But the new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine desires new; for he says, “The old is good.” Luke 5:38-39
As the modern people of God we live in an age of unparalleled ministry opportunities. Yet some of us are bent old fogies huddled by a coal stove, imbibing joviality from a flask of potent nostalgia. It goes well with chewing the fat of “Why fix what ain’t broke?” We religiously attend church because it is our favorite spectator sport. The printed program lists the performers. The institutional church meets our needs and we say, “The old is good.” We opt out of intimacy, disliking the sex-tainted term. True – according to the world, the flesh, and the devil – “intimacy” takes place in the dark. True intimacy with God and His people is openly lived out in the light of Gospel reality.
New wineskin is formed by people hungering for growth. They escape the lure of the status quo by trading their comfort zone for the Throne Zone. They recognize its attraction while attending a small group or large retreat. The closeness the disciples shared in Christ’s company is shaped by regular interaction with people who love God and prize His Word. We toast His “new covenant in the blood” with the aged wine of our maturity. It is a heady feeling to be at home in our very own new wineskin. (Part 2 of 2)
Comment: Have you heard of the “Worship Wars” that started when Gregorian Chants were replaced with Seven-Eleven-Songs (7 words repeated 11 times}? Here is an excerpt from a U.S. newspaper objecting to new trends in music: “There are several reasons for opposing it. One, it’s too new. Two, it’s often worldly, even blasphemous. The new Christian music is not as pleasant as the more established style. Because there are so many songs, you can’t learn them all. It puts too much emphasis on instrumental music rather than Godly lyrics. This new music creates disturbances making people act indecently and disorderly. The preceding generation got along without it.” This was written by a pastor in 1723 attacking Isaac Watts, the writer of great hymns like When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, Joy to the World, and O God, Our Help in Ages Past. The Worship War I witnessed decades ago had my pen gently satirize it: “Sing to the Lord a new song… Psalm 149:1 Of course! Let a committee suggest it to the music director. Let him confer with the choir. Let their secretary submit a list of new songs to the chairman. Let him discreetly approach the business manager. Let the finance office draw up a membership giving-profile. Let the memos fly to make sure everybody notes that new songs pose headaches. The financial backbone of the church comes from that age segment where the mind narrows to the tune of the expanding waist. There is a vocal minority of guitar enthusiasts and they will sing any new song with gusto. But that would alienate those who helped pay for the new organ. They favor long-dead composers and disavow electronics-driven theology.” I used to love the organ and hymns of our early service at 1st Pres. Now I love my deacon and friend Linda, who makes sure she has me sitting in the pew by 11 o'clock. Not only is my joy up-to-date, but I'm having fun learning new songs, as long as they're not top-heavy on "dancing" and "spinning around." Luke 5
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