When I was 10 or so, I wanted a chemistry set.
I’m sure I was just as obnoxious as Ralphie in “A Christmas Story,” telling anyone who would listen what I really wanted for Christmas. And, after much lobbying, my parents (or possibly Santa) installed a chemistry set under the Christmas tree. I recall being very excited.
For about an hour.
It took me that long to conclude it wasn't what I thought it would be. To use it required an understanding of the scientific method, knowledge of how to conduct an experiment, and the ability to read and follow directions. None of which I possessed in sufficient quantity.
The main source of my disappointment, however, was one of expectation. What I expected was to be able to transform things, to turn one thing into another thing. I didn’t know the word, alchemist, at that young age. But, that’s what I really wanted to be. Today, I would say I wanted to be Nicolas Flamel (see: “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”), or maybe the Comte de Saint Germain, a couple of people legend says were alchemists.
Who wouldn’t love to be able to turn lead into gold or rocks into precious gems? That has been the claim of alchemists for centuries: to “purify” baser materials into more noble materials. I hadn’t set my sights anywhere near that lofty. I just wanted to make something cool. I quickly learned that was not going to occur. As any real scientist will confirm, you must commit to a long-term relationship with science if you want to get anywhere with it.
My chemical romance, it turns out, was nothing more than puppy love.
These memories came back to me as I read this week's Lectionary selection from the gospel of John: when Jesus attended a wedding party at Cana. There's been a lot written about this event, with the most being about whether Jesus turned the water into actual alcoholic wine (or not). After reading several of these, I concluded that, like me with my chemistry set, many have missed the point.
And here is the point: Jesus took one thing, and without so much as a gesture, transformed it into something else.
Stop for a minute and let that really sink in.
The wedding steward makes it clear that the no-longer-water is not just good, but the very essence of good. Like every transformation performed by Jesus, it was both the best and something new. There, in one seemingly small miracle, Jesus encapsulated his entire reason for being on Earth. He came to make us new creations. Not ideals, not better human beings, not the best versions of ourselves.
New ... creations.
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GRAPHIC: Painting of alchemist Hennig Brand by Joseph Wright (1795)
The Debt Science Owes to Alchemy:
Link here to a brief discussion of alchemy from ancient times to modern particle accelerators:
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Join us Friday morning at 8:00 at DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast. We meet in person at "Our Breakfast Place” and on Zoom.** Good food, good folk, and a feast for the soul … all in about an hour.
It's transformative.
Enjoy the week!
Steve
**Contact me for the the Zoom link
NOTE: Zoom allows you to mute the camera & microphone if you don’t wish to be seen or heard.
SCRIPTURES FOR SUNDAY & THE COMING WEEK
Isaiah 62:1-5
Psalm 36:5-10
1 Corinthians 12:1-11
John 2:1-11
Second Sunday after Epiphany (01-16-2022)
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