From now until the beginning of Lent we’re marking the season called “Epiphany.” What is that? Epiphany is a time when our readings and prayers focus on how and where God “shows” or reveals himself in our world.

That’s what today is all about. We’re using our readings and prayers to help us focus on how--and where--God “shows” or reveals himself in our world. And, unless you were paying particularly close attention, you would assume that the epiphany today--the showing or revealing of God in our world--is when Jesus turns water into wine. After all, today’s gospel concludes, “Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory [there’s his “showing” or epiphany]; and his disciples believed in him.”

The words of a hymn we sing this time of year seems to agree: “Manifest at Jordan’s stream, prophet, priest, and King supreme [that, by the way, was our focus last week: the first Sunday after Epiphany], and,” the song continues, “at Cana wedding guest in thy Godhead manifest ...” Manifest how? The next line of the hymn asserts, “Manifest in pow’r divine, changing water into wine.”

My point is, we would be excused for assuming that the focus today is the way that Jesus shows himself to the world by turning water into wine at the wedding feast at Cana in Galilee. In the words of the reading, “Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.”

In my message today, however, I want to suggest that the way that Jesus manifests himself as God at the wedding feast at Cana is far subtler--and far more important and powerful (especially in the wake of the earthquake in Haiti)--than we may assume. Yes, Jesus turns water into wine. But just what kind of proof of God is this?

If I were a storyteller and I spun you a story about two important ancestors of ours--Uncle Sam and Old Abe--you’d get it, right? You’d quickly pick up that, by talking about Uncle Sam and Old Abe, I’m actually talking the United States.

You’d get that, right? Well, when the Gospel of John tells a story about a wedding feast where the wine has run out, people in John’s day would get that, too.

The Gospel of John is talking about life as the people of God! God had promised himself to his people like a bridegroom to his bride. The “wedding feast,” therefore, was that time when God would fully and finally return to earth and be wed to his people. “I will be your God and you shall be my people!”

The wine at this wedding feast, however, had run out.

Proverbs 3:9–10 says, “Honor GOD with everything you own; give him the first and the best. [Then] Your barns will burst, your wine vats will brim over.” Wine, in other words, is a symbol for everything in life being just right. Psalm 104 says to God, “You cause the grass to grow for the cattle, and plants for people to use, to bring forth food from the earth, and wine to gladden the human heart.”

At the wedding feast at Cana in Galilee, however, the wine was running out. As obvious as me telling a story about “Uncle Sam” and “Old Abe,” readers in that day would get the overtones of today’s story. Everything in life was not all right!

To address this situation Jesus turned water into wine.

If it were me, I would have called everybody together and said, “Look, this wedding ceremony is about to run out of wine. And, since a wedding ceremony is symbolic of the people of God anticipating their wedding to God Almighty, running out of wine also mean running out of spiritual energy and power. I can fix that!” I’d say.

I’d say, “Do you see those six huge, stone jars, sitting there so that you can wash and purify yourself before eating? Fill them to the brim with water.” And then, once everybody had seen them filled--filled with water--I’d say, “Now, draw some out!” Then, when everyone could see what I’d done--that I’d turned water into wine--I’d say, “Do you get it? Do you see now how God is present in your world to bring about this marriage between God and you? It’s through me! I’m the one who can turn the water of your spiritual emptiness into the wine of joy and of God’s presence!”

That’s the way I’d do it if I were God and Jesus. But, perhaps you’ve noticed, I’m not God. And that’s not the way God did it!

It always surprises that, for as well known as Jesus turning water into wine is, when it happened, it was a private affair. At most, only a few people knew about it.

After Jesus’ mother told him that the wine had run out, Jesus asks the servants--the caterers, we might say--to fill the six large stone jars that were there for the ritual washing of hands. When they were filled to the brim, Jesus asked the servants to draw some of the liquid out and take it to the steward of the feast (the head caterer).

The only ones who knew what had happened were these servants and Jesus himself. When the chief steward tasted the water-now-become-wine, he was shocked--but not because water had become wine. He was shocked that, instead of serving the dregs, this party had saved the best until last!

Scripture then says, “Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.”

Today’s message is called The Proof because I want people to understand and see how and where God “shows” or reveals himself to the world. Today’s story at the wedding feast in Cana suggests it isn’t as obvious or as showy as we might like. If I were God, I said, I’d turn water into wine right there in front of everyone. I’d do it and then I’d say, “Do you get it? Do you see now how God is present in your world to bring about this marriage between God and you? It’s through me! I’m the one who can turn the water of your spiritual emptiness into the wine of joy and of God’s presence!”

But that’s not how God does it! Very few people knew what Jesus had done. For the vast majority, they simply knew that, when things were looking bleak--when spiritual resources were low and the wine was almost gone--everything turned out all right. The best was saved for last.
If you want proof, my friends, there it is! God showed himself to the world by turning water into wine. He has made possible what no one else on earth could do: the marriage feast between himself and humanity.

But the miracle was--and is--being done behind the scenes! All the participants knew was that when things seemed bleak and empty, everything turned out all right.

I cannot--and will not--pretend to be profound about the events in Haiti. I think I would be disrespecting God and disrespecting the unbelievable suffering of the people of Haiti to venture glib comments on my part.

I will say this, however. We may wish that God would show himself in showy and extraverted ways. We may wish that--when the wine of gladness runs out, or when the wedding feast and the coming together of God and humanity seems dashed--God would swoop in and manifestly do something like turn water into wine.

Today we’ve learned that God does do that, but not in showy and extraverted ways. Few people knew what had happened, other than when things were going badly, everything turned out all right.

Right now, we are being called to faith. We are being called to trust in God. But, even more importantly, we’re being called to bold action on behalf of God!

When others can’t see the light shining in the midst of darkness, we must boldly describe what we can--and do--see! We must talk about a God who not only wishes to celebrate a wedding feast between all people and himself, but who turns water into wine when the wine of life has all but run out!

We must offer the proof. The proof! In Jesus’ name. Amen.