I have a theory about our gospel reading today. Because sometimes I think the hosts of the wedding at Cana get a little bit of a bad rap, I thought maybe somebody should come to their defense. After all, whenever we think about the wedding at Cana, and Jesus saving the day because he turned the water in the ritual purification jars into wine, our thoughts often turn to just a moment of judgment against the bridegroom whose job it was to provide the wine in the first place. I feel like whenever we hear this story, we hear it through the lens of disappointment, like *tsk tsk* somebody didn’t plan for enough people at this party. This is going to be such a bad look.
And maybe it’s because it’s secretly a lot of our biggest fears when we host a party. How many of us, when we’re hosting a get-together, will spend an inordinate amount of time cataloguing all the beverage options we have available, making sure we have something for everybody, and more than enough? Because there’s nothing worse than listing off eight different drink options for a guest as they arrive in your home, and after a beat, they simply say, “you know, I’ll just have a glass of water for now.” Deep down, we feel like we must not have had something they would have liked to drink, so we feel like we may have failed in our duties of hospitality. In the same way, we know that running out of wine for a celebration like a wedding would have been a complete embarrassment, and the family wouldn’t be able to live it down for years.
But I do think that maybe this problem isn’t entirely the fault of the bridegroom. After all, Jesus comes to this celebration in Cana with his disciples, and Mary, Jesus’ mother, is there as well. Honestly, I suspect that Jesus and his disciples only got an invite because Mary was well regarded among the family of the bridegroom. After all, when the wine runs out, the steward doesn’t go to the bridegroom himself. He goes to a trusted family advisor, in this case, Mary. And I can see a potential genesis for the problem the bridegroom finds himself in also because of the family’s association with Mary herself. Imagine if last minute, Mary approaches the bridegroom and tells him that her oldest son, Jesus, is in the area, and he’s got a few friends, so would it be okay if they all tagged along too? And I can imagine the bridegroom thinking, “a few friends, so like 3 or 4?” and instead Jesus shows up the day of with at least twelve people, but possibly a lot more, because Jesus’ followers numbered far beyond the twelve specifically set apart in the gospels. And more than that, even though Jesus is in his thirties, it’s quite possible that most of Jesus’ disciples were in fact younger than he was, and perhaps – and this is pure speculation here, being primarily blue collar type folk, were able to consume more than a typical amount of wine. Suddenly, we begin to have a problem that couldn’t have been fully anticipated. And the wine gives out.
Regardless of the cause of the trouble – be it poor planning by the bridegroom or too many party crashers, we still have a problem. And a problem needs a solution. Quick question before we continue – how many of us, when we go to somebody’s house for a get together of some sort, like to ask shortly after arrival, “is there anything I can do to help?” It’s the polite thing to do, right? And most of us who are hosts either find some simple low-effort task for the asker to do so that they feel as if they’ve contributed or we tell them we’ve got things covered, and to just relax and did they want the filtered water or the sparkling water? But what happens when we ask how we can help, and we’re given a real job? We’re caught a little off guard, aren’t we?
Maybe something’s gone wrong in the kitchen or your host is a parent who has to do actual parenting. Maybe the kids raided the fridge when the host wasn’t looking and ate an essential ingredient for the meal – not that I would know anything about that. Next thing you know, the next people in the door are asking you where to put their coats, and do you know where there’s a vase for these flowers they brought, and where’s the corkscrew? What started as you being the guest when you walked in the door has transformed into you becoming the host.
And this is what happens for Jesus today, but it really shouldn’t surprise us, because even though the circumstances force Jesus to be presented as host, if we really dig down, we realize that Jesus – as the eternal Word of God – has always been the host; we just didn’t have the right viewpoint to see it. So the first of Jesus’ signs isn’t just a miracle. Turning water to wine isn’t just about keeping the party going. As Jesus reveals himself as host at this wedding celebration, we are being reminded that Jesus has always been the host, and always provides when asked, even if he might grumble at his mother a little bit along the way.
I wonder – how many of us put pressure on ourselves to be the perfect host when the occasion arises? How many of us see every situation as a place where we have responsibility to take charge, and lead the way? How many of us in this very room struggle to recognize that they are blessed to be guest in the Father’s good creation right here and now? Family of God, we are all personally invited to this party of creation that God made from the foundations of the universe. And at this party, we are all treated – truly – like honored guests. We are all welcome regardless of what we bring to the party. And yet, as we are washed in the waters of baptism and claimed as beloved by God in Christ Jesus, we find that our response to the invitation is to be more than guests. Because if we’ve truly been invited and loved like God loves us? How could we not wake up every day and ask, “what can I do to help?” How can we join in the mission and ministry that God puts before us as we join in the feast of salvation?
I think the answer might be – in part – found through those handy time and talent forms you filled out not that long ago. Every time you check a box, in a small way, you’re asking, “how can I help?” And there are other ways you can help as well, and sometimes it’s by just jumping in.
Because there are times in life where you don’t ask before helping, right? There are times in life where the need is right in front of you, and you just do – like when you see a pot bubbling over on the stove. You don’t ask if you can help, you just grab a spoon and stir it down. Life is often like that. It’s the small things we do that show care to a neighbor, spreading goodness to others. It’s the big things we do, such as contributing to Lutheran Disaster Response or participating in a Habitat build. It’s feeding the hungry through i-Help and our partnership with Grace Lutheran. Some of these things we plan in advance, but sometimes we simply respond. This is our response to the invitation to the feast we are all given in Christ – to be people of hope who respond to the invitation with gratitude and kindness. And when we respond, we all join in the work of the host of the feast, Christ our Lord, whose eternal celebration is open to us all.