New Creation

[Once a quarter, the Three Churches- San Rafael's three Episcopal parishes (St. Paul's, Church of the Nativity, and Church of the Redeemer)- do a sermon swap. The rector, vicar, or deacon from each church goes to another to preach. Here, the Assistant at St. Paul's preaches at Nativity.]

St. Paul's at Nativity: New Creation
The Rev. Lynn Oldham Robinett
Assistant Rector, St. Paul's Church
January 18, 2004

St. Paul's Rose Window Before I jump into my sermon, I would like to let you know how happy I am to be preaching here today. Of the three churches in San Rafael, this is the only one where the preacher does not have to prepare two different sermons, so let me reiterate how happy I am to be here. For those of you who are wondering who I am and where Stacey is, let me fill you in. Most of you probably know that San Rafael has three Episcopal churches: Church of the Nativity, Church of the Redeemer, and St. Paul's. Sometime last year, we the Episcopal clergy in San Rafael, got together and started talking about how we might work together to expand our ministry. The more we talked, the more excited we became, and the more possibilities we saw for joint ministry. We saw a new vision not of three Episcopal churches in San Rafael, but of the Episcopal Church in San Rafael. By combining resources and ideas, we have the possibility to enhance the scope of our ministry and increase our presence in the community.

As is often the case, vision without action doesn't really do much. Mother Theresa didn't just believe that the poor and helpless were beloved by God; she spent her life working with the poorest of the poor to show them that they were indeed loved by God. Martin Luther King Jr. didn't just speak about equality among blacks and whites; he put his life on the line to make it a reality. And Jesus in today's Gospel didn't just let people wish there was more wine when it had run out, he used his first miracle to turn the water into wine. Okay, so maybe Jesus didn't really turn the water into wine to keep the party going, but his action at the wedding in Cana does have significance for a new vision and a new reality.

Back in Jesus' time, a wedding feast was a major social event which often lasted a week, with new guests arriving every day. The wine flowed freely on such occasions, and if it were to run out before all the guests arrived, it would be an embarrassment to the bridegroom and his family. So when the wine does run out, Mary informs Jesus, who seems less than enthusiastic about doing anything about it. Jesus replied that this was no concern of his, for his hour had not come. Jesus' reluctance to act here stems from the fact that his actions are controlled by God alone, and not by human intervention. Mary however, has little doubt that her son will intervene and do something to remedy the situation.

Mary not only knows her son, she understands God. She understands that God will always come through, often in very unexpected ways. The Cana story of water-into-wine is an enacted parable. The reality of ordinary water transformed into vintage wine- and lots of it- is an event unto itself but also beyond itself. It points to a Jesus who acts upon the request of an anxious headwaiter and a compelling mother, a Jesus who cares about the "little things" as well as the great, who is concerned, and acts in people's personal worlds equally as he does in the "great" spheres of caesars and queens, prime ministers and presidents. This Jesus is intimately involved with whatever concerns the needy.

The story in today's text is about the sacrament of New Creation in Christ. It is the outward and visible sign of the inward grace that our concern is God's concern, and that the choice wine Christ gives is the true fermentation for which our souls hunger and thirst. Jesus gives nothing but the best in every situation because as God's son, he shows us that God wants only the best for us.

So if Jesus shows us how God cares for us, what God desires for us, how do we as followers of Christ show others how God cares for them? As I mentioned before, Martin Luther King Jr., whose life's ministry we celebrate tomorrow, spent his adult life preaching and teaching the love of God for all people. He gave courage and strength to those who needed it and inspired thousands of others to seek justice for the oppressed. And where did he get his passion? Where did he get the strength to persevere when all the odds seemed stacked against him? He received it from the faith he had in Christ, and the belief that no one had the market cornered on God's love. From the knowledge that God did not create one group of people to dominate another. And from the example of Jesus which calls all of us to live out our faith through action.

Which brings us back to living a life believing in a New Creation in Christ. As individual Christians we can strive to live purposeful, Christ-centered lives. But the power of the individual is inhibited by one's personal limitations. One person can only do so much. Jesus never said that when one person is gathered he will be in the midst of him or her, he said that when two or three are gathered, he will be in the midst of them. So individuals join communities where they can share their faith and explore together their role as a Christian. For you here gathered, your community is here, at Nativity. For the people of my church, that community is St. Paul's. And for those at Redeemer, their community is there.

But even as individual churches, our ability to be Christ's agent in the world is more limited than if we were to combine our resources with those around us. As Paul talks about in his letter to the Corinthians, there are varieties of gifts, but in the same spirit. Each of our three congregations in San Rafael has its own gifts, but in the same spirit. It can seem at times that being one of three Episcopal Churches in San Rafael pits one against the others, competing to gain new members as people "church-shop" their way around. Yet gaining new members is the last thing we should worry about. Instead we should see how best we can be Christ's presence in San Rafael and in our community at large.

How can we use the unique gifts God has given us to let everyone know that their concerns are God's concerns? How can we work together to make God's love known to all people? These are only a few of the questions that present themselves as we explore our faith in Christ together as a New Creation. As we search for ways to expand and increase our ministry together, let us remember that Christ is leading the way and the Spirit will move us in the right direction.