“Being Human Together”: A sermon for 1/16/22
“My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.”
On December 26th, 2021 humanity lost a powerful voice: Archbishop Desmond Tutu. After a lifetime of anti-apartheid and peacemaking work, after a multitude of honors and awards, after a career in teaching, preaching, loving and giving, the South African Archbishop of Cape Town finished his 90 years and went to meet his Lord.
As I reflect on his work and the many ways he exemplified the teachings of Jesus, I echo author John Allen’s thoughts: “Perhaps Tutu's ‘greatest legacy’ was the fact that he gave ‘to the world as it entered the twenty-first century an African model for expressing the nature of human community’ (1) We are bound to one another and our destinies are intertwined, even if we see one another as divided and separate, our common fate links us together as one family. But UNITY, Tutu recognized, could not occur until each person was valued as a unique child of God and subsequently was given the freedom to express their own God-given gifts. “My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.” Archbishop Tutu wrote in his 1983 book “Hope and Suffering.” And this sentiment echoes the words of the Apostle Paul in his writing to the Corinthian church.
In his First Letter to the Corinthians, Paul explains the gift-giving process:
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. (1 Corinthians 12: 4-7)
Each person is different, Paul acknowledges, but each gift is given “for the common good,” for the good of the community. It seems the church in Corinth is having some problems and there is sharp dissension among the believers. The nature of the conflicts has not been fully explained by modern scholarship, although the issues are clearly identified: rival loyalties to different evangelists, including Paul; apparent lax morality; the eating of food consecrated to idols; practices involving baptism and the Lord’s Supper; the value of speaking in tongues; and the doctrine of the resurrection. (2)
“With all of these diverse views, cultural traditions, ways of being human in the world, how do we become one body?” The people of Corinth asked Paul. “Is unity possible when we believe and behave so differently?”
These questions may be asked of us - an international congregation gathering as a community of Christ in Spain. We come from various homelands, speak a variety of languages, believe differently about politics and values, but we are called to be a part of the One Body of Christ. In the ancient world the church in Corinth was comprised of persons ‘from a variety of sub-cultures—Jews and Greeks, slaves, freedmen, and a few of noble birth, the powerful as well as the weak, the wise as well as the simple (3).’ Their differences in language, in tradition, in culture presented challenges to overcome, just as ours do. But we have other challenges as well. During this strange time in the world, we may not even be physically present with one another, but are residing in other countries and other homelands. Living in diaspora, the members of our community are called to be part of this one family. How is that possible?
I am sure the people in Corinth wondered the same thing: How is this possible? Paul answers their questions with this lesson, and I paraphrase: “Everyone is different. But we use our differences, our uniqueness and God-given gifts to build and nurture the community. To each is given a gift, and each gift is different. While you may be able to sing like an angel, I may be able to teach others the stories of our ancestors. Each is given a gift, but all gifts are important and valuable, and all are given by the same God, for the common good. For the good of the community.”
As I wait in California for my work visa, how am I using my gifts for the good of the community? As we adjust to new COVID rules and restrictions, how are we using our gifts for the good of the community? How do we use our gifts - even as we endure the physical and emotional trauma of these past two years - to build up the community?
Archbishop Tutu wrote, “My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.” Paul advises the people of Corinth in verse 26: “If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together with it.” We are bound together.
As we journey through this season of Epiphany, we are confronted with various stories about people discovering the true identity of Jesus. In last week’s sermon, Pastora Jeanie discussed how the Three Kings discovered the new “King of the Jews” and the challenge Jesus’ identity posed to King Herod, who was also known as the “King of the Jews.” Today’s text shows another epiphany - another “aha moment” - in which others discover the identity of this new Messiah.
John 2: 1-11
On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ 4And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.’ 5His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ 6Now standing there were six stone water-jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7Jesus said to them, ‘Fill the jars with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim. 8He said to them, ‘Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.’ So they took it. 9When 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 10and 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.’ 11Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
A few things to note about this story:
First, the abundance of wine was a profound symbol in the Old Testament, a symbol of the coming of the Messiah and ushering in a new age.
In Isaiah 25, verse 6, the prophet writes: “On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines.”
The prophet Amos writes in chapter 9, verse13: “The mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it.”
The prophet Joel describes the new age in chapter 3, verse 18: “In that day the mountains shall drip sweet wine, the hills shall flow with milk.”
So, the wine is a celebratory beverage for the wedding, and the “normal” drink for meals - and especially during festivals - but it is also a powerful symbol to those who are looking for the Messiah and the coming of the Kingdom of God. (4)
Secondly, we consider the problem. The wedding hosts (presumably the bridegroom and his family) ran out of wine. Or maybe the problem was that the guests drank too much! The text notes that this was “the third day” which may indicate it was the third day that Jesus and his disciples were in Cana. This could also be an allusion to the resurrection, bringing together these two epiphanies: the revelation Jesus’ identity at the wedding feast and the revelation of Jesus’ divinity at the resurrection. “The third day” could also imply that it was the third day of a customary seven-day wedding celebration. If it was actually the third of seven days and the wine was already spent… they had many more days of grumbling guests.
Finally, we note his actions: what does Jesus do?
He sees the stone jars which were used for the purification hand-washing of the guests. Each person would ritually wash their hands before the meal and these six jars had been used for such a purpose. Presumably, they had dirty water in them, but Jesus calls for them to be refilled with water. Each of these six stone water jars held about 75-113 liters, so this would mean that by the end of the transformation, their total amount of wine would be 450-678 liters! That’s a lot of wine, but remember that an ABUNDANCE of wine was a symbol for the coming age.
So, Jesus provided the wine… and thus the wedding could continue, the guests would be satisfied and not grumble, and the bridegroom and his family did not suffer the shame and dishonor that would have certainly come had they run out. In this way, Jesus prevented the humiliation of this family and salvaged their relationships with their community.
In other words, he used his gifts for the common good. He saw a need, and recognized he could help others with his gifts, and he stepped in to ensure the community remained intact. He realized, as Archbishop Tutu wrote, “My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.” By providing this wine, he saved the respect of the bridegroom and his family.
AND…
In doing so, he demonstrated his divinity. The goal was not to show others how powerful he was, but in using his gifts Jesus revealed to others who he was: the Promised One.
As we travel through this time of epiphany, may we continue to discover the glory of who Jesus is. May we find new ways to admire and appreciate this Promised One. May we see the teacher, the miracle-worker, the divine Christ, the example of true humanity and may we worship his place in our lives.
Let us pray:
We thank you, O God, that you have given each of us gifts to be used for the common good. We thank you for the gift of our community, comprised of the beautiful mosaic of humanity. As we lift your name in praise, we commit ourselves to one another to fulfill your charge to love God with heart, soul mind and strength and to love our neighbors as ourselves. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Allen, John (2006). Rabble-Rouser for Peace: The Authorised Biography of Desmond Tutu. London: Rider, 396.
Ormseth, Dennis (1986). “Showing the Body: reflections on 1 Corinthians 12-13 for Epiphany” in Word and World: Texts in Context. Found on http://wordandworld.luthersem.edu/content/pdfs/6-1_Land/6-1_Ormseth.pdf.
Ormseth.
4. Stoffregen, Brian, Exegetical Notes at Crossmark: John 2: 1-11. Found on http://www.crossmarks.com/brian/john2x1.htm