A sermon/reflection for The Third Sunday after Epiphany – Year B
The readings for this Sunday are those of Epiphany 3:
- Genesis 14. 17-20
- Psalm 128
- Revelation 19. 6-10
- John 2. 1-11
You might like to use the link below to find the above readings, and click on any of the reading above that you wish to use: http://www.katapi.org.uk/CommonWorship/CWLectionarySelV.php
Collect of the day
Let us first spend a few moments in silence to centre ourselves,
to gather ourselves in our souls,
to come before the Lord just as we are with our joys and sorrows,
our hopes and our fears, our loves and our pains.
Let us just focus our minds and hearts on Jesus
who is the answer for every problem.
Let us pray that the Spirit will work through our lives
to bring Christ to the world.
Silence is kept
Almighty God,
whose Son revealed in signs and miracles
the wonder of your saving presence:
renew your people with your heavenly grace,
and in all our weakness
sustain us by your mighty power;
and God of all mercy,
as your Son proclaimed good news to the poor,
release to the captives,
and freedom to the oppressed:
anoint us too with your Holy Spirit
and set all your people free
to praise you in Jesus Christ our Lord.
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
Prayer before the Sermon
Loving Heavenly Father,
we thank you for the words you have given us today.
We know they are words of life and salvation.
Open our hearts Father,
touch our souls,
help us to respond to your word
and know that you are indeed our Lord and Saviour.
May we experience in our hearts
your love and your presence always.
Amen.
A homily based on the readings of today is given below:
“They ran out of wine” (John 2.2)
The Gospel: John 2:1-11: Jesus changes water into wine
On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, ‘They have no more wine.’
4 ‘Woman,[a] why do you involve me?’ Jesus replied. ‘My hour has not yet come.’
5 His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’
6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from eighty to a hundred and twenty litres.
7 Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water’; so they filled them to the brim.
8 Then he told them, ‘Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.’
They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realise where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside10 and said, ‘Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.’
11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
Introduction
Today, in the gospel which means, “good news”, coming from the Greek word “evangelion”, we hear really very “good news” of an extraordinary event in the life of Jesus. It is the narration of another epiphany, which actually means manifestation, of who Jesus really is.
The Wedding Feast
The context of the event is a wedding feast. The event really shows how Jesus can transform human and ordinary situations. Jesus, his mother and his disciples, are invited to the wedding feast at Cana in Galilee. The strange thing is that the wine provided for the wedding was finished.
Bad management, we might think, but, probably, not. Probably, a larger than expected number turned up for the wedding. This is not strange probably in the Middle Eastern societies as also in the African societies. When there is a major event in a village, as in this case a wedding, the whole village is welcome to join in the festivities. In fact, it is considered bad manners if you don’t turn up for such occasions. That probably explains how the wine went short.
“They have no wine …” (verse 3)
The key words of this story are said by Mary, the mother of Jesus, who was present. It is she who takes the initiative and practically prods Jesus to do his first miracle. When the problem is brought to her attention, she simply says to Jesus these four words: “They have no wine.” (verse 3) It is not a pleading, not a prayer, not a complaint, not a rebuke, simply a statement of fact. Mary felt for the young bride and groom and didn’t want them to be placed in bad light on such a happy occasion.
Jesus was embarrassed and was rather reticent about what he could do. Remember he had not done any miracles yet. And Mary does not harangue with Jesus but says again another five incredible words to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” (verse 5) These are remarkable words of absolute trust and faith. She knew in her heart that Jesus would do what is best in the situation. And we know what happened. It was a huge miracle, the first of his many that would follow. 6 stone jars with 30 gallons, that is 180 gallons of wine, abundant, pure, rich, good, heavenly wine.
“He let his glory be seen, and his disciples believed in him” (Verse 11)
For those who question the role of Mary in the history of salvation, here is a great example of not only who she is but also what she can do for us. She can pray for us. She can present our problems to Jesus as she does in this case. But, above all, Mary teaches us a thing or two about prayer. We often hear people saying, I don’t know how to pray. Well Mary tells us how to pray.
Prayer is a dialogue, a conversation with Jesus, with God. It is not so much asking for something as much as expressing the concerns of our hearts and lives. Now here is a very real, very human situation. “They have no wine”. She didn’t blurt out, “Jesus, do something, give them wine. Do a miracle”. She just brought the problem to the attention of Jesus and committed the situation to Jesus. She trusted Jesus to do the right thing. And Jesus honoured her loving trust in him!
It is trusting God to do what is best, that is the meaning of “Do whatever he tells you”. He knows what is best. Just trust him to do it. Prayer is total, absolute, complete trust. Jesus responds favourable to that attitude. “He let his glory be seen”.
“If you believe, you will see the glory of God.” (John 11. 40)
When you pray, don’t tell him what he should do. Just trust him. Just believe in him. And leave the rest in his hands. He’ll do what is best for you. The context is not just a need but relationship and trust in God. That is prayer. “Commit your life to the Lord, trust in him and he will act.” (Psalm 37.5)
He’ll change the water of your human situations into the wine of his divine plans for you. Just trust. Just believe. He’s God! Whatever situation you are in, Jesus can make a difference if you trust him with all your heart as Mary did.
To conclude – We too run out of wine in our lives …we need to turn to Jesus!
Often we too run out of wine in our lives. We suddenly discover that our hearts are empty, that our lives are like those empty jars and we feel distressed, depressed, unhappy and confused. We over do, overstretch and exhaust ourselves, economically, physically, emotionally and above all spiritually and we feel drained, uptight, tense, stressed and empty. We have run out of wine in our lives. That is when we need to turn to Jesus. He can, and will, help us, if only we commit ourselves to him, if only we trust him completely to do it, if we let him have his way, if we really surrender and abandon ourselves to him, if we let go of our doubts and questions and just let him come into your lives.
[Revd Dr ST Mattapally, Rector, Springline Parish, Diocese of Lincoln]
Pause to pray …
A Prayer you can say now:
Lord Jesus,
I believe you are the Son of God.
Thank you for becoming one of us.
Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins.
Thank you for rising from the dead
to give me hope and the gift of eternal life.
I repent of my sins
and invite you into heart and life
as my Lord and Saviour.
Please grant me your Holy Spirit
so that I may know you, love you
and follow you every day of my life.
Amen.