“Water”

Second Sunday after Epiphany

January 19, 2025

Water droplets

Isaiah 62:1-5

John 2:1-11

Children’s Message:

Who likes going to a birthday party? And what kinds of things do you see at birthday parties? (hats, presents, gifts, CAKE!) What would happen if they ran out of cake, and you didn’t get a piece? Would you be sad? I bet the parents would feel a little embarrassed, too.

Today we heard a story about Jesus at a wedding. Have you ever been to a wedding? There’s usually a ceremony, the couple wears special clothes, and afterwards there’s a party. There might be a meal. And music. And dancing. And at the end of the night, it’s over and everyone goes home.

Well, in Jesus’ time, wedding celebrations lasted for days! And everyone drank wine because the water wasn’t always safe to drink. But at this wedding, after a day or two, the wine was gone. But the party was still going. Mary told Jesus about the problem, and he solved it. What did he do? (He had servants collect a bunch of water, and he turned it into wine.)

We call that a miracle because it goes against the ways in which the world usually works. Jesus performed miracles to begin to show people who he was—that he was more than just a person. He was God.

Now, I’m going to change water into something, too. (Two pitchers—one with water, and the other with some drink powder at the bottom. Pour the water into the other pitcher, and it will mix with the powder and change color.) Whoa! Do you want to taste it?

Was that a miracle? No, that was just a trick. But to help you remember that Jesus did this miracle and made the party even better, I’m going to give you some noise makers (sorry parents) and a cup of this very special water—which is just fruit punch Crystal Light.

Let’s pray. Dear God, thank you for loving us so much that you provide for our needs. Help us take care of everything you give us. Amen.

Message:

Water. It’s in everything. It sustains life. It cleanses. It’s present in the wine and in the bread. As one character in Star Trek said, humans are basically “bags of water.” When looking for signs of life on other planets, scientists look first for signs of water. A precious and finite commodity in this world. Taken for granted until we’re thirsty. Taken for granted by those with easy access to drinkable water. Not so much for the people in poor communities and less-affluent countries for whom clean drinking water isn’t a given.

Water is where today’s miracle begins. Hundreds of gallons of water, gathered inside vessels and used for ritual cleansing. One would dip the water out of the vessel and collect it into a pitcher to use for washing hands, washing dishes, washing bodies.

This is where Jesus starts—once he starts. He’s a guest at the wedding. No one knows whose wedding. But when his mother shares the secret that the wine has run out, he clearly states that it’s not his problem. “I’m not in charge here. This isn’t my party. This isn’t how I want to show people who I am. This isn’t my problem.”

But she recognizes something important here. What better way to begin ministry than with a celebration? What better way to show who he is than with God’s abundance? Lord knows people will need a reminder of God’s abundance as things progress. So, no—it isn’t healing a blind man or raising someone from the dead. It’s just a party. It’s just wine. It’s just water. But it’s a good place to start. A party. A feast. And a sign of abundance in the midst of scarcity.

Abundance is a really difficult concept for us to grasp. We’ve grown up learning about how resources are finite. If you don’t get to the party early, the food will be picked over. After 9/11, I sat with hundreds of other people in line to fill up with gas as the prices sky-rocketed and the future was unknown. Would there be gas tomorrow? Would I be able to afford it? Or consider the hoarding of toilet paper—of all things—when COVID sent us into lock-down.

We are trained not to trust in abundance. And yet, we remain so very wasteful. Of water, of energy, of ourselves. We take for granted that as long as there is no obvious and imminent threat, it will be there as long as we need it. It’s amazing to think about our fear of scarcity and our waste of resources. So counter to each other, and yet so us.

We’ve become a disposable society. Cheap items that break easily. Throw it away and get a new one. I, too, am one who tosses things perhaps too easily. All those Christmas things that were in the Atrium last week came from the storage closet upstairs. Stuff we haven’t used in years. Things that cluttered the room. If no one took it, it was going in the trash. Way too easy of a decision.

What if we took a moment to appreciate what we have? What if we set our hearts to ponder water? In it, whole ecosystems thrive. It is necessary for all of life. To paraphrase Acts 17:28, in it we live and move and have our being. Without water, this planet dies. Water is such a powerful image of God’s life-giving presence in and among us. And I think we take for granted that live-giving presence of God in the same way we take for granted our access to water.

I love the scene in the movie “Erin Brokovitch” where Erin, a crass legal aide fighting for poor communities living with contaminated water, offers the representatives a glass of water as they argue about the value of the people in the town and what the company is willing to pay as compensation for the numerous cases of cancer the children and adults are experiencing. As the representative begins to pour a glass of water, Erin informs her that they had the water shipped especially for them from that very community. That stops the representative in her tracks because she knows what’s in that water. And she knows the repercussions.

The Daoist teacher uses water to show one how to live in the presence of the divine. “Water is our teacher.  From its ‘life’ we learn virtues that will enrich our living.  Water is non-confrontational.  Live as water.  Water does not exalt itself, it flows to the lowest places.  Live as water.  Water is, nevertheless, able to overcome all obstacles.  Live as water.”

Water goes around the obstacle. It flows to the lowest places. It finds the path of least resistance. And when confronted with something hard, it’s only a matter of time before water creates its own path through it. But we learn something new about water in today’s Scripture. Water can be transformed. Not only does it give life, but Jesus uses it to extend the celebration and bless those in attendance.

No, it wasn’t his problem to deal with, but it became an opportunity to show up ready to party. To set the stage for all the goodness and life he would share with the world. In abundance. In grace. In hope—that we would eventually recognize his glory through water and wine, through joy and celebration, through the life we receive and the life we offer others.

And it all begins with water.

Pastor Tobi White

Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church

Lincoln, NE