“Tell Me Something Good: The Wedding at Cana”
February 22, 2026
John 2:1-11
Woodland Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
David Shirey
We owe Rev. Christy Jo a debt of gratitude. The first Sunday in Lent traditionally begins in the wilderness with the devil and the temptations. Oh joy! But this year Christy Jo planned a Lenten worship series titled “Tell Me Something Good: Grounding Ourselves in the Good News this Lent” Oh joy! We could use some grounding in the good news these days. Amen?
My mother, God rest her soul, in the last years of her life nearly a decade ago now would call me in an addled state of mind.
“David,” she’d ask in a tremulous voice, “What’s this world coming to? I’m worried about (fill in the blank).” “It makes me sick to my stomach to see (fill in the blank).”
When I visited her, I understood why she’d lost heart. My dad died nearly forty years ago. Mom lived the rest of her life alone. To keep herself company, she would turn on her television each morning to cable news and it would blare from her television from dawn ‘til dusk, an intravenous feeding tube of distressing visual and audio fluid drip, drip, dripping directly into her mind and heart via her ear canal and eye socket. The TV was her prayer book, the talking heads her priests, and as a result of being exposed to their sour sacraments 24/7, her spirit soured and she despaired.
“Mom,” I would say to no avail, “You’re ingesting sewage, a torrent of bad news told badly. Change your diet. Find and feast on some good news.”
I’m old enough to remember a band named Rufus back in the 70s, a funk band from Chicago best known for launching the career of a lead singer named Chaka Khan. I had the 45 of their first hit, “Tell Me Something Good.” So it that throughout the six Sundays in Lent and also on Wednesday nights in Bible study we’re going to listen in as a variety of biblical voices tell us something good.
Beginning with John. John calls the turning of water into wine, “the first of the signs through which Jesus revealed his glory” (John 2:11). The word is sign. John’s Gospel narrates seven “signs” of which this is the first. They’re miracles, yes, but John calls them signs – billboards that call our attention to who Jesus is and what he’s about. So what good news does this first sign – water into wine – share with us?
For starters, that our Lord desires that we enjoy life together. For his first sign, Jesus prolongs the merriment of a party – a wedding reception. Jesus says later in John’s gospel, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10). And later still, “I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:11). Some folks have a hard time getting their minds around the thought of words like God, Jesus, Christians, joy, and wine in the same sentences. Like the story that’s told of the Baptist teetotaler who was asked, “But don’t you know Jesus turned water into wine at Cana and served wine to his disciples at the Last Supper?” To which she responded, “Yes, and I’ve never forgiven him for it!” Or the novelist Ellen Glasgow who described her father as a Scotch Presbyterian in every nerve and sinew… In eighty-six years he never “committed a pleasure.” If your image of God is a stern-faced spoilsport, a killjoy whose only vocabulary words are No! Stop! and Shhh! you’re confusing the Lord of Life with your 7th grade Study Hall teacher. The late Tony Campolo had it right when he titled one of his books The Kingdom of God is a Party. God delights in human joy. I’m not talking about debauchery. I’m talking about communal celebrations. Theology on Tap. Worship with communion followed by a potluck. A wedding reception. God desires that we enjoy life together. Think of Tevye in Fiddler On the Roof: “To life, to life L’chai-im/ Drink L’chai-im to life!” We have a God who prolongs parties. Good news!
And there’s more: In this first sign, Jesus acts to save someone from being humiliated. Embarrassed. Shamed. Let me explain. Jesus did what he did in response to his mother’s saying, “They have no [more] wine” (2:3). In those days when extending hospitality to guests was of utmost importance, to run out of wine would have been a big deal – a bad deal – an offense to the guests and an embarrassment to the hosts. Jesus doesn’t want anyone to be shamed or ashamed. Who would have been blamed or shamed for the wine running out? Maybe the servants. The barbacks. The wait staff. Throw them under the bus. It’s their fault. I submit to you that Jesus turned the water into wine in part to protect anyone from being scolded, shamed, humiliated. I read a book by a student of Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor, Nobel laureate, lifelong advocate for the preciousness and dignity of all human beings. The student remembered some of his teacher’s sayings, one of which was “Never allow anyone to be humiliated in your presence.” We live in a culture that makes great sport of the humiliation of those with whom we differ or disagree. Name-calling. Slurs. Dragging people through the mud. Somebody told me years ago something I’ve found helpful in everything from staff supervision to parenting to church meetings, namely, “Praise in public; correct in private.” There are numerous guests and the wine is gone. What kind of imbecile doesn’t make sure there’s enough wine for a wedding reception! You can’t do anything right! STOP. “Never allow anyone to be humiliated in your presence.” What is that chorus? We will work with each other, we will work side by side…And we’ll guard each one’s dignity and save each one’s pride. Jesus quietly turns water into wine, acts so that his hosts and their staff and help will save face. That’s good news and something we do well to emulate.
And how about this good news. Some people look for ways to take advantage of other people, but Jesus looks for ways to advantage everybody. How does this sign reveal that? In the story, after Jesus turns the water into wine, the steward tastes it and makes an interesting statement. John writes,
“When the steward tasted the water that had become wine and did not know where it came from... he called the bridegroom and 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.’” (John 2:9, 10)
What an indictment of human nature! Serve the good stuff just long enough to get folks schnockered, and then serve the cheap stuff the rest of the night. Charge ‘em for the good stuff, but serve ‘em the Boone’s Farm. Pocket the difference. They won’t even know or care. What’s more, the steward says, “Everyone” does that. Takes advantage of others for their own gain. How often we excuse bad behavior by saying, “Everybody does it.” Not Jesus! He gives advantage to others to the point of going beyond the call of duty, giving more than they expect or deserve. Speaking of giving others more than they expect or deserve, somebody once gave thumbnail definitions of justice, mercy, and grace: Justice is getting what we deserve. Mercy is not getting what we deserve. Grace is getting what we don’t deserve. Says the chief steward, “You’ve kept the good wine until now.’” Not only do you not slip in the inferior stuff, you give out the best stuff. Let everyone take note who desires to follow in the footsteps of Jesus: we are to always be on the lookout for opportunities to give advantage to people. To exceed expectations. To bless extravagantly. Good news!
And don’t miss this: Did you listen carefully as the scripture was being read? Did you catch when this first sign happened? “On the third day there was a marriage at Cana in Galilee” (2:1). The third day? Does that ring a biblical bell? Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand…that Christ died for our sins, that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). On Friday crucified, on the second day dead in the stone-cold tomb but “on the third day” he was raised from the dead. I think John is alluding to the faith fact that though all manner of hurtful and harmful things will have their say in this world –tragedies, diagnoses, terminations, break-ups, injustices, and crucifixions – they will not have the final say. God will act “on the third day.” The late Frederick Buechner wrote, “Resurrection means the worst thing is never the last thing” On the third day, God will have the last word:
God will have the last word and that word will be new Life.
God will have the last word and that word will be Joy.
God will have the last word and that word will be justice for all.
Chaka sings, Tell me something good…
John says, Glad to! Our God rejoices in human beings enjoying life together. Our God wants no precious human being to ever be humiliated, put down, or shamed, aches when anyone is disadvantaged or taken advantage of – wills and acts to advantage everyone with amazing grace.
Mom, you asked me “What’s this world coming to?” I’ll tell you. It’s coming to its fulfillment in Jesus Christ on the third day! Put that on your television 24/7 and watch it over and over again.
Hey everybody, lift your glasses. A toast to our God and our risen Lord Jesus.
Taste it. Ooooh weee! That’s good news!
Let all God’s people say AMEN
