New Ways
“No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” Matthew 9:16-17
Insight
I’m not gonna lie, I get really confused when Jesus teaches in parables. See, I don’t farm, sew, shepherd sheep or make wine everyday. They are not things I think about too often, and I’m not sure you do either. I get worried that I don’t understand these parables that Jesus has taught us, because they are not part of my occupation or freetime. But just because they are not what I relate to, does not mean that they aren't God’s words for me today, including today’s passage.
Thankfully, Jesus doesn’t just give us the examples without the explanations.
Example #1: You can’t sew two different fabrics of different conditions to one another.
US: But why?
Explanation: Because the fabrics won’t flow into one another, stretching the seams in different directions, making the tear worse than it was in the beginning.
Example #2: You can’t put new fresh pressed wine into used-old wineskins.
US: But why?
Explanation: Because the new fresh pressed wine will ferment more, causing the skins to expand, causing the already expanded skins to crack and burst, spilling the wine.
US: Why does any of this matter?
Explanation: Because they are both beautiful and deserve to be respected as such. The beauty of both of them deserves to be preserved.
I think what we tend to overlook in this parable is preservation of both old and new. He doesn’t say “Make new clothes if the old are tearing and throw out the old wineskins, they’re no good.” He says, “Those new fabrics are not for patching old ones, find older pieces and sew them together. Also don’t throw out the old wineskins. They can still be used, just don’t put new unfermented wine in them because they will burst and you’ll have ruined the new wine.”
This parable is not focused on destruction. It is focused on the preservation of old and new ways. Hear me again, Jesus is not focused on destruction, but on the preservation of both old and new ways. These examples that Jesus gives us here are great to keep in mind when it comes to our praise and adoration towards God, both in the church and for us personally throughout our day.
There is beauty in the rhythms that we have, the routines that keep us firm in the Lord and rooted in who he is. But I can’t help but think there are new ways that we can bring him praise today, new ways to notice him and experience the way he is working today. Ways that we can honor and respect God for who he has been and how he has moved before, while also honoring and respecting the God that he is today and the ways he is moving now.
This idea of new praise is not meant to sound complicated, but to inspire you to get creative with your praise! Get creative on how you honor God with your words, your time, and your actions. It doesn’t have to be big, but it has to be new. Not because new is better, but because new reminds us that God is present and moving, here and right now.
Reflection
What rhythms or routines do you already have in place that keep you firm in the Lord and rooted in who he is?
These are the old wineskins, remember they still have purpose and are important to acknowledge and honor.
In what ways do you think you can praise and pursue God more creatively today?
These are the new wineskins, which remember, are fresh and new ways to see God and His character.
With your words: writing, poetry, song, talking to someone about God, etc.
With your actions: Cooking for someone, painting, exercising, singing, playing an instrument, working outside, going for a walk and noticing what he’s doing in nature.
Prayer
Lord, thank you for being an active God. For not being a God who just was, but is and is to come. For being a God who values beauty in both old and new. For not throwing away one or the other, but preserving both. Call us into the spaces that we have been too afraid to go before so that we might be able to bring you new praise. Not because it’s what you require of us, but because it opens up our eyes to see more of you. Let us remember that when we step out in faith, even when it comes to praise, you show up and you become more clear. Your voice becomes louder and your name becomes bigger, both to us and the people around us. Help us to be creative in our pursuit of you, because you are creative in your pursuit of us.
Port City writer Sam Slezak wrote today’s devotional.