Synod Schoolers marvel over Jesus’ extravagance at the wedding party at Cana
by Mike Ferguson | Presbyterian News Service
As flugelhorn player Michael Hartwell looks on, the Rev. Katie Styrt preaches during the Thursday worship service at Synod School. (Photo by Kim Coulter)
STORM LAKE, Iowa — Thursday’s Synod School preacher, the Rev. Katie Styrt, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Milan, Illinois, calls John’s account of the wedding at Cana “the kind of miracle that doesn’t line up with good stewardship policies. I don’t know of any church recently that has given away 180 gallons of wine. That’s about 908 bottles. That’s not in anybody’s budget.”
This is no life-or-death miracle, she said. “Jesus turns water into wine because the wedding party has no wine. Jesus provides the very best wine, just because he can. Jesus gives more than we can imagine, and probably more than we can recommend.”
Even as followers of Jesus, we may not be able to perform miracles like this one or feed thousands with just five loaves and two fish, but we can donate blood and visit the sick. “We take care of each other, and every once in a while, we can make a fuss over some of God’s children, because Jesus did that,” Styrt said.
Imagine what would happen if we “made a fuss over everybody, if we were recklessly generous with our church budgets,” she said. “Jesus is more generous than we can imagine, over and over, and we can do the same. Spoil a child of God who doesn’t normally get spoiled. Pull out all the stops to throw a fancy baby shower for a pregnant teen who got kicked out of the house.”
“There are so many ways the church can live like Jesus,” she said. “One option is to give recklessly.”
“My paycheck comes from a church, and I understand why it’s scary to spend our saved-up money,” she said. Still, we can take our cue from Jesus’ extravagance: “Nobody needed that much wine, but he kept the party going anyway.”
Earlier, Sara Penn, children’s ministries activities coordinator at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church in Iowa City, Iowa, told Synod School children about the problem the wedding party at Cana was having. “All they had left was water. That can be kind of boring. What would you rather have?”
“Chocolate milk,” said one child.
“Mountain Dew,” said another.
Sara Penn
“Let’s say you ran out of Mountain Dew and all you have is water,” Penn said. “Would you be worried no one would have a good time at your party?”
“There’s always food,” a third child told her.
“In today’s story, Jesus was in the kitchen talking with the people helping with the party,” Penn told the children. “He said, ‘Don’t worry, guys. I’ve got this.’ He did something amazing, but only the ones in the kitchen knew what he had done.”
Swearing the children to secrecy and asking the grownups to avert their eyes, Penn performed a miracle of her own, pouring one glass of water into another glass and eliciting murmurs from the children when the water changed colors heading into the second glass. Then she distributed party hats and asked the children to give a hat to a grownup and tell them what the children had just witnessed.
The Rev. Brian Entz and the Rev. Gina Meester preside at the Lord’s Table on Thursday at Synod School. (Photo by Susan Barnes)
“Tonight is Communion. Jesus Christ is our host, and we know he’s a good host,” Styrt said just before the 540 or so people shared the bread and cup by way of intinction. “Let tonight be a reminder of the joy he wants to share with us, and the joy we can share with each other. Amen.”
Synod School concludes Friday. Look for additional reporting from Presbyterian News Service next week.
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