"Will the Wine Run Out?"
John 2:1-11
Rev. Tina Walker-Morin
Pilgrim Congregational Church, UCC
January 14, 2018
 
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all of our hearts be acceptable to you O God, our strength and our redeemer. Amen.
This morning I have a message about abundance.

Today’s scripture is the famous “Wedding in Cana” passage. So I found some wedding puns just for you…Jim and Danielle, even though she is back with the children:

Did you hear about the two cell phones who got married? The reception was terrific.
Two florists recently got married. It was an arranged marriage.
Marriage is becoming more and more progressive. I hear two scoutmasters decided to tie the knot.
Do you know why the King of Hearts married the Queen of Hearts? They were perfectly suited to each other.
Ladies and gentlemen, it's been a very emotional day. Even the cake is in tiers.
 
Weddings, it is at a wedding where we encounter Christ today. This is at the very beginning of his ministry. He has just called his first four disciples, Andrew, Peter, Philip and Nathanael, and they are now all at a wedding with Jesus’ mother Mary. While at the wedding the wine runs out. It is presumed that the wedding was likely for a relative of Mary’s and that is why they are all gathered.

Mary is very astute and understands the shame and humiliation of running out of wine. When Mary sees the situation unfolding she immediately points it out to Jesus. Now some believe she alerts him because she knows that her son is the Messiah, others think she tells him about the shortage of wine so that he and his “tag alongs” can leave reducing the number of guests or maybe she is alerting him because he is the “man” of their family and should do something about it since presumably Joseph has died and is not present. As we just heard Jesus informs the servants to fill the stone water jars with water and take it to the head waiter. To which the head waiter declares it the best wine in the house.

Upon seeing this sign the four new disciples of Jesus believe. This is the first of seven signs Jesus performs in the Gospel of John. The others being the healing of the royal officials son in Capernaum (John 4:46-54), the healing of the paralytic in Bethesda (John 5:1-15), the feeding of the 5,000 (John 6:5-14), walking on water (John 6:16-24), the healing of the man who was blind from birth (John 9:2-7) and the raising of Lazarus (John 11:1-45).

Now notice I say signs instead of miracles. This is intentional for a couple of reasons: first, we are in the season of epiphany and after Christmas I thought a good theme for us would be “Looking for God in Unexpected Places”. Secondly, faith is about believing in something we can’t see, completely understand, or rationalize. I tend to over think miracles and try to pick them apart. As a nurse friend of mine used to say “I can relate to Jesus but these miracles, well I am just not too sure about that.”
When we see and hear of these acts as signs which point to, and illuminate Christ, we can leave our scientific questioning at the door and believe or know Christ better. So how does this sign help us on this Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend know Christ better?

Our story is set in the gentile land of Cana where our Jewish Jesus with his Jewish friends have been contributors of running out of wine. There is fear in this story of not having enough; of running out. Perhaps Mary and/or the servants are even thinking had Jesus not brought these other four men, these outsiders, there would be enough wine to go around.
Fear and scarcity abound.

Does this sound familiar? Last week as I was away on vacation, I still heard the news with regards to immigration, Haiti, other African countries and DACA. DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals refers to the children of immigrants who were brought here undocumented as minors in then in 2012 were granted a renewable two-year deferred action from deportation and are eligible for a work permit.

There is a fear in American that these children and other immigrants are going to take away jobs, that there simply will not be enough jobs to go around. Here again we sense that fear that there will not be enough, just like in our scripture with reference to the wine.

We are afraid of the uncertainty and worried about earthly scarcity, instead of turning our attention to Christ and the Heavenly realm.

What if instead of worrying about what others might take from us, that there not being enough jobs or resources, we do as Christ did and invite more people to join us? And with the invitation we work to learn more about DACA recipients, immigrants and others?

Let me introduce you to Fidenico Fifield-Perez[1] and educator and Artist from Galveston, TX. A high school teacher once told him that, “People like you don’t go to college.” Maybe you have had that happen before. I remember being told that students from my high school did not get Division I athletics scholarships (I proved her wrong). Fidenico also provide that teacher wrong, he was accepted to 7 colleges. He was the first in his family to graduate from high school. He said, “Every undocumented person I knew, other than my two younger brothers, dropped out either because it was expected of them or because a high school diploma meant nothing for the jobs to which they applied. I remember being told to get a job that paid under the table and to keep my head down.”

DACA legally allowed Fidenico to drive and to work without fear of being deported. As an artist he was able to display his work nationally and internationally at exhibits, as well as graduated from college and then graduate school.
Lastly Fidenico states, “The moment I was smuggled into this country as the age of seven, my body ceased to be my own. DREAMers’ bodies have been debated, regulated, rounded up, and biometrically measured…”

Our country is afraid the wine is going to run out. Our country is also mad because Jesus and his followers are the ones drinking the wine in a land that is not their home. And how does Jesus respond? He sits in their midst and reveals to the lowly first (the servants) that when you are with him, when you are with Christ… there will be abundance.
Today, Christ’s sign for us is not about the changing of water to wine, but rather the realization to turn from our worries about “will there be enough” and trust that if we are travelling with Christ, there will be enough.

I see this happen over and over particularly in church. Last month in Waltham we had a Christmas service where we were serving communion. Having only expected half-dozen or so people to join us I only prepared enough communion for 15 or so. Then people kept coming in and sitting around our table. In the center where I had set the communion elements, I began counting the little cups full of grape juice hoping we had enough and worrying that I had not prepared enough and that we would run out. And just as Christ was in Cana, he also was with us in Waltham and there was plenty of communion to go around.

Well, I don’t have any other puns to share in closing. So instead I will leave you with the last verses from the Gospel of John: “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:30-31).

May your faith be abundant,
Amen.


[1] https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/storywall/american-dreamers/stories/fidencio-fifield-pere

​“Questioning ourselves”
1 Kings 19:1-18
Pilgrim Congregational Church, UCC
Rev. Tina Walker-Morin
November 5, 2017
…………….
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all of our hearts be acceptable to you O God, our strength and our redeemer. Amen.

This morning I have a message for you about, keep on keeping on.

I have a question for you all, do any of you name your vehicles? Okay enough with the funny looks, friends of mine used to name their vehicles and when we bought that bright orange Jeep out there, I named her Smokey. Who the heck is Smokey you ask? Smokey is the University of Tennessee’s mascot. Smokey is a hound dog who represents the Volunteers of UT.  
I love UT and particularly, I love Pat Summit. The late Pat Summit was the UT women’s basketball coach, arguably the best coach of all time. She set the record for wins, championships and athlete graduation rates. She set the bar higher than high. Pat was a woman who had a stare like no other, a stare that when she looked at her players they avoided eye contact and wished to melt into the ground. Pat was my idol.

Needless to say I have read all three of her books, the first titled “Reach for the Summit: The Definite Dozen System for Succeeding at Whatever You Do”. The book starts with the inside flap reading “I’m someone who will push you beyond all reasonable limits. Someone who will ask you not to just fulfill your potential but to exceed it. Someone who will expect more from you than you may believe you are capable of. So if your aren’t ready to go to work, shut this book.”
Being pushed beyond all reasonable limits is how Elijah is feeling. Today we meet Elijah after he had taken his sword and killed all of the prophets of the pagan god, Baal. Elijah’s slaying of the Baal prophets angers Jezebel (the wife of Ahab, who is the king of the northern kingdom of Israel). She is the one who insisted on establishing the worship of Baal. Jezebel and Ahab built a place of worship for Baal and even housed and feed the prophets.

When Jezebel heard of what Elijah had done, she flew into a rage and threatened Elijah with the same fate. Fearful for his life Elijah flees to Beersheba and then into the wilderness where he ends up under a solitary broom tree. Under this broom tree’s shade and cover Elijah wants to die. Elijah has been pushed to his limit.

Elijah, a strong prophet who defeated and killed many false prophets, now is sacred and has run off. Under this broom tree Elijah sits wishing it to cover him up and let him die. He says: “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life for I am no better than my ancestors.” (v. 4). The ancestors to which Elijah is referring are the Israelites we encountered a few weeks ago who were following Moses in the wilderness for 40 days and cried out to Moses: “if only we had died by the hand of the Lord, in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” (Exodus 16:3)

Have you been there? Have you been pushed to your limit? Pat tells the story of when her players were caught going out at night. She and the other coach did not go out on the town to find them and send them back to the dorm but rather they set up four trash cans the next day at practice. One trash can place in each corner of the basketball court and the team ran. As they were hung over Pat made the team run until they puked and the trash cans were full.

Perhaps your being pushed to the limit was not physical challenge but rather mental or emotional. Working a job that demanded more and more. You worked long hours, skipped lunch and still was not appreciated or more was expected. You were pushed and pushed, until finally one day, you could not take it anymore and you up and quit.

Elijah has been pushed to his limit. Having run away and not eaten his stomach is growling he is tired just wanting to lay down because he is emotionally drained and beating himself up; just like his ancestors the Israelites experience. And what did God do for the Israelites? God sent mana down, God came to them. And what does God do for Elijah? God sends an angel down, not once but twice telling him to eat the bread and drink the water. God sends self-kindness to Elijah. Elijah having been pushed to his limit, is running away from his troubles, feeling defeated and beating himself up and what does God do but show kindness. Maybe the angels were Elijah’s own consciousness doing for him what he might have done for someone else. Offering a friend food and water, offering a friend compassion and kindness. God offers Elijah kindness and God meets Elijah just where he is.

Elijah gets up and goes on his 40 day hike to the mount Horeb, the same mountain where Moses received the 10 Commandments. God comes once again and meets Elijah where he is and asks: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” Elijah tells God all that has happened, whoa is me, Elijah beats himself up and says “I have been pushed to the limits and I am done.”
God tells Elijah, go stand on the mountain for the Lord will pass by. Elijah does as he is told and then comes the wind. A wind stronger than what we experienced howling last Sunday night; then an earthquake shaking the very ground Elijah is standing on; and then a fire, hot and blazing in the sky. Yet Elijah stands there, as these earthly expressions of power which so often elicit fear, trembling, and hiding from most people. Elijah stands strong, unafraid.

Elijah withstood those natural forces. Last Sunday night, Charlie (our dog) was petrified of the violent wind. He woke me up in the middle of the night, I thought because he needed to go out, but no it was because he was scared and wanted to snuggle up against me for protection. Elijah was not like Charlie. Elijah stood there and God again met Elijah where he is.

Once again, this time in the sheer silence, God asks “what are you doing here Elijah?” God knows Elijah is a strong man, otherwise God would not have made him a prophet yet Elijah is not feeling strong or confident. He is feeling weak and sacred terrified and uncertain how he will face the unknown, the future. He would rather die than face what he does not know.

It is in this moment of Elijah’s weakness that God shows Elijah his very own strength. God comes and meets Elijah where he is. Elijah is feeling weak yet God shows him how he can withstand, hurricane force winds, ground shattering earthquakes and an all-consuming fire. God shows Elijah, that he is strong and that God will meet him where ever he goes. From under a Broom Tree to the top of Mount Horeb. God will be there.

Pat Summitt had no idea when she wrote her book that she would eventually be diagnosed with early onset dementia, the Alzheimer type. That her career and life would be cut short. Pat like Elijah was strong but went through a time of uncertainty. Pat had no idea what the future held, other than she knew she would continue to lose her memory. Yet Pat was determined and in one of her last public appearances told her fans and the world that she was “going to keep on keeping on”.
When life beats you down and you are in a hole looking up without a step to stand on or a ladder to climb, that is when God meets us where we are and is there to help us keep on keeping on. God sends friends and loved ones to remind us of our strength, to remind us how we got through the previous tough time, to remind us to be kind to ourselves and that we are stronger than we think.

Even if you do not see God the first time, God will come a second time. Even if you go out into the wilderness for forty days, God will meet you where ever you end up. Even if you are running sacred, are weak and tired, God will be there. All we have to do is keep moving forward because you simply can’t go back in time.
​
Keep on keeping on my friends and God will be there. Amen.

“Rise Up”
Ezekiel 37:1-14 & Romans 8:6-11
Pilgrim Congregational Church, UCC
Rev. Tina Walker-Morin
April 2, 2017

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all of our hearts be acceptable to you O God our strength and our redeemer. Amen.

This morning I have a message for you about hope.

​Did you hear the news? No, it is serious stuff. Did you hear who was killed off? Well, the official wording is “retiring” but we know what that really means. Who has been cast aside and left for dead?

It was dandelion. Do you know dandelion? I am sure you do. Meet, Dandelion. That’s right, on Thursday it was leaked that crayon-maker Crayola is putting the kibosh on Dandelion. How will we now color in our picture of dandelions? Or use that perfect yellow to fill in the rays of sunshine or the arch of a rainbow? Dandelions are the flowers of children and aggravating adults as they fill yards with little spots of yellow happiness. Easy for kids to pick and give as a bouquet of flowers. Turning white and begging to be picked up and blown all over to spread even further.

The color of so many childhoods just like that will be gone, to be replaced by some blue hue millennial. Crayola thinks they can soften the blow by giving us a chance to name this new kid in a contest this summer.
Meanwhile dandelion is thrown to this land of broken, torn wrapper crayons. Lying around like dry bones.

Yes like the bones we hear of from the prophet Ezekiel. Bones which are lifeless filling a valley. Bones of despair and death.
Last week we encountered the anointing of king David which introduced the period of monarchy, and today the prophet Ezekiel is in a time of exile when he has a vision which announces the revival of Israel.

During this time the Babylonian King Nebuchadnessar captured Judah, destroyed Jerusalem with its holy temple and took the peoples to Babylon. Maybe you have heard the song By the Water of Babylon by Boney M? It goes:
By the rivers of Babylon, 
when we sat down
and there we wept, 
as we remembered Zion.

By the rivers of Babylon, 
when we sat down
and there we wept, 
as we remembered Zion.

When the wicked
Carried us away in captivity
Required from us a song
Now how shall we sing the lord's song 
in a strange land

Let the words of our mouth 
and the meditations of our hearts
be acceptable in thy sight 
over Zion

It is a song based on Psalm 137 which reflects the feelings of the people who are following the prophet Ezekiel who have been taken captive. It is hard to over exaggerate the extreme sorrow and crisis of faith during this exile.

The Judeans have lost the land promised to their ancestors, their Davidic king is being held captive, and the temple where they believed the Lord dwelled and where his glory was known, lay in ruins. The prophet “Ezekiel envisioned defeat as the departure of the glory of the Lord from the temple (Ezek. 10-11). [It is a] small wonder that the exiles asked if the history of Yahweh with his people had come to an end.”[1]

The prophet Ezekiel shares a vision he had, one where the Lord took him out by the spirit and put him down in the middle of a valley which was scattered with dry bones. Ezekiel emphasizes that the bones were very dry. They were lifeless, there was no bone barrow in them, no blood or tendons wrapping around then and no flesh covering the nakedness of the bones. The bones were there, lifeless and bare.

Ezekiel is told to prophesy to the bones about being covered with skin and the Hebrew word ruah, meaning “breath” and “wind” as well as “spirit” will come upon them and the bones will know that “I am the Lord” (v. 6). Ezekiel does as commanded and there came a noise, a rattling  and the bones came together, but there was no life in them.

Then God told Ezekiel to “prophesy to the breath: Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.” (v. 9). Ezekiel did so and they stood to their feet, a vast multitude (v. 10).

The prophet goes on to interpret what all of this meant in verses 11-14. That these bones represented all of Israel who say “Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost” (v.11). God then tells Ezekiel that God will bring them up from their graves, from their dark, lonely places and they shall know that “I am Lord” and “I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live” (v. 14).  The apostle Paul also reiterates the notion that the spirit is life giving in our passage this morning from Romans 8.
Have you heard of the expression “full of life”? For example: I remember thinking to myself that he seemed unlikely ever to die; he was eighty-two but so exuberantly full of life that he seemed ageless.

Perhaps you know someone who is full of life, maybe you are that person. Yet how about those who are not? Those who feel like dry bones lying in the valley. Those who feel the heavy weight of depression hanging on their bones. The people who are living in exile, the refugees from Syria or from domestic violence. The individuals who have fled their homes out of fear. The people who lost their homes and have been cast out onto the streets. The individuals whose temples and ideas of God have been torn down by violence, or death of a loved one or child. Where is their hope, where is the breath of God?

The breath of God is in each one of us. As stated in Job (acclaimed by some as the most powerful biblical story because of his faith while suffering) “The spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life” (Job 33:4). The breath of God is in each of one of us. The challenge is to recognize that breath and use it in life giving ways.

Life giving not just for ourselves but also for others. Ezekiel was leading the exiled people, Jesus went to those who were oppressed and outcasts. We too are called to give life and hope to those dry bones, to the people who are without hope.
“Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live” (v. 9). We are called to come from every direction to reach every person to bring those who feel alone or lifeless, the breath and spirit of God. It may be a person right here in this sanctuary that you know needs to feel God’s spirit, or it may be a friend out there on Facebook that needs a message of hope. Or it could be a person in a minority group who needs to hear and read the affirming words that God loves them just as they are.

Maybe you know a person who feels like the dandelion crayon, who feels like they have been cast aside and are no longer needed or valued. It is our duty as Christians to reach out to those dandelion crayons. Those beautiful and needed dandelions that are so needed to create the rainbow of humanity, and bring them the breath of God through hope.

O breathe on me breath of God and help me fill someone else with life anew.
Amen.
## 


[1] Preaching Through the Christian Year A, 174.