Wine...

I love wine.  I can't drink it much because it (1) makes my gout act up (white wine) and (2) gives me a migraine (red wine).

So, really I'm hooped.  I'll never become a "wino" that's for sure.  You won't see me sitting on some curb side, hands shaking, cup in hand for 'donations', smashed to the gills.  At least that isn't in my foreseeable future as a retiree...thus far.

But over the years I think wine has been given a bum rap.  We have thoughts of what I have just mentioned, of those poor souls who are addicted to the stuff (or anything alcoholic) and have met their demise because of it. And it can have negative results if we aren't careful to drink in moderation and sensibly.

Jesus spoke of wine.  Well actually, he not only spoke of it in his parables, he did some fancy fermenting right there at a wedding celebration he attended with all of his friends....and his mom.  Everyone was having a great time after three days of celebrating and then his mother announced to him that there was no more wine for the guests.  Now that would be embarrassing!  So, after berrating his mom a bit, telling her that he didn't think he could do anything about the situation, and knowing the bridegroom and how that would make him feel, Jesus just took some jars, had the servants fill them with water and "voila"!.  The party was saved...on so many levels.  The master of the banquet didn't have to face humiliation and was quite impressed that the groom would actually save the best for last (most grooms would dish out the best stuff first and save the poorer wine for last when everyone was pretty much 'over the top').  Also,  Jesus began to show his disciples that he was made of stronger stuff than what they had once thought.....plus everyone figured the groom had saved the best wine until the last which was very nice of him. 

Anyway, there it was....wine.  Good wine.  Superb wine.....for those not too drunk to appreciate it!

OK  I'm getting to my point here.

Our church has chosen the story in Luke 5:37-39 to be "our story".  The parable is about not putting new wine into old wine skins because the old wine skins will burst if you do.  No, Jesus said.  We must put new wine into new wine skins. 

New wine, I am told by my friends who are wine makers, continues it's process of expansion and so we must take that into account when bottling the wine.  We don't use wine skins much any more but if we did we would need to be careful about finding new skins for the new wine in order for that continuous process to take place.  The 'expansion' of the new wine.

And what has that story to do with our church story????

I would attempt to explain it thus....the new wine would be considered as being God's Spirit.  It goes about working in the lives of people....but only when the people have hearts that are ready to receive that Spirit.  Our hearts must be pliable enough (like new wine skins) and ready for that expansion process of the Spirit.  In other words, the newness of Spirit must team up with the newness of our hearts to change us into the exact shape the Spirit intends for each of us.

When that happens, we change.

But, we say, the old wine tastes much better!!! So why on earth would we even want new wine???  Good question!!! 

So.......new wine = Spirit of Christ
.....old wine skins = our hearts that have become hard, not pliable, unable to change it's shape, too comfortable with all that good old wine inside it.

You put that new wine into that old wineskin and poof...wine skin disintegrates!  Just doesn't work.

Beginning to get the picture????  You put that new Spirit into that hard old heart that has no inclination to change it's shape and it doesn't have a chance. It's wrecked!  But put that same Spirit into a new pliable heart and you get what the Spirit intended...a heart ready to be molded and changed.

As a church, we have found ourselves to be in a 'comfortable' zone.  Everything is just as we like it.  Bills are paid, money in the bank, doing some good things with outreach to the neighbourhood.  We're enjoying a sense of satisfaction...of enjoying the status quo. We're just sittin' around enjoying glass after glass of that good old wine!!!

But that is NOT where Jesus said we should be.  In fact, that is the very worst place we should be.

We now need to move forward.  We need to become vital and missional and healthy as opposed to sitting on our laurels/backsides.  Sounds like work....

And that is exactly what it is that is required of us.  To change.  To get up and get moving...ahead.  Our hearts need changing in order to get the required work done.  Oh, we can do it on our own, without the help of God.  No problem.  Clubs and societies and groups do it all the time.

But there is something different when the unseen world takes over and gets things moving and changing and improving and going forward.  It is how new wine works in new wine skins.

That was quite a bit to say about wine....sleep well....and 'cheers'...:)