensure enough wine would be available for the wedding.[2] Because of Jesus' care for people and his concern over their well-being and life, he stepped in to save the day. In this moment of crisis, he worked through others to bring about transformation. Jesus used the servants to help solve the problem. If you notice in the passage, Jesus used actions--the actions of those around him--he told them to "fill," "draw out," and "take" the water to the steward, whom we might call the headwaiter. Jesus empowers the servants to do the work of transformation, and the steward does not even know that Jesus is the one responsible. Yet, ultimately God gets the glory for the change through Jesus, and the disciples believe in Him.
The details about the stone jars are another interesting aspect to this passage. John uses them to show the abundance of grace that Jesus provides for the people at the party. The stone jars were large--each probably held 20-30 gallons of water.[3] In Jewish understanding, seven is the number that signifies completeness, where as six signals incompleteness.[4] Though they are incomplete, Jesus is still able to use them for good. The abundant grace that Jesus shows through the excess of wine is the same abundance of grace that extends to us. Jesus could have acted in such a way that showed his care and concern, but did not cause a scene or brought glory to God. When it came to hospitality, one has to figure that the wedding celebrations were about halfway finished. They only needed enough wine to last until the end. Jesus could have very easily turned one jar into wine, while leaving the others filled with water for the ceremonial washing for the guests to use to keep clean, as Jewish law dictated. One jar would have likely been enough. One jar would suffice. One jar would have been a gracious gift. Jesus didn't stop at one jar, though. He carried the task through to completion and transformed all of the jars from water to wine.
Six jars of wine--This was grace upon grace. Grace that went beyond the steward's wildest imagination. Grace that showed his total care and concern for the wedding couple. Grace that was poured out so completely that an abundance of wine was likely left over. This was the waitress receiving a 2000% tip instead of the customary 15-20%. We can truly only estimate the response since details are sketchy, but I have a feeling everyone there was blown away by the extensive gift.
Jesus not only provided wine, but allowed the couple to not be disgraced. He joined in the festivities and empowered the people to celebrate in style that was fitting of the king and queen, not the peasants they likely were. The grace shown in this story is abundant grace. Grace that is bigger and better than we can imagine. We can call this grace "Cana-Grace" after the town where this first sign took place.[5] Cana-Grace is a spirit of celebration and abundance that goes beyond what is needed and expected to something that is beyond measure. Cana-Grace is the unexpected, unimaginable abundance that happens when Jesus gets involved and God's blessings rain down just as the wine was beyond the wedding party's wildest imaginations.
Today's Gospel is somewhat hard to hear given the lack of sustenance in Haiti. They don't really have an abundance of anything right now--except rubble and bodies in need of proper burials. Their need of water and food is profuse. I hear the song "If you eat each day, you're rich" in my head and watch the screen with horror. The song was written years ago. It doesn't reference the suffering of the earthquake. It expresses the suffering and reality of daily life that most Haitians experienced last Monday, not just since Tuesday. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. 80% of the population lives in poverty, with 54% living in abject poverty. Most live on less than $1300 a year. 38% of the country is under the age of 15.[6] Haiti has been in a bad situation for a long time. These problems are only compounded now with the death and destruction that the earthquake piled on top of the daily struggles they faced for survival. And yet, it takes a 7.0 earthquake to finally get Haiti on the national and international radar. So if we haven't taken notice before this week, let us at least take notice now.
As I have followed the news of the earthquake, I have been so thankful for the coverage of all the different mission groups that are serving in Haiti. With this disaster they are now receiving press coverage for their efforts and are being recognized on a national scale. Though I am sure many of them live out their callings from God and are quite content never making the news, their efforts are now being lifted up for God's glory. I’ve heard a few of the missionaries who are now back in the States being interviewed, and I was struck by how vocal they are about returning to the people they serve in Haiti to help with rebuilding of lives. They are there as the hands and feet of Christ serving those who have so little, and they want to be there now during the months and years ahead as the country begins to rebuild. Christ is using these people to create abundant wine where there were only empty jars before. We have the opportunity to support their work through the Relief Buckets the MYF will be assembling this afternoon and by giving to agencies who are on the ground there.
The recovery for Haiti is going to be a long-haul situation. Much like Katrina and the Tsunami, it will take years to even get them back to where they were in terms of housing and infrastructure. That's the grace that they need—to rebuild and move on. Yet, I believe they need more than just to get back to where they were. The Cana-Grace, that extravagant, unfathomable, beyond measure help and love from God, is what it will take to get them beyond where they were. A friend of mine in Seminary had spent years prior working in an orphanage in Haiti. She told stories of seeing children literally eating mud-pies. The pies would be made with dirt and dirty water, baked in the sun, and then eaten. They felt it was better to have something in the stomach, since it lessened the hunger pains, then to not eat at all. Let us, as global citizens and believers in a gracious God, work to supply the basics--the abundance of water and food--that will help them to flourish and eat each day.
There has been much talk about this "act of God."[7] I don't believe God causes disasters. I believe God, instead, is there suffering with the people, comforting them in this time of crisis. God is present in the jars of water that are being shipped down, in the tent cities that are being set-up, and in the convoy trucks of supplies that are trying to reach those in need. The "act of God" in Haiti is what is happening after the earthquake. Cana-Grace is present as the servants of God dip out the water and watch as it turns into something more wonderful than they could even imagine. Cana-grace is also seen in the giving to disaster funds through the American Red Cross and other relief organizations. At last report, giving is on pace to surpass that of the Tsunami and Katrina and break the record. Giving like this during bad economic times--that's Cana-Grace. Maybe the rececssion, if nothing else, has made us more compassionate and willing to share. Only time will tell. The Cana-Grace will also be seen in the long-term efforts. Hopefully Haiti will stay in our minds and hearts for the long haul as we all join together as a nation and world to help them. That is Christ's call. This is Christ's gift--the grace of God in unimaginable, unfathomable abundance.
Cana-Grace is needed today for Haiti. God's gifts in abundance are what it's going to take to help. John's Gospel does speak to the crisis in Haiti, just as it spoke to the crisis during the wedding celebrations. My prayers are that people will continue to respond like we have seen this week already, and that Haiti will remain on our radar for the months and years to come that it will take to move beyond this disaster. I pray that God will use us all, as global neighbors, to tend to their hurts and needs. I pray that our abundant jars of wine will become the overflowing wells of water that they need.[8] May we all share God's gift of Cana-Grace with our brothers and sisters. Amen.
[2] Gerard Sloyan, John: Interpretation Series (Atlanta, GA: John Knox Press, 1988) 36.
[3] Gail O'Day, "John" in The New Interpreters Bible, Vol. IX (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1995) 538.
[4] Sloyan, John: Interpretation Series (Atlanta, GA: John Knox Press, 1988) 35.
[5] Robert M. Breasley, "Pastoral Perspective on John 2:1-11 for Second Sunday after the Epiphany" in Feasting On The Word [Year C, Volume 1] eds. David Bartlett and Barbara Brown Taylor (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009) 262.
[7] Facebook Page "The Text This Week" Taken from a comment posted by Rachel Wangen-Hoch posted on 1/15/2010.
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