When the wine runs out.

The Wedding at Cana - John 2: 1-11

Ash Wednesday reminded us that we are dust. The woman at the well reminded us that we are thirsty.

Today, we stand at a wedding, and something has run out.  The wine is gone.

It may sound small, almost trivial compared to thirst in the desert. But in that culture, this was no minor inconvenience. This was embarrassment. Social failure. A celebration at risk of collapsing under the weight of scarcity.

And Jesus uses that moment to reveal something about God.

Sometimes what runs out in our lives isn’t dramatic.  It’s joy. Patience. Hope. Tenderness in a relationship. Energy for the work we once loved.

No one else may see it. But we know.

There is a pattern in in John’s Gospel:

There is context, a real life circumstance.  There is need - something that is missing. And then, there is Jesus’ response.

At Cana, the response is not barely-enough grace. It is abundance. One hundred and twenty gallons of the best wine.

This is not a God who patches over embarrassment.  This is a God who restores joy.

Lent does not pretend we are self-sufficient. It also does not assume that when something runs out, the story is over.

When the wine runs out, Jesus is not anxious.  He is just getting started.

Lord, when joy runs low and hope feels thin, teach me to trust your abundance. Enter the places I am running dry and make something new. Amen.

^{This piece is offered by Sterling United Methodist Church and was written in collaboration between Rev. Bert Cloud and Sharon Rosenfeld. It is inspired by the book Seven Miracles: Signs of Life in the Gospel of John by Gina Anderson-Cloud, Megan Dietrick, Bill Gray, Daniel Park, Isaiah Park & Lauren Todd}