EPIPHANY 2-C, January 14, 2007

On a scale of one to ten, ten being the highest, Jesus's miracle of turning water into wine at that marriage celebration in Cana probably rates a two or three. Jesus's raising Lazarus from the dead after four days in the grave -- rates a ten. His curing of Peter's mother-in-law of the fever keeping her in bed probably rates a one or two.

Now I am not trying to be either flippant or sacrilegious. The changing of the water into wine was almost no big deal. The guests of honor, the bride and groom, were unaware that any miracle took place. The only people who knew about what Jesus had done were his mother, his five disciples and the chief steward. The rest were blissfully unaware – probably because they already had too much to drink.

In fact, John, the writer of the Gospel, doesn't even call what Jesus did a miracle. He simply says that it was a sign. But then, he doesn't even call Lazarus's being raised from the dead a miracle either. It is another sign. In fact everything that Jesus said and did was, for John, simply a sign of who he was and what he was about. To John giving new life to Lazarus was no more important than Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus about eternal life. Giving sight to a blind man was no more important than Jesus’ conversation with the women at the well about being able to see the Messiah when he was standing right in front of her.

For John, what was important was that every person whom Jesus encountered was important to Jesus. Every problem became his problem, even when he really did not want to become involved. Take today's Gospel incident as an example. Jewish wedding celebrations went on for at least one full week and often two – and I always thought Italian weddings were big celebrations. By the time that the wine had run out, the wedding celebration was probably well into its second week. Everyone had had more than enough to eat and drink, and had done enough celebrating – by anyone's standards.

Jesus could simply have said, "They don't need any more to drink. They've had enough." But he did not. His mother gently reminded him that there was a problem and that if he was to be true to who he was, that problem now became his problem, ready or not. And so he changed the water into wine. What was important was not what was done, the miracle, but rather that Jesus cared enough to do something. It was a sign, a sign of his love, his love for his mother and his love for the bride and groom who would have been terribly embarrassed had there been no more wine to serve.

We've all been there, you and I. We've all been in situations where we would rather have not had to do what we have been called upon to do. We've all made or tried to make excuses why the situation did not need us; why someone else could do a better job; why we really didn't have the time or why it was such an inconvenient time. We've all been there. And we've all had the gentle reminder from someone that we had no choice but to do something.

That reminder may have come from our mother or friend or simply the Holy Spirit living in and working through us. And so we responded. In one way or another we have all changed water into wine. And when we changed that water into wine, what we did was what John said Jesus did, we were a living sign of our faith. What we did we did because of our faith in Jesus Christ and not, as is often the case, because we really wanted to do it.

Let me give you a few examples of what I mean about changing water into wine, about being a living sign of our faith in Jesus Christ. Serving on the Vestry is changing water into wine. Teaching Sunday School is changing water into wine. Serving meals at Green Square, volunteering at Loaves and Fishes, preparing a meal for the family, doing a good day's work – all of that is changing water into wine. Everything we do can be changing water into wine. It can be raising someone from the dead as well. It all depends upon how we look upon and understand what we are doing. On a scale of one to ten it may seem to be no big deal. But it really is.

Our responsibility as Christians is to live out our baptismal promises in our daily lives. Through baptism we promise to do our part every day in living out our faith, and God promises us God will do God’s part every day in helping us. What that means is that you and I are partners with God. Partners. We do our part. God does God's part. We can't do our part without God's help. God will not do God's part without our help. We can refuse anywhere along the line just as Jesus could have. Jesus could have said "No" to his mother's request. He had that ability, maybe even that right.

Jesus was born to be our Savior, but anywhere along the way, he could have turned back. He could have said, "No." He had that freedom. We are no different. We were born to help save, help redeem the world; help clean up the mess. Anywhere along the way we can say "no." We have that freedom. But like Jesus, when we choose to say "yes," when we choose to do our part, God will be there to support us, to give us all the grace and strength we need to do what needs to be done – even if it means changing water into wine. If that is what honestly needs to be done, if changing real water into real wine is the only solution to the problem, we will be able to do it, with God's help.

What does all this mean? Several things, I think. First of all, it means that you and I are more important than we think we are. If each of us is truly God's partner in this world, then whatever we do is important -- whatever our vocation. That means we are called to do the very best we can at whatever we are doing: be the best student, best parent, best worker, best child, best whatever. In doing so we will be a sign to this sinful and broken world of God's love and care and concern for everyone.

Being God's partner also means that we can show the world not what each person must be but what each person can be, with God's help. The reason why God has given us the Holy Spirit is precisely to give us both the strength to do what we as God's partner must do as well as give us the guidance to know what to do in the first place. And what we are to do is to stand and see the needs of the world from God's viewpoint. That is what Jesus always had to do, even at Cana.

What happens when we become aware that we are God's partners in this world is that miracles really happen, not just miracles on the lower rung of the scale, but nines and tens as well. But again, we have to do our part in the partnership. Just as Jesus could not change the water into wine unless someone first filled the jars with water, so Jesus can't come in and eat with us until we start something cooking. He cannot help us help another unless we first reach out to the other. We must take the first step. In more ways than we would like to think, the partnership with God begins with us.

As we live out our baptismal ministry in our daily lives, what we say and do may not rate very high on anyone’s scale. It may seem no big deal and not very important. But our lives are always important. Everything we do is important. It may not seem as important as was Jesus’. It may pale in comparison to the ministry of Martin Luther King, Jr. It may seem insignificant even to ourselves. But it is not. For our ministry is a sign, a sign of our faith, a sign of our love of God and of others and sign of God’s love for us.

May we continue to be God’s partner each day and each day with God’s help continue to change water into wine.