God’s Rebel - A Sermon for Sunday January 11 2026

LESSON INTRODUCTION

Today the church celebrates the Baptism of our Lord,

which marks the first Sunday in the season of Epiphany,

a season of revealing,

of recognizing that Jesus is the Light.

We don’t get to the Light of epiphany

without the darkness of Advent first.

One of the highlights of the season of Advent,

for me,

Is considering the mother of Jesus, Mary.

She travels to be with her relative, Elizabeth.

Elizabeth kept her safe for a time -

who knows how long.

After all, Mary was an unwed, pregnant teenager.

She could have been stoned for her perceived adultery,

she could have been ostracized from her family,

and she was almost divorced by Joseph.

But God had a reason for choosing Mary.

I do not believe it is because she was meek and mild.

In the New Testament,

Mary’s real name is Miriam,

which literally means “Their Rebellion”

God didn’t choose Mary because she followed the rules,

God didn’t choose her because she was quiet and calm.

Mary doesn’t have time injustice.

Mary doesn’t have time for the

Roman empire’s way of doing things.

Mary doesn’t have time for the unethical status quo.

According to Roger Wolsey,

Mary might just be the first punk rocker!

ready to stand up to the man.

Mary believed, she had faith.

Mary had thick skin.

And Mary didn’t say “no” to God.

Apparently, we learn today,

God doesn’t say “No” to Mary, either.

I would love to know

some of the details and characteristics

of Jesus’ relationship with his mother.

We are about to hear a profound interaction

between Jesus and Mary.

A couple thoughts to prepare us for Hearing this gospel:

We believe Jesus is 100% God,

and 100% human.

For Jesus to be human,

there has to be the human experience.

Learning to crawl and then walk,

how to potty and how to read.

I don’t know how old Jesus was at the Wedding at Cana,

probably about 30,

but I wonder if Jesus, surely a grown adult,

still needed to learn from mom.

Like the interaction with the Syrophoenician woman,

or when some Greeks approached the disciples

at the festival,

there are some stories of Jesus in which he learns,

grows, expands;

re-discovers what it means to be God in the flesh.

Maybe this is one of those stories.

As Jesus grows and stretches,

so may we.

I see this story as both an in-breaking of God,

and Jesus learning to be God.

I can imagine Mary,

drawing upon the experience and the sass

of mothers of every time and place,

perhaps rolling her eyes,

perhaps hands on her hips,

giving Jesus that look

that only a mother can give her son.

Jesus may have said his hour has not come,

but Mary seems to think otherwise.

You see, Mary, God’s rebel,

has no time for injustice.

Mary is on board with God’s work in the world,

the God who will be at work in her Son, Jesus

Mary sung about God’s reversal in the Magnificat,

and Jesus, her son,

will bring about God’s reversal.

Starting now. It is time.

Narrative Lectionary Gospel: John 2:1-11

The holy gospel according to John.

Glory to you, O Lord.

  ¹ On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. ² Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. ³ When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” ⁴ And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what concern is that to me and to you? My hour has not yet come.” ⁵ His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” ⁶ Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. ⁷ Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. ⁸ He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the person in charge of the banquet.” So they took it. ⁹ When the person in charge tasted the water that had become wine and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), that person called the bridegroom ¹⁰ and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.” ¹¹ Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee and revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.

The gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, O Christ.

The ancient Wedding feast,

would last for days,

perhaps a full week.

Jesus and the disciples were invited,

and the story begins on the third day of the wedding feast.

This is also the eighth day recorded of Jesus’ ministry.

This sign, this miracle,

is about what happens on the eighth day,

and the third day.

Jesus rose from the grave on the third day.

Jesus’ resurrection is considered the eighth day of creation.

This sign - turning water into wine -

this is resurrection,

this is heaven.

That’s what this is all about.

The story happens on the third day of the wedding feast,

and they ran out of wine.

How humiliating!

Why did they run out of wine?

Was it lack of planning,

not sure how many guests would attend?

Was it poverty?

did they just not have enough money?

It is quite possible that Jesus and his disciples

caused the wine shortage,

they may have just arrived on day 3.

I was reminded this week that guests to a wedding banquet

were obliged to send a gift of wine.

It is likely that Jesus did not send wine

due to the group’s poverty.

So, did Jesus turn water into wine out of obligation?

Was this merely a wedding gift?

Maybe if Jesus made 2 or 3 bottles of wine,

but what Jesus did was extravagant.

Weddings were drinking parties

and wine was the drink of choice

to celebrate something so grand.

How humiliating to run out.

But Mary, God’s first punk rocker,

cannot stand for it.

When God’s people feel shame and humiliation,

be it due to poverty or illness,

gender, race,

simple things we have no control over,

God’s work brings about the reversal

of that shame and humiliation.

“Do whatever he tells you.” Mary says.

Mary, God’s punk rocker knows her son.

Mary, God’s rebel,

knows that Jesus’ hour has come,

and that the time is now

for God’s reversal to begin.

And Jesus saves them.

Jesus literally saves them

from their shame and humiliation.

Jesus shows them grace upon grace.

Jesus brings them the good wine.

and in the end, Jesus doesn’t even get the credit,

the bridegroom does.

That’s often how it goes,

God does the work,

and the host, or the person in charge

gets the glory.

Jesus’ sign says to God be the glory.

But Jesus’ gift of good wine

is not just for the newly married couple.

According to Professor Eliseo Pérez-Álvarezm

“In those days food and wine were not served indiscriminately 

to the guests sitting at the same table.

It was based on their social status.

Some guests got the cheapest wine

-- a mixture of wine, vinegar, and water --

like the one Jesus was offered on the cross (Luke 23:36),

while others drank grand reserve.

The good news is that Jesus’ wine is for everybody.”

Jesus brings grace upon grace

for all the people at the banquet.

All are invited to taste and see that the Lord is good,

extravagantly good,

abundantly good;

6 stone water jars,

holding 20-30 gallons each,

filled to the brim with water turned into choice wine.

That’s 300 gallons of gewurztraminer.

That’s 1500 bottles of pinot griggio.

That’s 6000 full glasses

of the best merlot you’ve ever had.

Now that sounds like heaven!

A little side note - this passage, this whole gospel

is filled with symbolism,

and we wont touch on everything today,

But you’ll notice Jesus doesn’t call Mary - “Mom”.

Jesus calls her woman,

and this is not at all an insult,

it is respectful, kind language,

even if not saying “mom”.

It is very similar to the Greek Old Testament language

used for “Eve”.

Hebrew speaking Jews might miss this,

but the Greek speaking Jews

would understand the significance of this word.

Mary, the mother of Jesus

is the new “Eve” in Jesus’ new creation.

It’s like Mary isn’t just mother of Jesus,

but mother of us all.

Maybe we all ought to listen to mom:

Just do whatever Jesus tells you.

This is Jesus’ first sign,

and signs point to something greater.

The wedding feast at Cana

is the beginning of the even greater things

that Jesus promised when calling the disciples.

We often think of beginnings and endings in chronological time.

But time is relative.

In the Greek language, there are 2 words for time.

Chronos and Kairos.

Chronos is like looking at your watch,

it is chronological time.

Kairos on the other hand is something greater:

it is the right time,

an in-breaking of God into chronological time:

it is a time of possibility, of wonder –

the kind of time that God shows up.

The Wedding Feast at Cana is a Kairos moment,

an in-breaking of God into the world moment.

It is a story that transcends time

about a God who shows up,

transcending time.

For those of you familiar with John’s gospel,

you will know that the author wrote

his own creation story.

John begins with the beginning –

in the beginning was the Word,

and the word was with God,

and the Word was God.

Jesus Christ is this word of God – Word made flesh –

So that in Jesus Christ,

we all may receive and experience Grace upon Grace.

John’s Gospel was written that we may believe in Jesus Christ,

that we might know what Grace upon Grace

looks and feels like.

John’s creation story re-tells in his own way

the seven days of creation.

When Jesus arrives at the Wedding at Cana,

it is the third day of the wedding feast,

and it is the eighth day of John’s story:

The 3^rd and 8^th day.  That’s no fluke.

Timing is important to John.

Timing is important to Jesus.

Yet this is a Kairos moment.

God’s grace breaks through time,

But Grace upon Grace –

Resurrection, Kairos,

God’s in-breaking in the world

doesn’t always happen how we might expect.

It might not be like Moses with the tablets

it might be more like Elijah’s mountain journeys.

It might not be like Abraham and Isaac,

it might feel like Exile.

The Wedding at Cana tells us what grace up on grace,

what abundant life,

what God’s in-breaking into the world looks like.

Shame and humiliation are gone,

in its place are love,

seen particularly in justice and honour.

On the 3^rd day of the wedding feast,

Jesus redeems, resurrects,

gives new life to the bridegroom and his family.

For this family, and for us today:

Jesus’ gift of wine is the gift of salvation,

Jesus’ gift of wine is the gift of abundance.

With Jesus at work,

No one will leave this celebration thirsty –

all are offered an abundance

of the best wine you’ve ever tasted,

all are offered an abundance of Jesus’ good blessing

Our 2^nd clue to what Grace upon Grace looks like:

Are these old giant containers in the story.

The containers were empty.

They had already been used.

When they filled the stone jars with water,

it was certainly with local water:

water that in those days would not be fit to drink.

But wine was safe.

Jesus transforms that which is inside the container:

that which is polluted and toxic,

and foul tasting,

and makes it pure and life-giving and beautiful.

If we are honest with ourselves,

each and every one of us,

has an emptiness that only Jesus can fill.

Each one of us travels with unclean hearts,

that Christ alone can cleanse.

When you are empty,

trust that Jesus will fill you up.

When you are full of that which pollutes,

that which is toxic and foul,

trust that Jesus will transform you

from the inside out,

and make you beautiful again.

For this is the Word of God

we are talking about.

When Jesus speaks,

the Word of God speaks,

and miracles happen.

Expect Jesus to show up,

and expect Jesus to speak.

Perhaps Jesus will speak to you unexpectedly:

Like Mary,

encouraging you to take the leap of faith,

because God has faith in you.

You might think it is not yet your hour

but now is the time of salvation.

Now Jesus invites you to the wedding banquet,

to this foretaste of the feast to come.

It might be a morsel of bread

and a little sip of a cup,

but trust that at this wedding feast,

Jesus gives you the good wine.

The kingdom of God is a party,

like celebrating a championship after decades of defeat,

like celebrating the union of two lovers

meant for each other,

So is the kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Heaven

a party, 

a celebration,

recognizing the hard suffering is coming to a close

and what is left is joy,

grace upon grace,

life abundant with Jesus. 

This life is yours. So come to the table!

Taste and see that the Lord is Good!

Thanks be to God. Amen.