2nd Sunday of Epiphany

Readings: Isaiah 62v1-5; Psalm 36v5-10; 1 Corinthians 12v1-11; John 2v1-11.

Let us pray: May the words of my mouth and the thoughts and meditations of all our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer.

A Word: Through the prophet Isaiah, God says that his chosen people will be vindicated and called by a new name. For God has a salvation plan and his people will no longer be forsaken. For God’s people will be a crown of beauty, a royal diadem, a people of God’s delight, a people joined in union with God, a people that God rejoices over. 

In an echo of the same message, the psalm tells us that God’s love, faithfulness, righteousness, justice and loving mercy are so vast that humanity and all creatures can find refuge under the shadow of God’s wings and be saved. For we have a God whose loving kindness is precious and that we have a God who gives us all that is needed to those who know him, including: food and drink; life and light; and the gift of righteousness.

As Christians we believe that God fulfilled the promises found in Isaiah and the psalm when he sent his Son Jesus into the world to live, die and rise again for us. Like us, Jesus was born into the world, like a lot of people Jesus grew up in a human family, like some people Jesus was called into ministry. However, Jesus’ ministry was like no other ministry because his calling and mission was: to save the world from sin and death, by taking away our sins and making us right with God. In John’s gospel we hear about the early part of this ministry and Jesus' first miracle of turning water into wine, a miracle done in the presence of Jesus’ mother and disciples. In John's account, we hear that even though Jesus is the son of God and has begun already his ministry, he does not believe that his time has come and thinks he is not to intervene when the wine has run out. However, his mother Mary believes otherwise. So after she prompts Jesus and the servants, Jesus acts by giving the instruction to the servants to fill the water-jars to the brim with water and telling them to take some to the steward who is managing the feast. This culminates in the miracle that John describes as the first sign of Jesus’ glory. A miracle account that feels reassuring because even though Jesus is the Son of God he too had feelings of being unsure about his ministry and had to be prompted by his Mother.

This uncertainty of Jesus prompted me to re-think the calling of God's people that is described in letter to the Corinthians. For in it we hear that God gives a variety of spiritual gifts to his people. Gifts that are to be used in a variety of services and activities for the good of all God’s people. Gifts activated by the Holy Spirit, who allots them to each person individually. Gifts like having the good sense and intelligence in coming to and making judgements. Gifts like having the know-how, experience and expertise needed to be of help in the world. Gifts of being able to deliver therapeutic, health-giving and remedial intervention to those who need them. Gifts of being able to invoke marvels, signs and wonders in the presence of others. Gifts like being shrewd, insightful and intelligent in discerning between good from evil. Gifts of being able to communicate using a heavenly language. Gifts of being able to accurately interpret and explain the meaning of what is shared to us by others in heavenly language. All sorts of gifts and all given for the benefit of the world.

Today, we need to keep in mind that God has placed us in the world and gathers us together to make a helpful difference in the world for the benefit of all. This is our calling, a calling we may need to be prompted to pursue by those we know and trust. Today I pray and trust that each one of us will hear God’s call and then follow as God has called us so that we use the gifts he has given us to help each other and the world.

Let us Pray: Lord of all time and eternity, who opened heaven and revealed yourself as Father at the baptism of your Son and anointed him with the Holy Spirit; anoint us that we may be born again, made faithful to our calling and in so doing complete the heavenly work of our re-birth as your adopted children – for the love of Jesus who came and died so we can be saved. Amen

Thanks for joining us today.