John 2:1-12
2:1 On the third day
there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus
and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When
the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And
Jesus said to her, “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has
not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever
he tells you.” 6 Now standing there were six stone water jars
for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus
said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 He
said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.” So they
took it. 9 When the steward tasted the water that had become
wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn
the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom 10 and said
to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after
the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.” 11 Jesus
did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory;
and his disciples believed in him.
12
After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother, his brothers,
and his disciples; and they remained there a few days.
Mark 1:21-28
21 They went to Capernaum; and
when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. 22 They
were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and
not as the scribes. 23 Just then there was in their synagogue a
man with an unclean spirit, 24 and he cried out, “What have you
to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you
are, the Holy One of God.” 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying,
“Be silent, and come out of him!” 26 And the unclean spirit,
convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. 27 They
were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new
teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey
him.” 28
At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region
of Galilee.
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It seems like there were so
many miracles back then.
Back when Jesus was here on
earth with us.
God incarnate.
It seems like miracles were
popping up all over the place, back then, doesn’t it?
The gospels provide us with
one story after another.
People being healed from
lifelong,
crippling diseases and conditions.
Thousands being fed with
barely enough food
for one family.
Storms being calmed.
Walking on water with Jesus.
The list goes on and on and
on.
Our readings for this week
offer two miracle stories.
The first is from the gospel
of John.
A stated purpose of John’s
gospel
was to tell us about the signs and wonders
pointing to Jesus as the Son
of God.
And in John’s gospel, the
wedding in Cana is the site of Jesus’ first miracle.
The party is out of wine.
Jesus’ mother seeks to provide
the kind of radical hospitality that she believes Jesus can give.
Even though he reminds her,
adult to adult, not child to parent, that his time has not yet come, still she
says to the servants, “do whatever he tells you”.
And so he steps in to provide
a gift to the bride and groom, and to those at the wedding feast.
From what we read,
it seems that nobody knows what happened
except Mary, the disciples,
and the servants.
Not even the wine steward
realizes
what has caused this wine – the best wine of the night –
to suddenly materialize.
The miracle story from Mark’s
gospel
is the first miracle in this gospel –
in fact, it comes in the very first chapter.
The miracle is one of healing,
of exorcism.
Nobody asks Jesus to do it, or
tells someone to “do whatever he tells you”; he chooses to do so himself.
He encounters a man who is
possessed by an unclean spirit. Perhaps it is a spirit of evil.
Perhaps it is what we know
today as a mental illness.
It keeps the man from being
able
to control his emotions in public.
Rather than Jesus taking on
the man,
or putting him in his place,
denouncing him or punishing
him
for the things he says,
Jesus heals him.
The man is freed.
And the people who see it
recognize that a miracle has occurred,
and they are amazed.
What do these two miracles
have in common?
What do they begin to tell us
about miracles in general?
I would suggest that the
common thread
between the miracles in these two stories is love;
love that goes above and
beyond
what seems at all rational for each situation.
Jesus adding wine to continue
the party
is an act of loving kindness.
It is initiated out of Mary’s
desire
that the wedding feast not end too soon.
It is initiated by Mary’s
request, and it is fulfilled by Jesus.
It is an act of hospitality,
of abundance.
In its abundance, in its
generosity,
and in its total lack of logical explanation,
it is very similar to the miracle
of five loaves and two fishes feeding the five thousand.
Jesus healing the man in the
synagogue
is an act of love as well.
It sets the stage for Jesus’
response
whenever he encounters someone in need.
He sees them, and he loves
them,
and he heals them or helps them.
Whether they ask for it or
not;
whether they show gratitude and praise or not.
His love saves people, all
throughout the gospels.
Why don’t miracles like that
happen anymore?
Can we still count on
miracles?
What keeps them from happening
like they did back then?
I believe miracles are still
happening, all around us.
I think of Jimmy Carter,
whose love is expressed through Habitat for Humanity, providing home for millions;
whose work through the Carter
Center
has eliminated river blindness
in Colombia, Ecuador, and Mexico,
and is working toward its eradication
in Brazil, Ethiopia, Guatemala,
Nigeria, Sudan, Uganda, and Venezuela;
and is on the verge of
extinguishing guinea worm disease,
having reduced cases
from an estimated 3.5 million
in 1986 to 22 in 2015;
whose peacemaking work has
moved mountains,
large and small, in numerous situations;
who in all of this work is
motivated, no question, by love, love that comes to him from Christ and flows
out from him to the world.
Were these miracles,
for those who suffered from these diseases,
for those for whom risk and suffering
has been diminished? I think so.
I think of Dietrich
Bonhoeffer,
whose love for God and God’s people,
captured so passionately
in his letters and writings from prison
during World War 2,
have helped us to understand
God’s love
in the midst of great evil,
even when he had no idea
that we would ever benefit
from his writings.
I think of Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr,
whose love for his country and its people
caused him to step out in
faith and courage,
to change our course in the
direction of a miracle,
the miracle of unity,
even though the road is still
bumpy and we often go astray.
I think of organizations like
Heart 2 Hart Detroit,
and Eimer Family Ministries,
and Hope Center,
and Love Wins Ministries,
who bring hope and help and
love
to those experiencing
homelessness,
in Detroit and Macomb County
and elsewhere.
I think of the ways we set the
stage for miracles in the lives of others,
through the food we deliver,
the meals we serve,
the blood we help gather –
all without knowing the
ultimate impact,
but with faith that God will work for good
in the midst of all things.
I think about the friends and
family
that surround those in need
to help them through hard times,
because they know where love
is needed.
And so their hearts expand
to increase the love they can share.
These are miracles, and the
starting points for miracles. They happen every day.
And they only are able to
happen
when love enters into the midst of a bad situation.
Love is the catalyst for
miracles.
Without love, a miracle will
not occur.
Love makes miracles possible.
Miracles are not possible
without love being
part of what makes them happen.
Think about it.
It is God who works miracles.
God is love.
So it is love that works
miracles.
Love was the catalyst for all
Jesus’ miracles.
Go back through the gospels
and try to find one miracle
that did not have love at its foundation.
Without love, miracles are
impossible
With love, miracles are
entirely possible.
For us to receive miracles,
we must live our lives as an expression of Christ's love.
For Christ to create miracles
through us,
we must love, even and especially in the midst of
the most unlovable
circumstances.
Always.
Without that there will be no
miracles.
The miracle of the creation
began in love.
The miracle of the Exodus
began in love.
The miracle of our salvation
in Jesus Christ began in love.
The miracle of the cross is
the ultimate expression of love. Christ loved us enough to redeem us, once and
for all,
by giving himself completely for our sake, for our sins.
This, the ultimate miracle,
has already happened to us all.
It was begun by love.
God so loved the world
that the miracle of Jesus Christ came to be,
came to earth.
God incarnate.
Love incarnate.
Love made flesh.
God made flesh.
We hope and pray for miracles;
but are we ready and willing to initiate a miracle?
To be the catalyst for a
miracle?
Are we ready and willing to
love?
Because love is what causes
miracles to happen.
Love is the starting point.
Always.
Love is the catalyst. Every
time.
Without it, no miracle ever
burst into flame.
Jesus call those who know His
grace and forgiveness
to not just love those who are lovable,
but to love our enemies.
To be the catalyst for
miracles in their lives.
Dr. King said it this way in
his sermon,
“Love Your Enemies”:
“Now there is a final reason
I think that Jesus says, "Love your enemies."
It is this: that love has
within it a redemptive power.
And there is a power there
that eventually transforms individuals.
Just keep being friendly to
that person.
Just keep loving them, and
they can’t stand it too long.
Oh, they react in many ways in
the beginning.
They react with guilt
feelings,
and sometimes they’ll hate you a little more
at that transition period, but
just keep loving them.
And by the power of your love
they will break down under the load.
That’s love, you see.
It is redemptive, and this is
why Jesus says love.
There’s something about love
that builds up and is creative.
There is something about hate
that tears down
and is destructive.
So love your enemies."
Love is powerful. More
powerful than any other force on earth.
Love is the catalyst for
miracles.
Today this congregation is
ordaining and installing leaders for the coming years. We will ask them if they
will serve with energy, intelligence, imagination and love.
Because love is the catalyst
for miracles.
In the coming weeks and months
this congregation will consider its future path
of mission and service to the
living God.
There is much still to be defined,
much that is uncertain.
But of this I am sure:
whatever path New Life Presbyterian Church chooses,
it will have love, the love of
God’s people, at the heart of it.
Because the world is in need
of miracles,
today as much as in any point in history,
since the beginning of time.
And for a miracle to happen,
the necessary and essential catalyst is love.
