January 16, 2022 – John 2:1-11 – Epiphany 2C

“On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.” So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom 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.” Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.”

What do we know about time? If there is some national event scheduled, like the State of the Union speech, or the Super Bowl, it would be scheduled for perhaps 6:00 pm. Now, the problem with holding something national at 6:00 pm is that six o’clock is not six o’clock across the country. Our 6:00 pm is California’s 3:00 pm. And you know this. We know that if there is something happening on the other side of the country, we need to know if the time is Pacific Standard Time, or Eastern Standard Time. Now, time, the issue of time, is more than just clock time. Time can be the counting of days, months or even years. We count the passing of seasons, the cycles of the moon; in other words, we can say that the time that passes, the time we conceive of that passes us by is really the “counting of the ways in which things change.”

Aristotle was the first to record the idea that time was the measurement, the counting of change—noting how things change. He also believed that if nothing changed, then time stood still. If everything remained the same, then there was no passing of time—can you imagine? Of course we all have been in those situations where we have felt as if time stood still. It was that same feeling we had as children when we were sitting in class waiting for the clock to finally hit 3:00 pm—the end of the day. Or as adults, perhaps time stands still as we await a long-needed vacation. So, the time we experience in our lives really is relative. It is episodic. And, as we all also know, timing is everything.

Time is so important in the Gospel lesson we have this morning. Jesus and his mother are at the Wedding in Cana. And it begins with a reference to time…the text says that they are at the wedding, and three days have passed by. You see weddings in the time of Jesus could last one or two weeks. As such, there was a need to have a plethora of resources—food, entertainment, and of course, wine. So, for the wine to run out on the third day, well, this was a catastrophe. It was a crisis, and a potential blemish on the whole affair—and a huge embarrassment to the host family. The next mention of time comes in the interaction between Jesus and his mother, Mary. Mary says to Jesus, “They have no wine.” Jesus, sounding annoyed, says “Woman, what concern is that to you and me—my hour has not yet come.” Here we encounter another use of time, or concept of time—the hour for Jesus to reveal his glory—the time of Jesus has not yet come.

Now, perhaps Mary had a better concept of Jesus’ time, because she is not fazed by Jesus’ brush—off comment. She simply says to the servants, “Do what he tells you to do.” My friends, when we do what Jesus tells us to do, we open ourselves up to an abundance of Grace—an abundance of Mercy—an abundance of unconditional Love and Acceptance. The challenge you and I have is to remain open to the voice of G-d who always tells us what we should do—and that voice speaks to us through the Holy Spirit. And once we hear that voice, once we receive our instructions, we need to act—respond to the voice of the Holy Spirit.

And my friends, it is critical now for us to act, because we are not winning the battle against time.

Pastor Dave

January 15, 2022 — “Pigeon holed” (Matthew 19:23-30)

^“ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.” Matthew 19:23-30

“Pigeon holed”

Originally, a pigeonhole literally was a small recess or compartment for a domestic pigeon to roost or nest in, usually as part of a pigeon coop. That term has been around since at least 1577. A little over a century later, in 1688, the term was also applied to similar small compartments built into desks or bookshelves for storing or sorting mail, papers or writing supplies. But a third meaning came to be accepted, first recorded in 1864 — the one you most often hear today as a “narrow, sometimes oversimplified category.” Used as a verb, it’s the act of placing someone in such a category (among actors, it’s also called type casting). The consensus among etymologists is that this usage comes from the original meaning of pigeonhole — with the meaning that the category the person or thing is being assigned to is as narrow and confined as a literal pigeonhole. It is really easy to pigeonhole people, giving them definitions that are narrow, and often discriminatory. People who want to be professional athletes will be pigeonholed as too short, too heavy, or too slow. And yet, we have seen individuals excel in sports by overcoming what others determine to be shortcomings.

As such, is it really easier to get a camel through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich person to enter G-d’s kingdom? I have two answers. First, the scriptures say that it is the “…love of money that is the root of all evil” – not money itself. Many rich people are generous and share out of their abundance. Second, when the disciples ask Jesus “Then who can be saved?” – Jesus answers, “For G-d, all things are possible.”

We need to learn not to pigeonhole people, and instead to trust that G-d wants all people to be saved.

Let us pray,

Lord Christ, we do not like to be pigeonholed, so help me not to pigeonhole others. Help me to see your face in everyone I meet today. Amen.

Pastor Dave