Pr. Tom Schoenherr
“The Best Wine”
John 2:1-11
January 16-17, 2010

This week we have been galvanized by the earthquake in Haiti. It is one of those times when we notice that nations are not judging one another politically or on the basis of ideologies, but just come to help and give aid to people in need. Haiti before the earthquake was a nation in which 80% of the people live below the poverty line, and once the earthquake did its horrendous destruction, the world’s nations and people were ready to help with food, shelter, medical equipment and medicines, earth-moving equipment and money to help people without, people depleted of everything, people lacking what we might think necessities of life that we take for granted in order to get them back on their feet again. Isn’t it wonderful to see so many countries and people wanting to help? I believe God is bringing all these people together to help.

I am deeply grateful for the discussion we had in the Monday night Bible study last Monday evening where we entered into this text. Jesus and the disciples are invited to a wedding that lasts 7 days. Mary, Jesus’ mother is also there. The wine is depleted, drained, and Mary comes to ask Jesus to help. In comparison to this recent earthquake, a terrible disaster, running out of wine at a wedding reception sounds trivial. But maybe it is speaking to us of something deeper. Maybe it is speaking to us of faith in the midst of scarcity, of being depleted and drained.

When do we feel depleted, lacking, spent, and drained; like the wine has run out? Certainly we understand running out of time, patience, energy, lacking close relationships or the lack of hope in the face of illness. But what is even deeper is when we are depleted of faith and trust in God. That is our deeper problem. When we see the effects of the earthquake in Haiti or the illness and disease that grips our loved ones or ourselves, we may be running on empty when it comes to trusting God.

Finally Jesus is pointing out to Mary, the disciples and to you and me that eventually even our own lives will be depleted, lacking, drained or run out of all energy and life will be gone. Everything that we hold on to as precious in our lives will come to an end. It’s not just the wine that runs out, or the houses of the people of Haiti or our pension accounts that are draining. Jesus is saying that all of life is a gift from God and we are called to live our lives in response to the abundance of goodness that God gives to us. But if we turn away from God and from the needs of others, we have not just run out of wine; our lives are depleted, lacking, drained, and left empty of lasting hope.

I am reading the book, The Cellist of Sarajevo” which tells of life in Sarajevo during the civil war that happened in the early 1990’s. It is based on the true story of a cellist who played his cello in the street where an explosion took the lives of 22 people. He played once a day for 22 days. As I read this novel based on life stories, I am aware that I have no idea how so many people live each day in fear for their own lives or the lives of their loved ones. They have to deal with snipers who would take their lives, or with the lack of available clean water or food. How do you live courageously and faithfully when you may be shot by a sniper or destroyed by a roadside bomb or you have just lost everything because of an earthquake? How do we live depleted, drained, lacking hope?


The Good News for us is that instead of God deleting us from his love because of lack of trust in God, he sends his son, Jesus Christ, who is depleted and drained of all life on the cross for you and me. Jesus knows what it means to have lost everything so that we gain everything. The whole focus of Jesus life is to give his life and take it up again so that we may have the best wine, turning our death into new life.

Now as we gather at the wedding reception, the feast of God’s never-ending love for us, where we are no longer depleted but filled up with forgiveness and healing, and the compassionate presence of Christ through the care and love of others, our lives are renewed. We have hope to face our fears and the disasters that can at times come to us.

Here at Cana, Jesus touches the clay jars of our lives, transforming us into the best wine for all the world. We can be the compassionate caring human beings that God has redeemed us to be. Christ transforms us so that we respond to the needs of Haitians and many other people in need without judgment.

We are the church of the best wine, sent to a world that is suffering because of earthquakes, wars, hunger, fear and a lack of hope. Pat Robertson said that Haiti brought this on themselves, but we are all depleted if we do not respond to the needs of people out of the abundant love that God has given us.

We have been filled to the brim with the best wine, Jesus Christ, in the Meal of the Lord’s Supper and the Word and through the love of God’s people. We are not defeated, forsaken or desolate. The best wine of God’s love never runs out or gets depleted or drained. Jesus Christ is that best wine to renew our courage to stand for the needs of those helpless and hopeless people in Haiti and all around us. I believe that that is where Martin Luther King Jr. would stand. God wraps his arms around us through prayer when all we can do is to turn our fears and our hopes over to God.

The wedding reception continues for us as we gather at the table again today. We are drawn close to the one who is the best wine and who makes us the best wine to be served in love for all people.