Sermon for Epiphany 2: "From Cana to the Cross"

  

+ 2^nd Sunday after Epiphany – January 19^th, 2025 +

Series C: Isaiah 62:1-5; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11; John 2:1-11

Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church

Milton, WA

 

 

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

 

Holy Scripture begins and ends with a wedding. It begins with the marriage of Adam and Eve in Genesis and ends with the marriage supper of the Lamb in Revelation. In the beginning, God takes Adam whom he formed out of clay, and Eve whom he formed out of man, and brings them together, declaring that, “a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

 

In the prophets – like Hosea – God is the husband and Israel is his faithless, adulterous, yet redeemed and rescued bride. And in Isaiah, as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.

 

And at the end of Scripture, in John’s vision of Revelation, there’s a wedding feast, the marriage supper of the Lamb in his kingdom which has no end. 

 

“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
    the Almighty reigns.
⁷ Let us rejoice and exult
    and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
    and his Bride has made herself ready;
⁸ it was granted her to clothe herself
    with fine linen, bright and pure”

 

So it’s no accident - no coincidence - that when God incarnate becomes one flesh with us in our humanity, the very first miracle he does occurs at a wedding, where he changes water into wine. In the Scriptures, wine is joy. Gladness. A blessing from God. And flowing wine is a sign that the messianic age, and the Messiah himself has arrived at last.

 

When Jesus changes water into wine at the wedding at Cana he not only saves the bride and groom great embarrassment, he shows that he is thew true Bridegroom come to save. 

 

When Jesus comes to the wedding at Cana, and goes to the cross…he comes as the Bridegroom to sacrifice himself to save you and call you his beloved bride. He is the long expected Messiah come to rescue his you, his bride, by his faithfulness unto death. 

 

Already here at Cana, his saving death is already on Jesus’ mind. When Mary, his mother, comes to him and declares, “They have no wine.” He replies. Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”

 

Don’t hear these words with modern ears. This is no insult to Mary. It’s not a pejorative, but Jesus’ polite way of speaking with his mother. A title of respect. Want to guess where the other – and only – time Jesus says these words to his mother Mary in the gospels? As he’s hanging on the cross giving his life for the world. And giving his mother into the care of John his beloved disciple. He says to Mary, “Woman, behold your son.”

 

From Cana to the Cross, Jesus is the Bridegroom who sacrifices himself to save you and make you his bride. This is why he has come, he tells Mary. For “his hour.” It’s one of the ways Jesus refers to his coming death on the cross. His hour. His glory. Cana is a miraculous sign. A wonderful, joyous miracle. And it’s meant to lead you to Jesus’ cross. 

 

Think of it like a wedding invitation to “save the date”. Jesus’ hour hasn’t come yet at Cana. But it will. Jesus is the Bridegroom. He is faithful. He has made a vow- a solemn oath - and will keep it unto death. Jesus the Bridegroom will keep the Father’s word and will and ways for us, his faithless, wayward bride. Everything he does. Everything he says. Everywhere he goes. He does and says and goes for you.

 

Greater love has no husband than this. Greater love has no bridegroom like Jesus. Who lays down his life for sinners. He takes all that is ours and makes it his. He takes all of our infidelity. All our iniquity. All our idolatry. And he make it his own. And in exchange he gives you all that is his. Jesus’ faithfulness – yours. Jesus’s forgiveness and life – yours. Jesus’ the Bridegroom with all his blessings – all yours. 

 

This is what Paul tells us in Ephesians 5 when he writes about marriage and man and woman and Christ and the Church. 

 

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,²⁶ that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, ²⁷ so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.^[

 

Did you hear the key words? As Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her. For you.

 

Not only does Scripture begin and end with a wedding…the whole thing is a love story between God and his people. Not one of those sappy, predictable Rom-Com movies. But the unpredictable and unexpected gracious love story of the Bridegroom is so madly and deeply in love with sinners that he who knew no sin becomes sin for you. That he formed woman out of man, also became man born of woman - bone of your bone and flesh of your flesh - to call you his beloved. That he would be the friend and husband of sinners and for sinners and love you with an everlasting love. 

 

And this is the Bridegroom’s solemn pledge to you. To take you, his wedded wife. To have and to hold from this day forward – and forevermore. For better, and especially for worse. For richer, and poorer. In sickness and in health. To love and to cherish…so that not even death can part you from him.

 

At Cana, Jesus the heavenly Bridegroom changed water into wine. Today he does one better for you, his bride the church. He takes ordinary bread and wine and declares to you a solemn pledge and promise: Take, eat. This is my body given for you. Take, drink. This is my blood of the new testament which is given for you for the forgiveness of sins. 

 

Come. The table is set. All is ready. The marriage supper of the Lamb awaits. Jesus, our bridegroom and host serves the finest of wine and food in his body and blood. Given and shed for you.

 

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.