A Sign of God’s Generosity

The predominant theme throughout our Scripture readings this morning concern celebrations.  The reading from Isaiah celebrates salvation: “I will not rest until [Jerusalem’s] vindication shines out like the dawn, and her salvation like a burning torch.”  The Psalmist rejoices and celebrates God’s love:  “How priceless is your love, O God!”  The Letter to the Corinthians celebrates varieties of services and activities given to each person for the common good:  “There are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit…who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.”

The wedding feast in the gospel of John is another celebration.  Jesus turned water into wine as a sign of abundance and generosity.  “Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory.”  It was a magnificent celebration.

This story of the wedding in Cana is unique to John’s gospel.  The bridegroom was the person who provided wine for a wedding.  In this case the groom likely did not have enough for his guests.  So Jesus, as one of the guests , transformed the water into wine.  This was the first of seven signs in John’s gospel, and it is a sign of what God’s power and love meant to the gathered community.

A miracle, a symbol or sign, points to something that is greater, something more long-lasting or even eternal.  The good wine in this story is symbolic of a new age and a new way of living together in community.  It is the revelation of the great and mysterious gift of love that is present at the wedding feast.  It is also an epiphany, the revelation of God's presence in the person of Jesus.

In your service leaflet this morning there is a reprint of an icon based on the story of the Wedding at Cana.  As you look at this image, fashioned in the Byzantine tradition, I shall read some of what the artist, Sister Marie-Paul Farrar has written:

 

“In icons that illustrate a scripture story such as this one, the background is represented in a schematic, simplified fashion.  This is done to avoid drawing the viewer’s attention away from the important aspects of the event – the people, their actions, and their relationships.  The table is crudely drawn, with the top apparently tilted toward us.  The chair Jesus sits upon appears to have the rear legs longer than the front ones.  Both are examples of ‘inverse perspective,’ a visual device used in iconography to draw you, the viewer, into the scene.  The towers in the background tell us that the scene took place in a city.  The red cloth drape across the top is a symbol that the events took place indoors.  No highlights or shadows are ever represented in icons to indicate that God’s light surrounds all.  The gold leaf background is another symbol of Divine light, gold being used because it reflects and enriches light in a manner so different from paint.

“All the persons mentioned in the Gospel story are included or symbolically represented in the image.  Seated around the table from our left to right are Jesus, Mary, the groom, the bride, a representative disciple of Jesus, and the chief steward.  One servant pours water into the jars while another serves the wine.  Jesus and Mary have their heads surrounded by halos indicating their sanctity…. [Jesus] wears a tunic of red, symbolic of his blood shed for us, and a cloak of dark blue, symbolic of the mystery of his divine life.  Mary’s hands are raised toward Jesus in supplication as she intercedes with him on behalf of the married couple.  Church tradition has used this Gospel account to reinforce Mary’s power as an intercessor, since she overcame her Son’s reluctance to perform this miracle.  The bride and groom are in the center focus of the scene, heads inclined toward each other indicating their love.  The disciple is represented with a very large and high forehead, symbolic of spiritual enlightenment.  His hand is raised in a gesture of blessing, acknowledging the manifestation of the Messiah’s power.  The steward, obviously a connoisseur of fine wine, sits in rapt appreciation of his glass.  The servants are drawn smaller than the guests, indicating their relative status.

“The Wedding Feast at Cana is the first of seven miracles described in the portion of John’s Gospel known to modern scripture scholars as ‘the Book of Signs.’  John’s sequence of events, the revelation of Christ’s glory taking place ‘on the third day’ after the call to Philip and Nathanael, seems deliberately to recall the connection to Christ’s Resurrection on the third day following His death.  By changing water set aside for Jewish rites of purification into the new wine of the Messianic age, Jesus here begins a pattern of transforming the institutions of Judaism into those of Christianity.”

As we look at this picture of the Wedding Feast and reflect on it, we should know that Jesus is our host at every celebration of the Eucharist.  His hospitality is greater than anything we can imagine.  All are welcome; everyone is invited.  We consume wine from the cup in celebration of God’s relationship with us, aware of the difference that is made by God’s presence in our lives.  Wine is a sign of God’s abundance.  As the Psalmist said, “How priceless is your love, O God!  They feast upon the abundance of your house; you give them drink from the river of your delights.”  We are all invited to a life that is more than we can imagine.  It is a sign of God’s abundance and generosity.  Amen.