Six Jugs-full (John 2:1-11)

The question is this: did they really need more wine? You'd think that they'd just call it quits when they'd run out. That the party would be over and it would be time to leave the proverbial keys at the door. Call a camel. Bring in the designated rider. Why did they need more wine? This wasn't a matter of a cake and punch reception in the Fellowship Hall following the nuptials. Or the uncorking of a bottle or two and sending the guests on their way when it was gone. This was a wedding feast. A seven-day banquet. A real blow-out affair. It would be more than a shame to run out of wine, because the host would literally bear the shame of throwing a party that wasn't up to snuff. Running out of wine was more than just a blunder. It was a serious gaffe that could reduce the host's status on the totem pole.

Jesus, his mother and the new disciples had made the cut. They were on the guest list for this gala affair. At least it was the party of parties until they ran out of wine; the mother of Jesus took it upon herself to alert him to this grave situation. But what did she think that he could do about it? What did she think that he would do about it? He basically told her to mind her own business. His hour had not yet come, he told her. Maybe he wasn't ready to perform a miracle. So almost reluctantly, he told the stewards to fill the six stone jars with water.

Now we're not talking about jars the size of jelly jars here. Or even water pitchers. These jugs held more than twenty gallons each. The Jews did a lot of handwashing; their daily activities left them "ritually unclean." But the jugs were empty. Why hadn't they been refilled? Something tells me that they weren't using Purell. They were far from the holy city of Jerusalem. They were far from the Temple, their most revered place of worship. And their water jugs were empty. All six of them. Out of sight, out of mind?

And so Jesus told the stewards to fill the jugs to the brim with water, turning the water into wine. Not just a bottle or two, but an abundance. Six jugs-full of new wine for guests who had probably had enough, and were feeling no pain. But the fact of the matter is this: it took nothing less than a miracle to keep the party going. Indeed. Six jugs-full of new wine.

It seems ludicrous to be talking about a party where running out of wine was considered to be a social offense in light of what is happening in Haiti. It seems ludicrous to be talking about abundance when there is so much devastation. I don't know about you, but it breaks my heart, because what I don't get is this: How can Jesus be turning water into wine for the guests at a party when there is no clean water for the people in Haiti to drink? Not even six jugs-full? It makes you wonder, doesn't it, where that new wine is?

Yes, the question is this: do we really need more wine? The divine party isn't over, and I don't know about you, but I like the feeling of being filled with new wine. Jesus has performed a miracle. He has changed the waters of baptism into the wine of hope making way for the kingdom of God, for from the extravagance of God's gift will pour forth the ultimate gift, the gift of eternal life. Indeed, God will provide what we need in abundance, filling those jugs to the brim with faith, compassion, hope, grace, mercy and love. Six-jugs-full. Do we really need more wine? I don't think so, for our jugs are overflowing,and there's plenty to go around--six jugs-full.

Wake-up Call

I love my morning java jolt. It gives me great delight to rise to the delicious aroma of the brewing beverage and to fill my favorite mug with that morning wake-up call as I linger over my first cup. Strong and black is the way I like my coffee. As a matter of fact, I like my java so thick and dark that I have been banished from making coffee at the church!

But since one cup of the delectable beverage won't suffice, I like to take my morning shot out into the world. There is something comforting about having the aromatic drink at my side as I start my day. I have one slight problem, however, and it is finding the perfect receptacle for my coffee "to go." I have searched in vain to find the cup of my dreams; it goes without saying that I have acquired quite a collection, because just when I think I've found the right one, my quest begins again. No matter how many I try, I still have yet to find that which is ideal. Between the cup with a snap-on lid that dribbles coffee down my chin when I take a swallow, to the light-weight cup that produces iced coffee in a very short time on a cold day, to the cup with a screw-on lid that doesn't seal properly, I am frustrated. So much for my morning java jolt--to go, that is!

I'd like to take some time now to linger over my morning Jesus jolt as I fill my sacred mug with my wake-up call of prayer. I think I've found the perfect "to go" cup, too, because I know that God will wipe away the dribble of sin with the holy cloth of mercy. God will warm the iced coffee of my soul with his love; as for the cup with the screw-on lid that doesn't seal properly, I know that God will contain me in his grace. By the way, if you ever do venture into one of those fancy coffee shops for a $4 cup of coffee, don't worry about how expensive it is, for Jesus has already paid the price.

The Heat's On! (Luke 3:15-17, 21-22)

I have always told people that living in southeast Iowa is like living in the tropics, especially for someone who grew up in North Dakota. I did manage to survive the frigid temperatures that caused my scarf to freeze to my nose and my mouth. When I lived in Canada, winter seemed endless as I trudged through massive amounts of snow each winter, my stocking cap pulled way down over my ears. However, I will admit to bundling up in layer after layer just to stand on the street on the coldest day of the year for the opportunity to experience the Winter Carnival Parade. But now the Arctic temperature have descended upon us and it is downright cold!

However, I really did experience life in the tropics when I lived in Australia; the sub-tropics, to be exact. Summer temperatures topped out in the 90's, lasting about nine months. Winter temperatures hovered around 50--that would seem quite balmy to us right now! But after the heat of the summer, 50 degrees was cold, especially since there was a lack of insulation in the houses and central heat did not exist. It was was a damp cold, and I was chilled to the bone. But my saving grace was this: a portable kerosene heater that I carried from room to room. However, there was a slight problem: when it came time to refuel it, I was afraid that when I lit a match,one spark would ignite the whole thing and cause an explosion!

So the heat's on. John the Baptist has been sent to prepare the way for Jesus. But the word of the day from John is the wrath of God; trees not bearing fruit would be cut down and thrown into the fire. Jesus, the one to come, will baptize with fire and the Holy Spirit. He will take a winnowing fork in his hand to clear the threshing floor and gather the wheat into his barn, the chaff being burned with unquenchable fire, the consuming fire of judgment. But that doesn't mean that we're off the hook, because as we repeat Sunday after Sunday in the Apostles' Creed: "He will come again to judge the living and the dead."

Now fire isn't all bad. The farmers burn off their fields to make way for new growth. The refiner's fire burns off the impurities from the metal leaving it so shiny that you can see your reflection in it; your reflection as a child of God, that is. Indeed, the heat's on, and we are being consumed by the fire, the fire of holiness as we are purified, transformed and consecrated to the one who baptizes with fire and the Holy Spirit.

And so Jesus was baptized without fanfare; he was just another face in the crowd. We don't know who baptized Jesus; John the Baptist had already been imprisoned by Herod. But Jesus was baptized all the same, the one without sin who was born of a sinner into a world of sinners, all for the forgiveness of our sins. John the Baptist's ministry is over; but the heat's on as Jesus begins his ministry, teaching, and healing as he makes his way to the cross.

That said, I think I'm ready to let the holy heater be refueled. I've been waiting for the match to be lit, because the heat's on. The divine spark has been ignited and caught fire. Heaven and earth have come together in a tremendous explosion. It's like nothing I've ever experienced before. "The Holy Spirit descended in bodily form and a voice came from heaven,"You are my Son, my beloved, with you I am well pleased." Interestingly enough, those words were meant for Jesus alone; however, that doesn't mean that God has stopped speaking to us, too.

I'm glad that our holy heater has been refueled; it reminds me that this is a good time to refuel my own spiritual life where the divine spark is ignited daily and heaven and earth come together in the person of Jesus Christ. And so it is that I will take my portable holy heater with me out into the world, carrying the warmth of God's love with me and keeping the light of Christ burning in my heart.