By: Rev. Nate Hosler

John 2:1-11, 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Our Gospel passage is from the book of John. The passage is from the beginning of the second
chapter. It is very early in the book. If you recall, we just finished up Christmas. While it might
feel quite long ago already, it was only a few weeks ago. We just marked Epiphany, the visitation of the Magi, to the child Jesus. This is a season, that by design, is very baby-centric. Baby Jesus in the manger after the long preparation of Advent and the even longer wait for the Messiah.

John, however, does not really do that—in fact, there are no concrete descriptions of Jesus until
he is an adult. The book begins with an esoteric and poetic riff on Greek philosophy. In the
beginning was the Word– Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God.

The text moves from this high-level and zooms in to the concrete abruptly in verses 14 and 15
of chapter 1.

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a
father’s only son,  full of grace and truth. (John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of
whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ ”)

In the Gospel of Luke there is extensive detail about John the Baptist’s arrival—from birth
prophecy, a visit to his mother Elizabeth the soon-to-be mother of Jesus, his birth, and a
prophecy by his father who regains his ability to speak (he lost his ability to speak earlier in
response to his not believing the angel’s message).

In Gospel of John, John the Baptizer arrives as a prophesying adult with no intro. He announces
and baptizes Jesus. Jesus calls some disciples and then we arrive at this humble wedding in
Cana. Cana, as some commentators note, is not a famous or particularly significant place in the
Biblical imagination.

The bride and the groom are unnamed, and we don’t know what Jesus and Mary’s connection
is. They run out of wine, which, while socially embarrassing, would not register for me as a
particularly acute or critical crisis. It is not healing a long-term illness, not feeding the hungry,
ending a war, or any of the things that might typically meet a level of divine intervention worthy.

What is the significance of this as the first miracle?

I’m going to chalk it up to a vision God’s abundance. Perhaps God’s economy of abundance.
The symbolic (and to a lesser extent literal) expression of God’s current and future provision.
Visions of peace, material abundance in the form of olive oil and wine, and relationships marked
by justice are found throughout the scriptures that the early Jesus movement read and heard.

A passage from the Micah chapter 4 came to mind:
[God] shall judge between many peoples
    and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away;

they shall beat their swords into plowshares
 and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation;
 neither shall they learn war any more;
but they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees,
and no one shall make them afraid,
for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.

God is a God of abundance and Jesus’ inaugural miracle is a sign marking this. What is curious,
however, is that sign appears not to be visible to the beneficiaries of the miracle. The party
keeps rolling. Joy of the new marriage is celebrated. The family doesn’t face shame—and
yet—it remains largely hidden. The abundance of God hovers below the surface mostly
undetected.

How do we miss God’s abundance? How might our spiritual senses be sharpened to notice
God’s abundance? How is the abundance God calls us to different from the ever greater
consumption that consumerism promotes? What if we truly lived into God’s abundant love? Or
our relationships in this community were marked by abundance?

Last evening, following the People’s March, the Rising Majority held a gathering here. I was
present for part of the sharing time after a visioning the future exercise. Much of the sharing
related to building stronger connections of mutual care within communities when the system
fails us and a deep-felt need for deeper and more relationships.

This aligns closely with how we have articulated our hopes for Washington City Church of the
Brethren—Seeking justice, wholeness, and community through the Gospel of Jesus. I’m not
suggesting that we are simply a service provider meeting a market need, but as we open
ourselves to God’s abundance how might this experience be freely shared with those around
us?

The God of love is a God of abundance. May you, may we more fully experience this love and
freely share it with those around us.

Spiritual Gifts and spiritual response—a system of mutuality and reciprocity

God’s provision—abundance—is also given directly and returned as praise of God and in care
for the community.

After discussing the Lord’s Supper, Paul pivots, “Now concerning spiritual gifts.” After these 11
verses he will turn to the metaphor of being the Body of Christ. The Body of Christ is made up of
many members which have diverse calls and contributions to the working of the whole.

In this passage he considers and instructs on the way God’s abundance works through
members of the community and how they should be used. While some gifts may be viewed as a
sign of spiritual superiority, they are all gifts given and to be received. The fundamental, or basic
and core visible gift of the Spirit is the proclamation, “Jesus is Lord.” The way we know the Spirit
is at work is through the affirmation “Jesus is Lord.”

Paul puts this in opposition to when they were “gentiles” who were “enticed and led astray by
idols that could not speak.” This description conjures up images of ancient practice that feels of

little risk to us. However, if Jesus is Lord, then my cultural notions of success and respectability
are challenged. If Jesus is Lord, then the rich and powerful who presume to rule do not have the
final word.

Even within the church, with the variety of gifts and callings, the assumptions of value and
status are relativized. Paul mixes up and de-prioritized the gifts that were viewed as high-status
within the church. All are part and participate. However, this is not simply making everyone
assorted cogs in the machine of efficient ministry or church work—not a type of spiritual
corporation or factory.

The gifts are given but are meant to be kept in circulation and with joy. The gifts of the Spirit are
not given to inflate and be hoarded for self-aggrandizement. They are given to be circulated
back into the community of faith and beyond.

Indigenous author of Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer, recently published The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World. (Which I received as a gift from Jenn at Christmas)
She notes, “Abundance is fueled by constantly circulating materials, not wasting them.” “The juice that bursts from these [serviceberries] was rain just last week and is already on its way back to the clouds.” “If the Sun is the source of flow in the economy of nature, what is the ‘Sun’ of a human gift economy, the source that constantly replenishes the flow of gifts? Maybe it is love.” (17, 19)

In 1 st John we read “God is Love” (1 John 4:16). God is love and gives gifts freely. God’s
economy of abundance is gifts given to be shared and for the building of the community and for
the flourishing of the world.

The gifts of the Spirit in first part chapter 12 flow into the description of the body of Christ which
then leads to the gift of love in the next chapter. This concludes: “And now faith, hope, and love
remain, these three, and the greatest of these is love.”

[Final song]

Material practices of and for spiritual vitality—Lent (benediction + invitation)

What do we rely on? God? God or maybe community would probably be the answers that we
feel that we should say. Pause for a second and ask yourself, in a nonjudgmental way, what do
you or we rely on?

• Perhaps my ability to work hard and figure things out. This could be positive or it could
  mean that I have ideas of self sufficiency that need to be probed.
• …

This is going to be a very practical invitation. Early in March Lent will begin. Lent has been
observed as the 40 days leading up to Holy Week. It is a time of practical practices for spiritual
strengthening. Sometimes this is a form of fasting or abstaining from a particular food or
beverage that we rely on. Sometimes it is intentionally adopting or trying out particular
practice—such as daily scripture reading or prayer. Typically, I have only started to think about
this just before Lent starts.

Especially in the last few years I often sort of thought about it as Lent started and typically it was
just me (occasionally Jacob and I have done the similar thing). This year I wanted to initiate the

reflection early and suggest that we, or at least some of us, might make it a community practice
that we reflect on throughout the season. It starts March 5 th , so we have some time. I included it
after the final song so that we could have, at least on the side, some conversation on this.
As we go in peace I invite us into a conversation on possible ways to walk as a community in
the coming season.