Turning water into wine is the
quintessential Epiphany story because it is the first miracle (John calls it a
‘sign’) Jesus performs and as such begins to show us who he is. It may just be Jesus’ best known
miracle. Even as biblical illiteracy
grows in our society, most people seem to know about this one because jokes
based on it run rapid.
Case in point: A nun is driving down the road when her car
runs out of gas. She walks to a nearby
gas station and asks to borrow a container so she can buy enough gas to get her
car started. The attendant apologizes
profusely, saying the station’s only gas can is out on loan. All he has for her to use is a hospital
bedpan. She fills it with gas, walks
back to her car, and proceeds to pour the contents of the bedpan into the gas
tank. Just then two men happen to pass
by. One turns to the other and says, “I
know the bible says Jesus turned water into wine, but if that car starts I am
converting to Catholicism.”
Turning water into wine also may be Jesus’
most curious miracle in that, unlike healings and feeding the masses, it seems
to serve no real immediate purpose other than to save a bride’s family from
embarrassment. At a deeper level, it
signals Jesus’ intent in life to transform the ordinary into the exceptional,
to convert lack into abundance, to replace anxiety with celebration, and to
turn mourning into dancing. As such, it
is a wonderful way to begin to pivot the liturgical year from stories about
Jesus’ beginning to stories about his actions and purpose.
It also provides a wonderful backdrop for
reflection on the occasion of today’s Annual Meeting. Our parish is a place where God consistently
takes what we have and uses it to provide what we need. We are truly blessed in that as a parish we
lack for nothing. We have everything we
need and more to offer thanks to God on a weekly basis, to care for one another
through life’s ups and downs, and to offer witness in our community and throughout
our world to God’s compassion for the entire human family and all of creation.
We hear St. Paul state this morning
something we recognize as true in our parish family… “there are a variety of
gifts, but the same Spirit.” Take a
moment to ponder the assortment of gifts utilized here on a weekly basis. We have singers and people who love to be
with children and teens. We have folks
who care about linens and beauty, about organization and spontaneity, about
hospitality and about safety. We have
people who give an extraordinary amount of money while demanding nothing extra in
return and we have people who give an extraordinary amount of time without
concern for recognition. On mornings such
as today, a handful of people gather before the sun rises to prepare a
breakfast for all. Other Sundays someone
brings some kind of food to share. We
have ringers and readers, ushers and servers, greeters and door-lockers. Dr. Seuss would have a field day writing
about our parish! While we always can
use more, the joyous truth is we lack for nothing.
Now, you my counter that every church has
the same variety of gifts we have here… and you might be right. But I have never been around a parish where
people offer more and complain less than here at St. Paul’s. We value one another and appreciate what each
person has to offer. We have a common
respect and appreciation for one another that is anything but common in today’s
society.
St. Paul’s has been blessed over the course
of the last year to be led by two wonderful wardens – Bill Peachy and Dan
Jones. Bill began his service noting he
has done just about everything else in the parish (and, I might add, in our
community) other than serving as a warden so he figured it was time for him to
do that. Dan writes in the Annual Report
he has put his whole heart into keeping St. Paul’s a beautiful place, utilizing
gifts and skills he has developed throughout his life. Bill and Dan are wonderful examples of the
kind of ministry so many of us offer. We
sense a responsibility and obligation to a place that means so much to us. We sense how our God-given gifts and talents
can be put to service to keep God’s house up and running and witnessing to
God’s love. We owe Bill and Dan a debt
of thanks, not only for what they have done, but also for what they represent
in our common life.
I am grateful to our parish staff and
deeply honored to serve with them. Al joined
us in December 2007, just a few months after I was hired. While his puns may be old and stale, his
ministry and music remains fresh and joyous.
He continues to lead and encourage our choirs in ways that bring out the
best of their gifts. He does the same
with our congregational singing. And for
all his talent, Al is an amazingly easy to person to work with. He is a delight who adds immeasurably to our
common life.
Cindy’s work here reminds me I am terrible
at enforcing her job description. It is
not that I can’t get her to do her job, it is that I can’t keep her from doing
everything else. She pours her heart and
soul into this place. She takes care of
everything, finds ways to save money, peruses innovation, cheerfully greets
every visitor to the office, and lends a helping hand in ways we don’t ask or
require. I am exceedingly grateful for
Cindy’s help this fall while my health waxed and waned. I never once worried the church was not in
good hands.
Juel, Christa, and Julia continue to offer
loving, thoughtful ministry to our children and young people. I am grateful to Sarah Blake for all she
contributes, to Debbie Askew, Kitty Quillin, and Lee Cross for helping with St.
Paul’s Youth Group, to Macey Olenjack for leading our confirmation class, and
to Joby Webb and Wanda Rector who guide our acolytes. I am pleased our children have such wonderful
examples of Christian living working with them.
I am grateful to Miko for all she does for
St. Paul’s, especially her work as our Sexton.
Every Sunday morning when I walk into the sanctuary it radiates with her
love and care for this place.
Over the years of my time serving as your
rector I have been delighted with the make-up of our Vestry, which has been comprised
of long-time members and people new to our community. This pattern continues with today’s election
of Jan Gates, Chris Johns, Bob Leonard, and Dee Sage. Our parish leaders help us to see new
possibilities while remaining true to our identity and tradition. Many of you have served on the Vestry and
know firsthand it is a ministry of service, giving, and guidance.
I will be interested to see where we are in
three years when we gather as a parish, in part, to thank today’s class of 2021
for their time on the Vestry. Will the
wine have run out of this place? Or will
water already present but unnoticed be transformed into something life-giving
and energizing for our parish? If the
next three years are anything like the last three than there will be leaks in
the roof to fix, finances will be tight, but adequate, and a bear or two will
roam through the parking lot. And, if
the next three years are at all like the last than new faces will adorn our
congregation, new ideas and initiatives will fuel new avenues for ministry and
adventure, and a spirit of joy and goodwill will permeate everything we do in
and through this place.
I look forward to being with you on that
day and being a part of all that happens between now and then. I look forward to all that God has in store
for us. I even look forward to Al’s next
pun (but don’t let him know!).
