Rev. Dr. Rebecca L. Kiser
We Have What We Need
1/20/19 John 2:1-11, 1 Cor 12:1-11 Epiphany 2C
I can only remember one pot luck where we ran out of food, or were at least scraping down the last dishes that had some food in them. Everybody got enough, that was no worry...but that was because the first people, sizing up the situation, took only modest portions. Nobody said anything, but the next time, everybody brought dishes that held more servings. Then there’s a wedding I remember, where the family decided to serve only hor dourves - which was okay, except the wedding was at 4:30 pm and the reception then about 6-ish. And they didn’t consider hungry young adults just out of college. By the time I arrived, all the hor dourves had been scarfed down. Nobody said anything, and we had fun anyway; but we all knew that they had tried to not spend too much on it, and it went wrong.
No host or hostess wants to run short on food or drink at a party. And what I’ve read about middle-eastern wedding celebrations is that they went over several days. According to what this story in John tells, folks back then saved money by serving the best wines first, when people were sober and noticing more - then as the evening progressed, they served the lesser plonk, as folks would notice less.
When I read this story about the wedding at Cana, I always wonder who was getting married and why it concerned Jesus’ mother that the hosts were running out of wine early. Maybe it was the wedding of one of Jesus’ siblings? Maybe a relative? And why did she ask Jesus, of all people? What did she think he could do about it? He hasn’t been doing miracles yet, at least as recorded in the gospels - this turns out to be his first. Its a strange first miracle, too - not life-threatening or anything ….just a social embarrassment of a host family… although these kinds of things live in communal memory, and family honor is a big deal.
But Jesus takes care of it, miraculously changing the large casks of water into wine - and not a poor wine, but a great one. The guests probably don't even know - just the servants, maybe some of the host family, Jesus and Mary. Of course the word will spread! I guess my prejudice shows when I wonder why ensuring a family has enough wine for their celebration is Jesus’ first miracle. It’s not like curing lepers, or blind folks, or children with epilepsy, or a wild man’s madness. Perhaps it goes along with the miracles of feeding - multiplying the offered food somehow to take care of the crowd’s hunger. Perhaps there’s a connection to the Last Supper, and the elements of bread and wine that become our sacred meal of spiritual nourishment and God’s presence. Perhaps it says that Jesus cares for people’s needs, whatever they are. The need for family honor here, the need for lunch for people who came out to hear him there, the healing needs from illness both physical and mental. Perhaps it says to us that Jesus cares that there is enough for all - and even abundance. For sure it assures us that Jesus wasn’t an ascetic - he goes to parties and cares about the wine! Perhaps it speaks of God’s generosity to us all. Jesus does seem to be able to mess with matter, and make it do what he wants, which is pretty breath-taking.
God is certainly a God of abundance, especially if we look at God’s self-expression in creation. When I started gardening, I quickly realized that I knew very few plant names - even their common names; much less their scientific names. There are way too many plants for me to know - and new varieties are being made or discovered all the time. There aren’t just one or two nice flowers for nice occasions, or even a dozen nice flowers for variety’s sake - there are zillions of flowers! And they don’t even have to be planted by us - zillions more grow wild in abandoned lots, or on mountainsides, or in forests. Small, large, shy, flagrant, smelly in a good or bad sense, shade and sun, good soil and poor soil, wet and dry conditions…. There are flowers for them all. I worked to know names, so I didn’t have to say, “You know, that blue thing that grows in the ditches.” I worked on knowing vegetables, too. And now I’m feeling that way about birds. God’s abundance and variety is amazing. God has set much joy and celebration into creation and life. Jesus certainly has a zest for life, a gift for words and stories, and strong views! Of course he’d like good wine.
It’s a similar thing when we come to the gifts and talents God has blessed humanity with, or, as 1 Corinthians talks of, spiritual gifts. We humans have infinite variety within the parameters of physical and mental differences, personalities, talents, abilities, or how our brains work. Paul reminds the community at Corinth that this diversity is for the common good. Not for boasting, not for showing off, not for comparing. We’re not all preachers, thank God. I attend conferences where most folks attending are pastors,...Whew! Lots of opinionated people who like the sound and authority of their own voice. I often look for conferences that have non-clergy, and even non-churched folks, too.
There’s a preacher joke - how are preachers like manure? Answer - all in a pile, they stink, but spread thinly around, they can do good.
Somebody in church needs to be attentive to details, especially in recording about the money. Somebody needs to be a good planner, another needs to be extroverted and love hospitality, another more introverted person may excel in visiting the sick. Some teach, some do music, some like research into the details of Bible exposition, some like building and repairing things. Some might be politically to either side of center in order to keep us thinking and praying and pondering. Some may have a desire for a feeding ministry, another might want to address homelessness, and yet another want to celebrate the beauty of creation through art. Somebody has to know about the boiler, hopefully, and somebody else keeping church records. Some may have a strong and unquenchable faith during the hard times; someone else may be a problem-solver; someone may be a healer or care about healthcare available to folks. Some may be good speakers while others hate to be up front, but love to cook, or take care of children. Those are just a few examples.
Whatever our gifts, or the interests that grab us, they are given by God, and given for the common good. God gives the church what it needs and who it needs - and different churches, with different people, develop the ministries unique to their members. Maybe large churches can have programs for a wide variety of people; other churches develop an identity based on the gifts available.
Churches have some common core needs: growing in faith, worship, caring, outreach, and fellowship. How a specific church does this can be unique. A pastor can’t come in and tell a church what they “should be” doing, except in that overall view. A church’s mission and ministry really grows out of its own vision, interests and gifts.
When Indiantown Pres, for example, looks to expand its mission and ministry, what we have to look at, what we have to examine, is what gifts God’s Spirit has given to we who are members here. What passions and visions God has graced us with, we who are the people called here already. And how they match with community needs, for example. This kind of spiritual discernment takes a lot of prayer, a lot of inner listening, and an open mind - because the Spirit doesn’t say the same ol’ same ol’ to each congregation.
Ocean View Pres, for example, was about this size, and severasl members had a passion for a food pantry. That passion grew the biggest food pantry in the region, devoting unused Sunday School rooms to large refrigerators which they purchased with grant monies. Another member there was developing her her skills as an artist, and she started an Art Fair on the church grounds. I remember we considered using our facility as a wedding venue, but the lack of parking nixed that. The West Plains church joined into community events, having a float at the Christmas Parade and serving hot chocolate; then having a booth at the Old Time Ozark Festival, offering cool water. That church was 175 years old, and decided to have a Sesquicentennial event of poetry and music for the community. The youth adopted a road that ran by our church to do regular pick-ups of trash along the road. We also had a bed at the community garden, and devoted the food to a local food pantry.
A church in Norfolk that was largely progressive in their outlook, became known locally as the church that welcomed LGBTQ persons - tthey opened their doors to let parent groups and LGBTQ folks meet there. Another church in Norfolk had some musicians interested in the contemplative worship and music of Taize, and did a twice-monthly evening service which drew quite a crowd from the community.
I don’t know how many members these churches added because of the outreach programs, but they were still doing mission, giving themselves away in mission to the community. I do know that the people involved developed their own spirituality and walk with Christ, and the churches had a positive reputation.
I think we have a wrong view of church mission, if we just do it so people will join. And we have a wrong appreciation of church size, if we don’t think there’s anything we can do because we’re small. Sometimes people join, sometimes they don’t. I don’t know of any church that offers a preschool ministry for the community, for example, that gets more than maybe one family to join, if that. We do ministry and mission because that’s what the Spirit of God pushes us towards in our hearts. We do it because, as Christians, that’s who we are - compassionate people, helping the suffering, seeking to meet human needs, whether its healing, as in hospitals and healthcare her and around the world; or whether its literacy, as in adult education, English as a second language classes, book groups or art fairs. Jesus, we saw this morning in the wine story, also cared about people’s honor and celebrating as well as feeding and other miracles of meeting people’s needs.
I’m working on a plan for us to ponder and rethink about what church is according to the Bible, and brainstorm and dream and listen for the Spirit of God moving in our own passions and interests. I’ll challenge us to increase our prayer life, faith life, and examine our own gifts and nudges towards mission. I plan to start with the Session, and then bring everyone else in. We need to get out of our walls to the community, and open our facility to the community. Friends, mission, that is, bringing Christ’s love to needy people in whatever ways we can, is foundational to being Christ’s followers. God has work for us to do. We need to pray for it, seek it, and listen for the wind of the Spirit. I can’t promise that folks will come out of the woodwork and flock t us - however, we will be spending ourselves for Christ, and that’s what we do. AMEN
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