Second Epiphany - 1 Corinthians 12:1-11; John 2:1-11
January 17, 2010
Turning 150-180 gallons of water into fine wine would be a big hit in many places today. But in the Old Testament an abundance of wine was taken as a sign of God's promised salvation being fulfilled. The prophet Amos speaks of this time when "the mountains shall drip sweet wine and all the hills shall flow with it."(Amos 9:13) And the prophet Joel also: "In that day the mountains shall drip sweet wine…" (Joel 3:18) In the Jewish Passover wine is served as the sign of God's Kingdom to come.
The symbolism of the wine and its abundance form a sign that reveals the glory of Jesus and the extravagance of God's salvation that is present in him. This sign of God's generosity is also demonstrated when Jesus multiplies a small quantity of bread and fish to feed over 5000 people. God's salvation bestows abundant life, abundant mercy, and abundant gifts upon those who are saved. "I came that you may have life," he says in John 10, "and have it abundantly."
A few days before the wedding at Cana Jesus sees Nathanael and says to him: "Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this."(John 1:50) The water changed into wine is the beginning of those greater things to come during the earthly ministry of Jesus which will not stop even after his death, resurrection and ascension. "Very truly I tell you, those who believe in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father."(John 14:12)
The super generosity of God's salvation and the greater things to come are certainly present in the Corinthian Church which was founded on the preaching of Paul. Here the Holy Spirit is active in a powerful way and shows that God's salvation is not the end of something, but the beginning of new life. It is living energy that overflows and changes the course of one's life.
The Corinthian church was very lively and filled with an abundance of God's gifts. Everybody was doing something. And this was good. Their problem was not a failure to use their gifts. The problem was how to make them work together.
If basketball had been around in those days the Apostle Paul might well have benefited by using this sport to explain the nature of the spiritual gifts the Corinthians had received through the Holy Spirit. Basketball is inherently a "team" sport. Good teams don't rely on just the gift of making 3 point shots. Other gifts are needed like rebounding, defense, setting picks, being able to see on the whole court, passing, quickness, hustle and so forth. And you need good coaches who like prophets draw up the plays to run against the weaknesses of the opponent. It takes all of these gifts to make a good team.
The Corinthian Church was composed of many talented players, but they were not a team yet. They were playing more as individuals competing against one another and boasting about the performance of their particular gift. Those who prided their ability to speak in tongues were among these. This church had the potential to be a good, even a great team, but jealousy and egotism were disrupting its unity. They wrote to Paul about how to deal with their conflict.
Ordinarily we would say a church in conflict is a bad thing. But this is not necessarily so. When I meet with couples preparing for marriage, for example, I have each fill out a marriage awareness inventory that touches on problem solving, expectations, feelings, finances, life style, religion and other aspects. There is even one question on who will do the household chores – do the laundry, cook, feed the pets, clean the bathroom etc. etc. One question asks though: "Conflict in a marriage is always negative."
Most all couples mark that they agree with this. However, in the commentary about the inventory we talk about later it points out that conflict is positive in that it shows what each partner really cares about. If a couple is able to face their disagreements then and come to understand what each really cares about, this can actually deepen their marriage and make it more fulfilling for both. Conflict can be like a broken bone that when healed can be stronger than it was before.
It is not working through a conflict that is destructive. Pretending it doesn't exist will not make it go away. It only goes underground and continues to build in intensity until there is a big explosion. At this point it may be impossible to save a marriage.
The same is true in the church. One of the characteristics of a lively church is a measure of conflict. One characteristics of a dying church is the absence of conflict. We fight over what matters to us. And so like marriage the solution to conflict is to face it head on and understand what those involved really care about. In general I find that if you stay in relationship with someone with whom you disagree and don't let anxieties and fears take over, you will eventually come to the realization that either you both care about the same thing, or that what each of you cares about are equally important. Either way when this happens the church as well as any relationship can become stronger.
The very abundance of God's gifts demonstrated at the wedding in Cana shows the tremendous freedom and potential of God's salvation. But in the exercise of this freedom the sinfulness of human nature still appears. The Corinthian Church is a model then of a congregation that is learning to grow into the new life it has received in Christ. The stress and conflict it is experiencing is a positive sign then. They are babes in Christ, in other words and not fully mature Christians yet.
Paul affirms all of the spiritual gifts about which the Corinthians have written, including the gift of "tongues" which may have been at the root of all the turmoil. He doesn't say to any one side in the conflict "you are wrong." Instead he says:
'There are varieties of gifts but the same Spirit. Varieties of service and activities, but the same God activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.'(1 Cor 11:4f) He shows that all gifts come from the same source and are rooted in Jesus.
Paul is hinting here as members of the church we need one another to grow in our salvation. Salvation is not simply about saving ourselves. It's a team project that begins with Jesus and then expands to include other people in a variety of activities and services.
The Corinthians may have been having problems melding their gifts together, but thank God they were trying to use them. Too often today churches have the opposite problem which is not using their gifts as effectively and energetically as they could and should. Many profess faith in Christ today as if this alone is all they have to do and never learn to utilize the gifts bestowed by God for their Christian walk.
Using our spiritual gifts and growing in our salvation are the very evidences of our salvation. Being a Christian is not a solitary walk, but a social experience in which we are connected by Jesus to one another and to all people. We become part of God's network of love where we give and receive support from everyone else on the same journey we are on. Our spiritual gifts are the tools given to the church to be used in ministry to the world. Every one of us is called to be a player on God's team.
Going back to the basketball analogy we cannot be a church team, but play as individuals. We have to commit ourselves to the team and volunteer our talents and abilities to the work of the team as a whole and respect the gifts of others as well. Jesus is the coach and we are to use our gifts as his disciples.
Some churches fight over which spiritual gift is the highest. But the more common problem is not using the gifts God has bestowed upon us. We all need to identify the gift(s) in ourselves that we are called to use as a disciple of Jesus. I see many gifts here and we should not restrict the gifts only to those mentioned by the Apostle. I see gifts of wisdom here and trusting hearts. I see those who care about the hurts and pain of others and want to help bring healing and pray for miracles. Some here have the ability to speak and help others to understand and distinguish between spirits. Others may not like to speak, but are good at organizing and working behind the scenes. I see those who speak in tongues in this sense that see beyond where the Sherman UMC is today to where God is calling us in the future.
I would add to the Paul's list the gift of hospitality to welcome new persons into the church. I see those who specialize in playing defense by laboring to repair and maintain facilities in support of the spiritual work of Christ. I see rebounders who don't let the ball get away, but keep the momentum going to score points for Christ. I see hustle. I see the ability to pass the ball off to others so they can do what they are called to do. Some see the whole court and are assisting everyone around them to be the best servant they can be.
As a church we have all these gifts right here this morning. The question is not which one is most important. They all are. The issue is whether we are using our gifts as effectively as we could and should. I am quite sure that if Jesus could turn ordinary water into 150 gallons of wine, he can do something very special with us. He can take all of our gifts as a church and transform them into the new wine of his kingdom. He can multiply our individual gifts for a much greater effect beyond just ourselves. What gift(s) is God calling you to use as a disciple of Christ and the redemption of the world?