Wedding Gifts
1 Corinthians 12:1-11; John 2:1-11

January 18, 2004

Changing water into wine has been a universal desire ever since the wedding at Cana in Galilee. It has been part of our language and imagery, as well as our jokes, no matter whether one is Christian or not. No person took this story more seriously than Thomas Bramwell Welch.

Oh yes, he was a Methodist and Methodists in the late 1800’s had one reason to live: the abolition of alcoholic beverages. Now how could you worship legitimately and ethically when it came to Holy Communion? Just in time for the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago Welch introduced his unfermented grape juice, born “out of a passion to serve God by helping his church to give its communion Ôthe fruit of the vine’ instead of the Ôcup of the devils.’”

Welch Food, Inc., sells about US$650 million in juices and other products, a significant portion to Protestant churches like ours who prefer the fruit of the vine to the real stuff. Catholics and Orthodox require by canon law that the wine used in Mass and Eucharist has to be natural, therefore alcoholic.

There are many proponents of a “dry Jesus.” Some point out that Jesus refers only to “the cup” or “the fruit of the vine,” but not to “wine.” Others strain to prove, without any real evidence, that the words for wine in the Bible can refer to fermented and unfermented drinks.

Cana is a sticky wicket, of course, but the “dry Jesus” types are convinced the water was changed into pure grape juice because the Gospel recounts that Jesus produced the day’s best beverage. If alcohol had been served, then the guests would have been too drunk to know the difference. And surely, Jesus would not have led people into sin, for the Bible warns against the evils of drunkenness.

Nevertheless, there are social historians out there who think that in fact Jesus would have been a confirmed beer drinker. Martin Luther knew that all along. Wine was the drink of the Roman elite in the Middle East, while beer was the preferred drink of the common people. Therefore, historians find it not a little odd that Jesus who ate and drank and socialized with prostitutes, tax collectors, and other sinners would have chosen the drink of the rich and powerful above the humble beer of the people. The United Church of Canada social concerns group better get a policy statement on this right away!

What this does say to us sitting here in this un-middle eastern climate and church is that perhaps Jesus was Canadian.

Gifts are a part of every wedding. We want to give unique, useful gifts to a couple that are not duplicated by other guests. If possible, our gift should express something of ourselves so that it preserves and reminds them of the relationship and feelings all of you have. Gifts for weddings are typically physical objects, costing money, and sometimes the gift is plain old money. Money and physical things usually don’t last all that long and they certainly don’t ensure a good marriage, a good relationship between husband and wife.

The New Testament doesn’t talk about wedding gifts per se, but it is full of talk about charisma or spiritual gift. Whenever the passage from 1 Corinthians 13 is read at weddings about that remarkable love that is patient and kind, neither jealous nor boastful, neither arrogant nor rude, know that Paul was not talking about weddings. Chapter 12 read today is the setup: Paul knows the Corinthian Christians have been arguing over spiritual gifts, which were more important and prestigious. Paul turns upside down their infighting and aspirations - every gift has its place in the big picture and remember, it’s not your picture. And every gift is a gift - you don’t earn it by your wonderful abilities, you are given it freely. Maybe you don’t really deserve it, but you were given it for a purpose that is not yours.

Paul does have a list of particular gifts: wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, working of miracles, prophecy, discernment of spirits, speaking in tongues, interpreting what those tongues are saying. No particular priority and that is the message: a single Spirit is behind them all, one is just as good as another. And there are professions that are valued first: apostles, prophets, teachers, performers of deeds of power, healers, those who assist others, leadership types, and finally those tongues of angels. Paul probably did not give them the order they expected, and today we would line them differently ourselves. But then, these are not our gifts, but the ones we are entrusted with for a greater reason, and love is the greatest gift, the engine behind all other gifts.

Jesus at a wedding doesn’t fit the image Christians have established for him. To listen to many Christians talk, Jesus would be in danger of becoming unclean. The only sexuality Jesus is allowed is the fact that he is male. That fact has interesting repercussions, but I won’t go there now.

Jesus was definitely there for the party. I would nominate as the most convincingly human scene in the Gospels his mother’s nag. I can hear the tone of voice, “They have no wine.” “and that’s supposed to be my problem?” Jesus shot back.

Probably with an anxious impatience, Jesus added, “My hour has not yet come.” A retired United Church of Christ minister, Jack Good, has a real insight here. It was touchy business being a popular leader in first century Galilee. There had been other leaders of revolutionary movements, some politically motivated, all with religious overtones. If you showed your hand too soon, you would alert the authorities and get killed rather swiftly and efficiently. Jesus wanted a more measured, planned out occasion to reveal his ideas and directions.

But his mother pressed him to something now, and she knew he was not ordinary. Jesus had to change his plans, wing it so to speak, and act spontaneously.

No magic here, Jesus simply told the servants to fill these six huge stone jars with water and draw some out and bring it to the chief steward. The emperor’s new wine, I’m sure the servants thought to themselves. The steward was mighty pleased and I don’t think he was drinking Welch’s. It was the best stuff, and that demonstrated a tremendous respect for all the guests. A real class act.

According to the evangelist John, this was Jesus’ first “sign”, whether he wanted it to be or not. New wine is a sign that day of new way of life.

The wine was above all else a wedding gift no one had worked for or earned. It was given with no strings attached, except that they were to use it, drink it. And they were absolutely delighted in the opportunity given them, honoured as well.

Historical events and ordinary human relationships show over and over the disasters derived when someone believes he or she is “God’s gift to humanity,” or whomever. You and I are gifted, but the gift does not belong to us. We are only its temporary caretakers, stewards of the new wine. So-called charismatic leaders sometimes come to believe that it is they who possess the gifts and no one else, that their gifts of persuasion and decision-making describe who they really are.

We only have these gifts because God has given them and only God knows why us. Our calling is to use and dispense these gifts so that others may experience the best wine now, and at least for a time change the way a selfish world runs.

Preached by Robert Kitchen
Knox-Metropolitan United Church
Regina, Saskatchewan