When the wine runs out

As we continue our exploration of the story in John 2:1-11, we come today to the dramatic crisis point in the story. At this wedding, at this great communal celebration of life’s greatest gifts where the spirit of hospitality was being expressed in such a wonderfully inclusive way, as it should be, a terrible thing happened. A scandalous thing.

The wine ran out!

In those days this would have been more than a mere social embarrassment – it would have been a calamity that undermined the entire celebration and brought great shame to the bridal couple and their families.

Which begs the question, ‘Why on earth did the wine run out?’ If it were so important to have enough wine, then surely the wedding wouldn’t have taken place if there was any doubt at all about the capacity to provide the kind of hospitality that was required. Surely, that most important detail would have been taken care of.

So why did the wine run out?

It’s a question that the text doesn’t answer. It just happened.

Which, of course, is how life often is, isn’t it? Sometimes we find that the wine has run out, and we’re not sure why. Sometimes we find that the hopes and dreams of life at its best have been dashed. Sometimes we can see this written large on the great pages of human history, like what happened earlier this month in Haiti with the devastating earthquake that happened there. And sometimes it’s in the smaller details of our individual circumstances that this can be seen. And while the reasons for this are sometimes clear enough, more often than not there is no definite answer as to why the wine has run out.

If the truth about us, as was said yesterday, is that our lives are truly a wedding feast – with much reason for joyous celebration – then the further truth is that at the wedding feast of our lives, sometimes the wine runs out. It happens.

Just like it happened at that wedding in Cana long ago.

Is there any hope for us?

Thankfully there is, which we will hear over the next two days as we allow this remarkable story to lead us to a grace-filled encounter with Jesus.

PRAYER

Lord, it’s true. Sometimes the wine in our lives runs out. Sometimes we find that the joy, the delight, the love, the laughter, the hope and happiness of life has seeped away. Sometimes this is because of our own deliberate fault, but often we’re really not too sure why or how this happened. But it’s real. And so we acknowledge our deep need of you, and ask you to help us. Please. Amen