“Memphis, Cana and the God of Abundance”

January 14, 2001

Lectionary Text: John 2:1-12

 

It has become a ritual. You may have noticed that every year, at this time of Martin Luther King’s birthday, we get the same old network news report about "the slain civil rights leader." They show us a closed loop of familiar file footage. Dr. King battling desegregation in Birmingham (1963); the “I have a Dream” speech at the rally in Washington (1963); marching for voting rights in Selma (1965); and then, lying dead on the motel balcony in Memphis (1968). The remarkable thing about this annual review of King's life is that his last years are totally missing. You might notice that the story jumps from 1965 to 1968. But King didn't take a sabbatical during those years. In fact, he was speaking and organizing as diligently as ever.

 

Why is this? It’s not like his activities and speeches of those years weren’t filmed! I think its because the media have never come to terms with what Martin Luther King Jr. stood for during those final years – and as a result the country has not come to terms with it. You see, after civil rights acts in 1964 and 1965 were passed, King began challenging the nation's fundamental priorities. He maintained that civil rights laws were empty without "human rights" -- including economic rights. What’s the point in desegregating the lunch counter at Woolworth’s if people too poor to eat there, or integrating a neighborhood, if people are too poor to buy a house there?

 

The interesting thing is, the majority of Americans below the poverty line are white. The issue for him was not just civil rights for black people but economic rights for the poor. King decried the huge income gaps between rich and poor, and called for "radical changes in the structure of our society" to redistribute wealth and power. You may remember why Dr. King was in Memphis on the day he died. He was there to lead a march for striking garbage collectors. He was there because he knew that there was not much point in fighting for racial justice, if there was no economic justice.

           

About a year ago, I preached a series of sermons on the Jubilee. One was entitled the God of Abundance and the Myth of Scarcity. I looked at it again this week, and it was as if Dr. King and I were reading out of the same Bible. The capitalistic economy that we all participate in, functions on the myth of scarcity. So it requires us to grab, hold and hoard for ourselves. I pointed out to you then, and I want to point out to you again today, that’s not how the God’s economy works. The God of the Bible is a God of abundance. In God’s world there is plenty to go around. There is no need to grasp or hoard, in fact, the Bible requires us to share, to depend on God to provide “I have come,” Jesus said, “that you might have life and have it abundantly.”

 

That night at Memphis, in what was arguably his greatest speech, King told the people of Memphis that his plane from Atlanta had been delayed that morning because 'Dr. Martin Luther King is aboard,' and there was a search for a possible bomb. He told of how, when he got to Memphis, there were threats and rumors of an attack on him. Then he added, 'I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn't matter to me now, because I've been to the mountain top. I won't mind. Like anybody else, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over, and I've seen the Promised land. I may not go there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the Promised Land. So. I'm happy tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.....'"

 

The words of a man who’s had an Epiphany. He had seen the promised land – he had seen what the God of abundance can provide. To know that the threats on his life were very real and still to go on to Memphis, to put his life on the line, and not hold on to it comes from a lifestyle of following the God of abundance – of giving and sharing and fighting for justice. When you practice such a lifestyle facing your fears and stepping up to your enemies comes easily and naturally. But you cannot do that, if you are trusting in the capitalistic god of scarcity.

 

Enough about Martin, now let’s talk about Jesus. Our lectionary story today, is exactly about the God of abundance. The story of the wedding in Cana of Galilee is an Epiphany story. Its Jesus’ first miracle and opened many people’s eyes. It certainly gave me an Epiphany. I asked many questions about it. Questions like: What is going on in this story that calls for the miraculous action of God? And what was the miracle that actually took place at Cana of Galilee?

           

Let's look at it, shall we? First, there was a problem. The wine gave out at this wedding reception. I know, some of us may not understand this to be a problem. My Baptist pastor Dad, who refused to allow wine at our wedding reception, would not have seen this as a problem, but that's our presenting problem. Now the reason why the wine gave out has never really been raised, except that you know that it has been said of Jesus that he was a winebibber and his disciples were also quite a thirsty bunch. Now, this does not occur in the text, you understand, so don't read any more in to it, but makes you wonder if Jesus' coming into this party with 12 of his buddies had anything to do with the wine running out! But the wine had run out -- reserves and all. And that was a problem.

           

Now, enter Mary. I wonder how Mary noticed the problem. May be she went to get herself some wine and found that it was over. Whatever it was, Mary was sensitive to the context. She wanted to save her host from certain embarrassment -- from the people who would arrived late were insulted that there was no refreshment left for them. Wouldn't you love to have Mary among your guests if you were the host? Mary noticed that there was going to be a breakdown in the spirit of congeniality in that gathering. But it was not just an issue of the wine having given out, but that relationships had been affected by the lack of the refreshment. And Mary looking at the situation knew that this was something that Jesus would be concerned about.

           

And what is it that Jesus would be concerned about? Is it that the wine has run out and therefore there would not be the lively chatter that is always present at a reception? Or, was it that Mary knowing her son was aware of his extraordinary sensitivity to the inadequate resources that are necessary for the vitality of life? Mary knew that Jesus was exceedingly sensitive to situations where there was not enough. So Mary pulled Jesus aside and said, "Son, the wine has run out." And Jesus looked her straight in the eye and said, "Woman, what concern is that to you and to me. My hour has not yet come."

           

Now, that's a fascinating comment isn't it? My hour has not yet come. I want to ask, what would have been the normal behavior of Jesus in the case of the wine having run out if his hour had come? My hour has not yet come is used as justification for not dealing with the problem. Which suggests in reverse that if his hour had come, that a situation in which there was not enough would be business on his agenda, would it not? If it had been his hour, and if there had not been enough milk for the baby, what would he do? If his hour had come and there were pockets of the community that did not have food to eat, what would he do? Or there was inadequate housing, or health care for the community, or funding for schools, what would he do? Do you hear implied in this text, "when my hour comes, the hungry shall be fed? When my hour comes, it will be said to them in the hillside, blest are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled. When my hour comes, those who are without health care, without educational opportunities, without the basic necessities of life, when my hour has come it will be a central part of my agenda."

           

His mother said to the servants, do whatever he tells you. Is this Mary's way of saying, "Jesus, I know that it is not kairos or God’s time, but the chronos or our earthly time sometimes comes before the kairos comes. I know your time has not come, the time has not come for the fullest manifestation of your glory, but even now, in this situation of need, grant us a little kairos, and meet the need here." Jesus knows there was no need to argue with his mother, for Mary knew him only too well. She knew that in the face of depravation, that he was more than eager to respond, that he would do all he can to hold back his glory until some later time, she knew he was just itching to meet that need, for such is the nature of his love.

           

Jesus told the servants to fill the jars with water, and they filled it up to the brim. Up to the brim reminds me that Jesus does not delight in miserly portions. When "my time has come" a little dab of this and a little bit of that, will not do, No, when my time has come, you anoint my head with oil and my cup overflows. When my time has come, God gives, pressed down and running over. I have come that they might have life and have it abundantly. Jesus does not like this business of having to eke out an existence. When my time comes, there will be abundance.

           

Let me tell you why this business of abundance is so important. Do you know that there is a tradition in which there is a running teasing between the devil and God. Remember Job? Its almost like a Democrat and a Republican. They're kind of in the game together. And the devil is always teasing God. "Hey, divine creator, how are you doing with the logistical arrangements? Are your creatures obeying you? Are they still eating from the wrong trees? Hey Creator, how are you doing with your feeding program. You deliver the people from the land of bondage and bring them out to the wilderness and they don't have anything to eat. Hey Creator, why have you made a creation, where there is not enough to go around? You've got people digging and scraping just to eke out a mere existence. How are you doing Creator?" This is probably why that miraculous activity had to take place on that hillside where Jesus had gathered 5000 people. That was again an opportunity for the devil to say, "Look, now he's teaching them about a kingdom, but they're starving. He's teaching them about a kingdom to come but he can't feed them now." No wonder, Jesus took the loaves and the fish and began to break it and looked up and may be his prayer was "O Creator God, grant that these loaves and these fishes that are being broken up here, grant that they multiply, so that I don't have to put up with these insults from the devil today. Do something, do something here."

           

Jesus had them bring those pots out and they filled them up to the brim, and the wine was wonderful. They got the wine and there was abundance -- six pots of twenty or thirty gallons. That's at least 120 gallons. Do you know how much 120 gallons is? 120 gallons is enough and to spare. Where have I heard that expression before -- enough and to spare? Actually, that word saved a man's life one day, down by a pig sty. Seeing himself, poor, destitute, feeding swine, and it came to him, how many of my father's servants have food enough and to spare. Those words transformed this man's life. "Here I am lacking the basic necessities of life and there around my father's table, are servants with bread enough and to spare. I will arise and go to my father." If it is ever announced that there is bread enough to spare, can you imagine its evangelistic impact? If it is ever announced that there is love enough and to spare, can you imagine, how people will rise up from their sense of self contempt and self pity. If it is ever heard that there are houses, jobs, or educational opportunities enough to spare, that there is healing enough to spare, if that is ever announced, someone will get up out of the pig sty. Someone will rise to newness of life.

           

I want you to notice another facet to this. In this matter of creating abundance, God was also creating community. Think about those who were invited to the wedding. Jesus' mother was invited. Jesus and his disciples were also invited. Did you know that there was a growing distance between Jesus and his mother and brothers. He had run off in a different direction. He had left them behind. On several occasions they had tried to find him. They wanted to tell him that this gospel he was preaching was ludicrous. This was about a day when a kingdom would come. This was about a day when the hungry and the thirsty will be filled. He made staggering claims. He said that the eyes of the blind would be opened the lame would walk that the poor will have good news preached to them. He's a little off, they thought. He's guilty of fraudulent advertising, they thought. He can't make that all work. There was a growing distance between them. Do you remember from the first chapter of John that Jesus was not received by his own relatives and family. "He came to his own, and his own received him not." So although they were all there, some of them were looking at him thinking, "let's see what he is going to do." Mary knew that he didn’t have such a great relationship in the family. They don't really believe he is authentic. They don't believe he is real. And his disciples are looking at him too. They are fascinated, but they aren't even sure why they left their families and livelihood to follow him. He does a lot of talking about the kingdom. But talk, talk, talk, is not going anywhere. Mary seems to have sensed that there needs to be a coming together in community. And when Jesus performed that miracle, and the text says that this was the first sign in which Jesus revealed his glory, do you know what happened? The text says, his disciples believed in him. And you know the miracle was? The miracle was that he was able to produce an abundance. And that also sparked the coming together of community. And with the miracle, God overcomes the problem between Jesus and his family, because the story ends by saying that after this Jesus went down to Caperneum with his mother, brothers and his disciples and they remained there for a few days.

           

I have known this story since I was a little kid. But I had never understood the abundance that was released on this occasion. But lately, I’ve had an Epiphany. I have come to understand that Jesus is the Messiah, in his capacity to provide enough and to spare. And that his salvation is about overcoming the deficit that is in our hearts, in our minds and in the stomachs as well.

           

Jesus is reminding us that God doesn’t have a logistical problem: that there is enough and to spare. Jesus is reminding us that there is enough money to provide a top quality education to children in Chicago Public Schools and in poorer south suburbs. Jesus is reminding us that concentrated poverty in the south side is not what God intended for our city and community -- that there is enough and to spare for everybody. The problem is a problem of hoarding and hoarding is a sin. That it is a sin for people of means to hoard up their God given resources, when folks die for lack of milk and bread and its a sin. That 5% of us use up over 40% of the world's resources is an sin against God, to have people dying for lack of resources.

           

Martin King, in the last three years of his life went about creating abundance. He wanted another huge rally in the Washington mall, this time with people who are poor and others who will stand with them. So he went criss-crossing the country, organizing people for that. He knew that God did not have a logistical problem. He knew that there was enough and to spare. He knew that the problem was our capitalistic economy’s blind adherence to a myth of scarcity.

           

Discipleship is about trusting the God of Abundance. Cana of Galilee and Memphis of Tennessee opens my eyes anew to the God of Abundance – it gives me an Epiphany. It helps me look with confidence with Martin toward the Promised Land and with Jesus toward the New Jerusalem with its promise of great abundance. I hope and pray for such an Epiphany for you too. Would you come today, giving up your trust in the myth of scarcity and putting your trust in the God of abundance?