A Sermon of The Rev. Dr. David A. Killian, Rector
All Saints Parish
Brookline, Massachusetts
Second Sunday after the Epiphany
January 17, 2010
delivered at St. Paul's Church
Brookline, Massachusetts
Scripture: Isaiah 62:1-5; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11; John 2:1-11
I
I am very happy to be with you this morning at St. Paul's Church as we continue the tradition of pulpit exchange among the Episcopal parishes of Brookline. At my home parish, All Saints, we are welcoming the Rev. Joel Ives, Rector of the Church of Our Saviour. The Church of Our Saviour is welcoming your Rector and I am here. By exchanging pulpits we wish to express our solidarity in our shared ministry to God's people.
Today's Gospel passage is the account of Jesus changing water into wine at the wedding at Cana. For me, this Gospel passage about the wedding is not just a description of something that happened 2,000 years ago. Rather, I see the Gospel being re-enacted in the work of the followers of Christ today. For example, this past week I had a meeting of the lay pastoral visitors of our parish and I reflected with them on today's Gospel. It occurred to me that just as Mary enlisted the help of Jesus to solve the problem of the wedding that was running out of wine, I had enlisted the help of these lay ministers to visit housebound members of our parish. In calling the lay visitors to this ministry, I gave them jars of water. They in turn by visiting the shut-ins of our parish had turned the water into the wine.
II
This morning I would like to reflect with you on how we are all called to be part of Christ's ministry of turning water into wine. Take a few moments now and think about a situation where water has been turned into wine.
In your reflection, how many of you may have considered the example of the Brookline Food Pantry that is housed here at St. Paul's Church? The Food Pantry, as you know, is an ecumenical and interfaith ministry of the congregations of Brookline. These congregations, as it were, bring jars of water that are their donations of canned food to your church. In turn, Jim Margolis, Director of the Food Pantry, and your dedicated volunteers turn that water into wine as you distribute the food to needy families in Brookline. The food that you give to these families gives them joy and sustenance. It makes a huge difference in their lives. The work of the food pantry is surely a participation in the ministry of Christ.
This past week, we all were made aware of the earthquake that devastated Haiti. A clinical health worker for Partners in Health in Haiti, who traveled through the Central Plateau to Port-au-Prince with two truckloads of medications and supplies, described this scene: "We started seeing destruction from Mt. Cabrit (where big rocks lie in the middle of the road) through Croix de Bouquets where it doesn't seem as bad but lots of walls are down. Then the scene gets much, much worse. Tonight, everywhere throughout the city, as we drove by the national plaza, there are thousands of people sleeping outside. While I was in Port-au-Prince, there were still aftershocks being felt."
The health worker continued, "The trucks met up with Partners in Health staff and found that they had nothing but aspirin until the trucks showed up. A doctor who set up a mobile clinic in Port-au-Prince, reports, ‘We have a lot of fractures, we are running out of meds.' Partners in Health is recruiting surgeons, anesthetists, nurses, and other medical professionals to travel to Haiti in the next couple of days to help with staffing."
Each of us is asked to respond to the crisis in Haiti. A donation to Partners in Health, Episcopal Relief and Development, the Red Cross, or whatever group you contribute to lets the medical professionals in Haiti turn water into wine for the people in need. Your weekly bulletin gives the places that you can make a donation for Haiti.
III
Often we need others to prompt us to turn water into wine. This was the situation in today's Gospel passage. Mary comes to Jesus and tells him that the wedding feast is about to run out of wine. Perhaps Mary fulfilled this responsibility because the parties being married were her poor relatives or neighbors, and she was compelled to act as the bride's mother. She did not want them to be deprived of their moment of joy.
Some times we can be led to respond despite our initial resistance to getting involved. Such is the case in the character Ryan Bingham, played by George Clooney, in the movie "Up in the Air". Bingham prides himself on being a man without committed relationships. He seemingly has no friendships and is estranged from his sister and other members of his family. He thinks he can attend his niece's wedding in Wisconsin without disturbing his cool persona. However, a crisis ensues when the bridegroom gets cold feet on the morning of the wedding and Bingham is called upon to help the groom work through his doubts. Bingham extols the benefits of going through life with a co-pilot. The groom overcomes his hesitancy to make a commitment. The day is saved. Water is turned into wine.
Today, we remember the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and how he turned water into wine by inspiring the civil rights movement in our country. Each of us is called to be Christ's instruments in a world in need of healing: A teacher who tutors a student struggling with mathematics; a social worker who helps a family coping with unemployment; a marriage counselor who helps a couple talk through their issues; a coach who sets an example of integrity.
Each of us is given jars of water. Christ invites us to turn them into wine.
Amen.