The Wedding at Cana is probably one of the most well-known Bible passages:  therein lies a problem.  If I think I know it, I can easily imagine it has nothing new to say, that there can be no new revelation.   

Pondering on this dilemma, scanning and then by-passing the theological tomes that line the walls in my study, my eyes happened upon a little book that my mother sent me, entitled “Children’s Letters to God”.  In the ‘Fervent Wishes, Suggestions and Complaints’ section, I read the following:

Dear God.
How come you did all those miracles in the old days
and don’t do any now?
                       signed:  Seymour

It’s a good question. 

John sees Jesus’ changing water into wine as the first ‘miraculous sign’ which demonstrates his identity:  Jesus is human and divine.  The extraordinary thing is that the other three Gospel writers don’t record this incident at all.  So we have John to thank for considering it so important, for as the Scripture says, Jesus ‘thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.’  If you can imagine the scene, they must have stayed pretty close to him, listening and watching attentively. 

We’re not told how many other guests were at the wedding but the chances are it was a large group and going by the Scripture, many of them were pretty merry by the time the wine ran out.  Quite likely, many were blissfully unaware of the need for more supplies. 

Consider, then, the quantity which Jesus produced to replenish the stocks:  six stone water jars, each holding from 20 to 30 gallons - that’s a potential 180 gallons of water - made into wine!  Enough to last even a large party for at least a week!  Consider, too, its quality, here described as ‘the choicest wine’ - the best, saved until last.  The master of the banquet had no idea where it came from:  only the servants who had drawn the water knew.  And the disciples who’d stayed close to Jesus, who put their faith in him.  (I’d love to know if they were waiting for some sort of proof of his identity, and I’d also love to know what happened to the servants afterwards:  did they, too, put their faith in Christ?)

John brings us to a deeper understanding of Jesus in a way that no other gospel writer does.  Beginning this passage as he does, “On the third day ….” immediately resonates with the discovery of the empty tomb on Easter Day.  Jesus and his friends at the Wedding in Cana is a preview, a cameo of the Last Supper, when Jesus transforms wine into his blood.  When Jesus tells his mother “my time has not yet come”, he is pointing to his sacrifice once for all upon the cross.  And then, to his resurrection: the most miraculous sign of all, when he rose again and subsequently appeared, first to Mary in the garden (John 20). 

 “Do whatever he tells you”, Mary tells the servants at the wedding.  That’s faith - responding to Jesus’ words, trusting in him to transform the water of our daily struggles into the wine of joy, as we allow him to transform us and lead us into the kingdom of heaven, where the best is saved until last, and it lasts forever. The best is saved until last:  the wine of salvation; a salvation won for us completely by Jesus giving up his life to save ours; a salvation that is celebrated not for a day - like a wedding feast - not even for a week - but forever.  Such is the abundance of God’s love for us:  inexhaustible, beyond our wildest imaginings.  

Every time we gather for Holy Communion, God invites us to open our lives to his gifts of grace.  Every time we “drink this cup and eat this bread” we re-enact the Last Supper and receive a foretaste of the heavenly banquet.  Our transformation has begun.  The best is yet to come. 

How wonderfully promising is this!  When we feel we’re running on empty, when our faith is weak, our energy sapped, resources at rock bottom, wondering how we’ll meet the tasks or demands of the day.  Remember the source of all we are; the sustainer of all we seek to do; the over-generous provider who gives us more than enough:  God, in Christ holds out the cup that never runs dry.  (Remember Psalm 23, verse 5:  You prepare a table before me …..; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”)

I believe God performs miraculous signs every day.  Not necessarily water into wine-type signs, but small, often unexpected transformations of events or circumstances.  It’s down to us to be alert to him at work, in the world.  He gave us ears to hear and eyes to see the incredible generosity of his steadfast love for all people.  Through prayer and quiet moments, even in the middle of a busy day, we can tune in to God, who is there even in the chaos of our ordinary lives.  “He is the source from whom all blessings flow”. (Psalm 36.9) 

I recall an instance just recently when I visited a residential home, which cares largely for people with Alzheimer’s and Dementia.  They were having their Christmas party.  It was quite a do!  An entertainer from the East End was there with his accordion and an assortment of Old Time Music Hall and Christmas songs.  Some of the family visitors, particularly the children, were unsure of the goings-on!  There were streamers and Christmas crackers; there was party food enough for an army; two or three of the younger women were up and dancing (one had obviously been an entertainer at one time); many of the wheelchair-bound who, hitherto, seemed empty and vacant were smiling and tapping their feet.  I have to confess, although I had the desire to be there because I was keeping a promise, I wasn’t sure if I was in the mood.  But as I entered the spirit of it all, a wave of sheer joy ran through me and over me.  “God is here“, I said to myself, “And the people here know it”. 

When we become disciples of Christ, we’re called to put our faith in him, to trust in God and also to trust in his timing.  This comes through loud and clear in today’s Epistle, as well as in our Gospel reading. 

Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians reminds us that God’s gifts are given to individuals as the Spirit chooses.  And I love the fact that the list of gifts and services is so varied!  There is richness in such diversity - a reminder that it is precisely because we’re all different that we’re not all called to the same things.  It’s also a warning against coveting spiritual gifts, clinging to them for the benefit of ourselves or our small groups alone.  All spiritual gifts are meant for sharing with the whole Body of Christ, for the common good of the church and the community we seek to serve. 

This is an exciting time in the life of St John’s as we gear up to realise our Vision as a centre of Mission and Ministry in this town.  As we approach the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, it’s also a time to celebrate our ecumenical links, sharing the gifts of the Spirit for the good of all.  The Unity Service at Theydon Bois Baptist Church next Sunday evening will provide such an opportunity. 

God has already blessed Epping St John’s, thus far, throughout its history:  you are the present day Body of Christ in this place and as such, you have a rich inheritance to guard and to build upon. 

Together, let us pray that the gifts of the Holy Spirit already real and active may be used for the common good and to the glory of God.  Let us also pray for an openness to receive the gifts that the Spirit has yet to bestow on us.  The spirit of generosity which God lavishes on us; the spirit of generosity that Jesus displayed at the Wedding in Cana will then, God willing, flow through us to the people we meet along the way, and they will be touched by his very real presence.  

So in response to Seymour’s dilemma, we can safely say: “Yes, we believe God still does miracles today”. 

Amen.