Sermon for the Second Sunday after the Epiphany and the Confirmation of Kate June Fladeland, 2026

John tells us that, in this sign, “Jesus manifested His glory, and that His disciples believed in Him.” And, Beloved, what this reveals is that belief does not come from understanding. No, rather, it arises from gift, from abundance where there once was lack, from mercy that does not announce itself as mercy. This sign, then, does not remain at Cana. It points toward the hour of which Christ speaks, when He will pour out His sacred blood upon the Cross, and later give that same blood, in, with, and under wine, filling those who have nothing in themselves with Himself. A gift given wholly and truly amidst the “not yet,” even though nothing seen has changed. 

Kate, in a few moments, you will stand here and confess the faith into which you were baptized. And we stand with you, not as witnesses to your arrival or completion, but rather as fellow recipients of the same mercy, living by the same promise that has already acted before it is fully understood. And the Church has already placed words on your lips, earlier in the Introit: “Blessed be God, because He has not rejected my prayer or removed His steadfast love from me.” Words that profess what you are about to confess. Words that locate faith not in fullness achieved, yet in prayer heard and love that remains even when the jars stand empty. Your confession is not that your joy will never subside or that faith is secured by resolve or maturity. Rather, at its heart, your confession is this: that when the wine runs out, you know where the lack is to be spoken and whose Word is to be trusted. 

Readings:

• Old Testament: Amos 9:11-15

• Epistle: Romans 12:6-16

• Holy Gospel: John 2:1-11

  
  

Sermon: