Second Sunday after the Epiphany
John 2:1-11
Year C
Do you remember what it was like to receive communion during the high safety protocols of the COVID-19 pandemic? Maybe your church, like mine, distributed pre-filled, disposable communion cups as masked people gathered for worship. As sanitary as those pre-filled cups were, they never made me feel as if I was attending the “joyful feast of the people of God.” Separating the layer of protective foil from the cup took focused concentration and nimble fingers; the reward of our efforts, a stale wafer and an overly sweet sip of grape juice — borderline fermented, but definitely not wine.
This Sunday, the lectionary leads us to contemplate Jesus’ ministry through the miracle at the wedding in Cana. In the biblical tradition, wine is a rich symbol of prosperity, abundance and good times. When wine runs low during a wedding party, the host is in jeopardy of appearing inhospitable — like they were too stingy for sufficient supplies or secretly hoped everyone would leave early. But Jesus, prompted by his mother, saves the party. Jesus instructs the servants to fill six stone jars with water, which he promptly turns to wine. So. much. wine. Enough for everyone at the party and then some. And fine wine, no less. Not the cheap stuff. The guests are blown away by the extravagance of this gesture. And John, writing of the event, shows Jesus’ ministry as abundant, overflowing, more than enough for all.
Two things are significant here: that Jesus performed this miracle not to raise the dead or heal the sick, but to nurture the joy of togetherness and sustain human fellowship and connection. And that, besides Jesus’ mother, the servants were the only ones who witnessed Jesus’ miracle. The hired help had the best vantage point and the clearest, most illuminated perspective on his ministry. Positioning himself with the servants is not unique for Jesus. Throughout the Gospels Jesus favors the company of the lowly. But it does make me consider, what I am missing because my seat at the table is more socially privileged? What extravagant abundance of Jesus’ have I failed to observe?
When my church celebrated communion during the pandemic with the disposable, pre-filled cups, nothing about that sterile communion felt extravagant or abundant. But this lectionary text has given me perspective. Before this sanitary form of communion, my church couldn’t even be together for worship. We gathered communion elements individually from whatever was on hand in the kitchen, then blessed and consecrated our cookies and Coke through a Zoom screen. After that, receiving communion together, even while observing high safety protocols, was a gift of abundant grace.
Today we sit in community. We approach the Lord’s Table, our maskless mouths free to sing, “Holy, holy, holy, God of power and God of might” eating the Bread of Life and drinking from the cup of salvation together as one body of Christ. Communion can and should change our perspective. No matter where we sit, no matter how we receive the elements, the joyful feast of the people of God is miraculous and extravagant.
Questions for reflection on John 2:1-11
- What details from this scripture story stand out to you? Have you read this story before? Do you notice anything new in reading this story again?
- How would you view your church or your church’s ministry if you were witnessing it from the perspective of an outsider?
- What feels the most extravagant and abundant about your church’s ministry?
View the corresponding Order of Worship for John 2:1-11.
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