Episode 28: 3/02/09

Readings:

Psalm 44
Deuteronomy 8:11-20
Hebrews 2:11-18
John 2:1-12

Sermon:

In the Old Testament reading today we see Moses warning the people of Israel of the day when they would “forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. He led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you.” (Deuteronomy 8:14-16)

It’s hard to imagine a much more desperate time of need for a people than the time of the Exodus: leaving the land they had lived in with nothing more than what they could carry, as they fled from a pursuing army. In times like these, it is easy to cry out to God for help, and indeed, He protected them and provided for their every need, despite their doubt and lack of trust that eventually led them to be condemned to forty years of wandering in the desert. Even then, when God would have been justified in abandoning them to their own devices, He continued to comfort and provide for them until at last their children were able to enter the Promised Land.

As Moses addressed this second generation, about to cross over to the land promised to their forefathers, he warned them of becoming comfortable and complacent, failing to thank God for the good things in their lives, thinking in their pride that it was their own efforts that brought about their prosperity, rather than God’s continuing provision. It’s hard to imagine that a people who had grown up wandering the desert because of the sins of their parents would ever fall into this faulty way of thinking, but human nature being what it is, Moses’ prophecy soon came true, and the people of Israel found themselves time and time again being brought to their knees until they were forced to cry out to God and remind Him of His covenant with their ancestors.

In today’s Psalm we hear the lament of a people who are conscious of a glorious past but who are now “rejected and humbled” (Ps. 44 v. 9), a reproach to their neighbors, who scorn and deride them (v. 13). They have heard how God provided for their fathers, but they see no evidence of that in their present circumstances. Yet despite their fear that they have been rejected forever, they cling to the hope that God will once more redeem them because of His unfailing love.

How often do we find ourselves in this position, where we call on God only as a last resort, when we fail, through pride to thank Him for the daily provisions of our lives until we must fall on our faces and beg for Him to sustain us in our hour of desperation? We tell ourselves that God doesn’t sweat the small stuff, forgetting that all good gifts come from Him, both large and small.

In today’s Gospel reading we see Jesus, along with His mother and disciples, attending a joyous event, a wedding feast, possibly for a friend or family member. It is here that Our Lord performs His first public miracle, changing water into wine, and more importantly, changing His disciples from casual followers into dedicated believers who had witnessed the glory of God.

It is interesting that Jesus chooses this happy occasion to begin His ministry of miracle working. More spectacular miracles would come later: the feeding of the 5000; the driving out of demons; the healing of the blind, the lame, and the lepers; and the raising of the dead. There Our Lord demonstrated His power over life and death, over sickness and suffering. There He would show that no problem was too big for God to handle. But here, He would demonstrate something equally valuable to His followers: that there is no problem too small for God to take notice of, and that He is happy to provide all we need, in good times as well as bad.

We can also note that the wine that Jesus created from the jars of water was far superior to the wine that was originally provided at the feast. It is a happy fact that when God provides for us, He gives us gifts that are much better than what we can even think of asking for. We should never disdain or fear to ask for His provision, for ourselves or our friends and loved ones in need. Our Lord’s love is plentiful and cannot be exhausted. Jesus did not reject His mother’s request, nor will He reject ours. May we, like the disciples, be strengthened in our faith by the realization that we are witnessing the glory of God, even in the smallest of everyday miracles.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.