So, the Christmas Season is all over!\u00a0 Our joy is complete.\u00a0 The Lord has come.\u00a0 Well, not quite.\u00a0 Let me explain.<\/p>\n
We celebrate the coming of Jesus during the Christmas Season.\u00a0 And we celebrate Christmas for 12 days until the Epiphany because the Epiphany commemorates when the three Wise Men arrived from the East and gave gifts to the baby Jesus, honoring him as the newborn King.\u00a0 These three wise men, or kings, represent all of Mankind. \u00a0They were not from the Chosen people, the Jews; rather, they were from diverse Gentile nations.<\/p>\n
Now Epiphany means \u201cManifestation\u201d; and so, God \u201cmanifested\u201d, that is, showed His presence as God-made-man, to all his people through these Wise Men because God\u2019s gift of Jesus was meant for all of us, not just the Jews.\u00a0 So traditionally, Christmas ended with this event since the joy of Jesus Coming had been shared with everyone.<\/p>\n
But wait, there\u2019s more to the Epiphany than that.\u00a0 You see, most Christian Churches teach that there are three elements of God\u2019s manifestation to us.\u00a0 First, the Wise Men\u2019s coming and honoring the new born King.\u00a0 Second, the Baptism of the Lord, in which Jesus accepts God\u2019s mission for him.\u00a0 And third, Jesus will to execute his mission to all Mankind.<\/p>\n
Now I know that your Chaplain shared thoughts on the Baptism of the Lord with you last week.\u00a0 Baptism is our opportunity to shed our sin, and to be reborn by water and spirit into the Church.\u00a0 Yes, we arise from the waters of Baptism as new people, committed to the will of God and our Christian faith.<\/p>\n
The Baptism of the Lord had similar significance for Jesus.\u00a0 Although Jesus had no sin, he arose from the waters of His Baptism a new person as well.\u00a0 He accepted his Mission from the Father to live a different life.\u00a0 Rather than the life of a Carpenter in the sleepy little village of Nazareth, Jesus was reborn to a new life.\u00a0 He recognized that his mission was to become the Savior of the World by following God\u2019s detailed plan for him to preach the good news of God\u2019s love and to proclaim to all peoples that they should repent of their old self-centered worldly lives and follow in His footsteps to do the will of God the Father, even if that meant pain and suffering and rejection by the world.<\/p>\n
And so, Jesus was awakened to that mission at His Baptism.\u00a0 And he went away in the desert for 40 days to reflect on it all and to decide what to do, and how to do it, and when to do it.<\/p>\n
That brings us to today\u2019s incident, the Wedding at Cana.\u00a0 You see, after returning from the desert, the third element of the manifestation occurred.\u00a0 Jesus now implemented his mission by \u201ccoming out\u201d, so to speak, and revealing that he was special.\u00a0 Jesus launched his ministry by performing an extraordinary miracle at Cana, by turning water into wine, 120 gallons of it.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 This was a public ministry that brought salvation to us all.\u00a0 And our joy as Christians is not complete without salvation.<\/p>\n
There are a couple of things that the Gospel tells us about this \u201cComing Out\u201d that we will talk about.\u00a0 But first, I will share a little on the culture of a first century Jewish wedding.\u00a0 Scholars tell us these wedding celebrations went on for a week.\u00a0 Not only that, but wine was a key element of them.\u00a0 In fact, the Aramaic word for the nuptial celebration was \u201cMistita\u201d, meaning drink festival.\u00a0 And if you think that\u2019s shocking, consider this Rabbinical dictum, or saying, of the time:\u00a0 \u201cWhere there is no wine, there is no joy\u201d.\u00a0 So, what a wedding that must have been!<\/p>\n
Scholars also tell us that the bride was probably related to Mary in some way.\u00a0 The Bible says Mary was there already, and that context implies she was there other than by invitation, presumably because she somehow belonged there as a relation.\u00a0 We know Jesus and 5 of his disciples were invited, that is, called to the wedding, and that it took 3 days to get there, from Nazareth to Cana.\u00a0 Each of the men probably brought a guest.<\/p>\n
What this means is that Mary, Jesus, and his group of disciples represented a significant part of the wedding party\u2019s guests.\u00a0 So, presumably they were consuming a significant portion of the wine, too.\u00a0 And that puts a different light on Mary\u2019s request to Jesus, doesn\u2019t it.<\/p>\n
Now, did you notice that Jesus was reluctant when challenged?\u00a0 He tells his Mother- \u201cWoman, how does your concern affect me\u201d when she mentions the wine is running short.\u00a0 You know, there\u2019s a lot in that exchange for us to ponder.\u00a0 Think back on your own lives about your relationship with your parents, or with your children.\u00a0 If you and your children went to a party and their friends drank all the wine, wouldn\u2019t any good mother be concerned about what she saw happening, and say something to her child?\u00a0 And what would your son say to you if you pointed that out to him?\u00a0 And yet, this exchange sounds kind of sharp to us, doesn\u2019t it?\u00a0 So, what was Jesus thinking?<\/p>\n
Well, scholars tell us that similar use of the word \u201cwoman\u201d elsewhere in scripture actually implies that Jesus was using a formal term of respect when addressing his mother as \u201cWoman\u201d in public.\u00a0 Additionally, they say that his response was more like \u201cwe just have a different way of looking at it\u201d with regard to the fact the wine was gone, rather than \u201cdon\u2019t bother me, it\u2019s not my concern\u201d.\u00a0 In other words, it was not a rebuke or rejection, as it sounds to us.\u00a0 And so we are sidetracked by this first seemingly shocking part of his response, and may not have noticed the essence of his response.\u00a0 Because the real crux of his response is this:\u00a0 \u201cMy hour has not yet come.\u201d<\/p>\n
Could it be that even after the Baptism and reflection in the desert, for 40 days that Jesus is still not sure how to handle his mission?\u00a0 Is Jesus holding back on launching his public ministry?<\/p>\n
Whether his mother sensed all this or not, we do not know.\u00a0 But we do know she didn\u2019t let the matter ride.\u00a0 Rather his Mother tells the servants to \u201cdo whatever he tells you\u201d.\u00a0 Ah, yes.\u00a0 Children might appear to be on a different page and not fully responsive to their parents.\u00a0 But Mothers know their children and trust they will do the right thing.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s the way I brought you up\u201d, right?<\/p>\n
Now stone vessels were not something you left around the house.\u00a0 They were not fabricated out of clay, but had to be carefully hewn- they were expensive.\u00a0 So, these 6 vessels had been brought in especially for this event- \u00a0\u00a0And they were used to hold water, some 20 gallons of water apiece.\u00a0 And this water was used for purification purposes, the \u201cceremonial washings\u201d associated with the wedding.\u00a0 Now, these were filled to the brim- a sign of plentitude.\u00a0 And miraculously, they were turned to fine wine- 120 gallons of wine.<\/p>\n
It strikes me that all of this symbolizes things.\u00a0 First, the ceremonial washing with the water symbolizes the old way of doing things, strict adherence to the Mosaic Law and the Old Testament.\u00a0 The water made wine prefigures the wine at the Last Supper and the New Testament.\u00a0 So the new way to purity is to live the life of the Lord by consuming his flesh and blood in the Eucharist and taking on his way.\u00a0 Lastly, all who partake are joined together, with Christ the Bridegroom and his people the Church, the brides. \u00a0Oh, what a wedding that symbolizes!<\/p>\n
But for the moment, the just wine serves to meet a need for the embarrassed bride and groom.\u00a0 It is pronounced by the expert to be truly exceptional wine; wine that which should have been served first.\u00a0 Indeed, the New Covenant is the way, the truth, and the light.\u00a0 Would that it had come earlier.<\/p>\n
It is clear that word of this miracle would spread and spread quickly.\u00a0 Indeed, the third manifestation of the Lord to us had arrived- Jesus public ministry had been accepted and begun.\u00a0 The word was out; Jesus had performed a miracle.\u00a0 And thus, the Church launches \u201cOrdinary Time\u201d, a time in which we hear of Jesus public Ministry.<\/p>\n
Every one of us goes through a three-fold process in life to manifest our worthiness for everlasting life.\u00a0 First, we are born into this world, just as the Baby Jesus was born at Christmas.\u00a0 Second, we die to the things of this world and recognize that life is all about believing in God and following Jesus.\u00a0 That\u2019s what the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation are all about.\u00a0 And lastly, it is not enough to accept Jesus in our lives, we have got to take action.\u00a0 We have got to move out and do the will of the Father.\u00a0 Our joy in recognizing the path to Everlasting Life isn\u2019t complete until we take that last step.\u00a0 And each of us is confronted by obstacles along the way, just as Jesus encountered them.<\/p>\n
First, we might recognize what God\u2019s will is for us, but we fight it.\u00a0 Perhaps you haven\u2019t taken the time to reflect on the urgings from your heart to focus on the mission God is calling you to.\u00a0 If that is the case, then the upcoming season of Lent is for you.\u00a0 Lent represents the 40 days that Jesus spent in the desert sorting his life and mission out.\u00a0 So, Lent is the perfect time to discipline yourselves to get away from it all, listen to God, and resolve to make a change, that is repent, and follow his urgings.<\/p>\n
Or you might have a vision of what God intends for you, but you are afraid or reticent to move out.\u00a0 So you waffle over when the time is right to move out.\u00a0 So, be looking for those little signs that direct you to move out now.\u00a0 Jesus\u2019 mother, Mary, acted in that capacity in this story when she told Jesus about the waning wine.<\/p>\n
For three years, virtually all of Jesus\u2019 public life, Jesus spread a message of love- proclaiming the beatitudes, telling parables, and giving first hand examples that all people are God\u2019s children.\u00a0 Jesus\u2019 life was a script for all of us on how to relate to one another.<\/p>\n
And that\u2019s what we are all called to do- to minister to the people that God has put in our lives- the difficult neighbor; the prodigal son; the selfish children; the quiet person in the corner; the noisy chatterbox in the center of the room; and your best friend who has just lost a loved one.\u00a0 All of these folks are our mission.\u00a0 And all of them help us to experience the ultimate joy.\u00a0 That comes with the Coming of Christ, and membership as a Bride of Christ in the Wedding Feast of the Lamb.\u00a0 Oh, what a wedding that will be!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Westminster Tower Wednesday Service John 2: 1-12 Dc. Larry Brockman So, the Christmas Season is all over!\u00a0 Our joy is complete.\u00a0 The Lord has come.\u00a0 Well, not quite.\u00a0 Let me explain. We celebrate the coming of Jesus during the Christmas Season.\u00a0 And we celebrate Christmas for 12 days until the Epiphany because the Epiphany commemorates […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[386],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/814"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=814"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/814\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":816,"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/814\/revisions\/816"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=814"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=814"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=814"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}