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Has there been an occasion in your life when you have replaced an old way of doing something with a newer and better way? Like replacing the house phone with a cordless phone or cell phone. I’m sure all of us can come up with other examples in; transportation, cooking, heating, and by far communication and electronics. We don’t seem to have any problem replacing the old with the new especially when we feel that it’s better and can improve our lives.
One of the major themes from today’s readings is the call to newness! This theme is continued from the Christmas Season, from the new birth of Jesus, a new year, the Epiphany and the baptism of Jesus. This week we contemplate the various manifestations of that same spirit in our own lives. God summons us to something new, gives us a new name, provides us with new experiences, launches us into new ministries, and calls us to sing a new song of praise. All of this newness comes from God.
Jesus brings to fulfillment all the rituals of the old law. He is the wine of salvation, the
living water, the bread of life and much more. Our dare is to recognize what is
Life-giving in our spiritual lives and what needs to be replaced with something new and better.
Jesus works his first sign. It is one of seven in John's Gospel. Each of these signs replace something in the Jewish ritual. As each sign is introduced, it is understood on two levels. The person in conversation with Jesus understands it on a natural level. And there is the spiritual level on which Jesus is speaking. e.g. 1.) Jesus talks to Nicodemus (Jn 3:4) about being reborn, Nicodemus is trying to figure out how in the world someone could be reborn from a mothers womb. Jesus is talking about a spiritual rebirth. 2.) Another example is when Jesus tells the Samaritan woman (Jn 4:11) at the well that he will give her living water. /she said to him, "You don't even have a bucket and the well is deep." Once more Jesus is on a spiritual level. His water is life-giving. 3.)And with the miracle of the loaves and fish, the disciples see in Jesus the ability to feed the hungry to satisfy their stomachs. Jesus wants to satisfy the hungry heart with eternal life, himself being the bread of life.
And today we have the wedding feast of Cana (Jn 2:1-11). In his first sign, Jesus' mother is on one level. She is sensitive to the embarrassment of the bride and groom who have run out of wine. Jesus uses the opportunity to replenish wine for the party (a natural need) but on a deeper level he is manifesting his glory.
Jesus tells the servants to fill six water jars with water. These jars each held 20 to 30 gallons of water. They were for washing hands and purifying oneself according to Jewish law. Jesus changes the water used for ritual washing into an abundance of fine wine. Jesus is telling his followers on a spiritual level that he is the new wine of salvation, that believers are cleansed through him. This excessive amount of wine echoes the prophecies of the abundance of wine in the last days.
It is God who offers the "something better." He is the one who replaces. Our human heart and mind aren’t capable of seeing this unless we are willing to move from the natural to the spiritual level.
In Isaiah, God looks at a nation ravaged by war, exiled and returned at last to their native land. The other nations see Israel as "Forsaken" and her land "Desolate." God calls Israel "My Delight," "My Bride" and her land "Espoused." God's vision for us is far greater than our hopes or dreams for ourselves. God is asking us to consider replacing the world's image of us, or our image of ourselves, and embracing His vision for us? God wants to replaces the condemnation of the world with his forgiveness and unconditional love. But, how do we grab onto the new and better life with Christ?
We might want to start with the gifts that God has given us: the gift of life, the gift to love and be loved, and the gift to forgive and be forgiven. Whatever the gifts may be, the source is always God in and through the Holy Spirit. And the gifts are never given for personal gain. They are given to be shared, they are given for the good of the community, and the rewards of these gifts last into eternity.
But if these gifts are to be effective, we must hold fast to our natural gifts, for they are from God. And it is through the Holy Spirit in us, that they are raised to a supernatural level where they serve God and others. Much like the signs that Jesus performed our gifts have two levels. The carpenter who volunteers with Habitat for Humanity, the musician who performs a benefit, the homemaker who bakes for the sick, a friend who listens to your problems and doesn’t try to solve them but enters into them with you, uses natural gifts, that when entered into solely for the glory of God, produce life giving effects at the spiritual level.
There are times in everyone’s life when he or she feels they don’t have a choice, or that they don’t own a gift. The fact of the matter is: this simply is not true; today’s scripture affirms this. Everyone has gifts and there are always options to choose from. The question is: are we willing to let go of gifts at one level-a level of self-service-and let the Spirit raise them to a higher level with Jesus.