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THE NEW WINESKINS
“Neither is
new wine put into old wineskins; otherwise, the skins burst, and
the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but new wine
is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.”
I have read this parable over and over
again and have prayed for God to inspire me as I write. I want
to relate these words of Jesus to my life and the lives of
readers, but at this moment my life is totally consumed by a
remodeling project at our home. I keep trying, but it’s hard to
find a clear connection between new wineskins and old floors.
We are replacing all the old flooring in
our house with new hardwood. Some of the old boards are probably
OK, but we wouldn’t want to mix new boards and old boards. In
the first place, it wouldn’t look right. In the second place, it
wouldn’t work right. The old boards are weak, discolored, warped
and squeaky. The new boards are strong, bright, straight and
silent. If we nail some of the old boards and some of the new
boards together side by side, the boards might eventually pull
away from each other, leaving a weaker floor than we had before
we started this project. So we are installing all new boards,
boards that will react uniformly to wear and tear.
What does any of this have to do with new
wineskins? Jesus was talking about how hard it was for the Jews
to understand God’s kingdom. The Jews (especially the Pharisees)
believed in the law. They were rigid in their beliefs, brittle
like old wineskins, and couldn’t be flexible enough to accept
the new wine that Jesus brought to the table. Like my old
floorboards, they would squeak and creak, but they couldn’t
expand to handle new energy.
What a great opportunity we have at
Reformation Lutheran Church right now. We have new pastors who
bring renewed energy and vision. We have a new church council,
willing to learn and to lead. We are blessed with a gifted
membership, pledged to serve God by serving others. May we, in
community, be like new wineskins, flexible and able to expand
with the excitement of new wine.
Heavenly Father, help us to grow in your
love, to be a complement to each other’s ideas and experiences,
and especially to remember that your Son gave his life so that
we might have eternal life. Amen
Sheryl Johnson
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