Regularly I read a religious periodical on line. It is from the Catholic perspective, but I like seeing things from different angles. Usually it resonates with my Quaker spirit and, often, I think they have a better take on things than my Quaker gang. Long ago, I realized how important it was for me to have friends who come from different places than I do. That is a great way to learn and a significant way to check my own assumptions and prejudices.
I just ran across a neat little reflection piece by Pat Marrin. With a name like Pat, I had no clue whether Pat was a woman or a man. And it didn’t matter. The title of the article was “New Wine,” which I have chosen as the title for my reflection in order to give Pat credit. What she/he says in the article is worth sharing. It is something I want to give more thought. It is like putting a hard piece of candy in your mouth. It takes a while to eat. Probably like me, you play around with the candy in your mouth. It is fun. And so with this little meditation.
Marrin focuses on the biblical passage from Luke where Jesus says, “No one pours new wine into old wineskins.” It is a familiar story to me and I welcomed a chance to think again about the story. Marrin begins the reflection with a cute story, which I had never heard. “It is said that if you ask an Irish person a question, they will answer with another questions. “Got a stamp?” “Are you sending a letter?” From this Marrin concludes, “It seems that if anyone asked Jesus a question, he answered with a parable.” Indeed, the new wine story is really a parable.
In the parable a man who is paralyzed is brought by the Pharisees and Scribes to see if Jesus would heal him. In effect, it was a trick to see if Jesus would claim the powers of healing which alone belong to God. Sure enough he heals the guy and told him to “stand up and walk…” Jesus continues with his audacious ways by calling sinners to follow him and he dines with some questionable characters. And then Jesus launches into his interpretation of what he is doing.
This is when he says “no one puts new wine into old wineskins…” Jesus also says no one sews new material on an old garment. The Jewish leaders question why the followers of Jesus don’t fast and pray like all the other good religious folks. Why don’t they follow tradition? Jesus says that was a time for celebration. In other words, there is a time for tradition and a time for going beyond tradition. I like how Marrin puts it. “Old structures cannot contain this joy. Who puts fermenting wine in already stretched skins?”
Then Marrin makes an interpretative move that I admire. He/she notes, “These little images have survived as brilliant descriptions of the tension between tradition and innovation.” I appreciate the contrast between tradition and innovation. I like to think I am for both tradition and innovation. But they are different phases---different ways of being in the world and the world of work. Too many institutions---like the church---have tradition down really well and they are not innovative at all. Not to be innovative is normally a choice for a slow death as an institution.
Appropriately, Marrin says that “Tradition is good…” I agree. Tradition gives us a sense of the past. We continue to value the past through tradition. It anchors us and provides stability. But it is not the only way to be in the world. We need to be innovative as well. Marris says as much with these words. “But life is dynamic and ever-changing. Structure defines everything in predictable ways, but it is often unprepared for surprises and slow to adapt. Institutions lose their flexibility and become self-preserving and unresponsive to new ideas.”
I like the affirmation that life is dynamic. None of us can stop the march of time. I like the image of river to portray time. We are all in the river. Usually there is some structure, but structure inhibits surprise and serendipity. Structure and tradition tend to not trust or even deny God’s continuing revelation. The new always comes as seeds sown into the soil of the present. Often you can’t see the seeds until they germinate and emerge. And too often the new is declared to be a weed that threatens structure and institutions. We pull the innovative week and throw it away.
I like Marrin’s conclusion. He or she says, “New wine is a way of life, an invitation to effervescence and expansion. It is an attitude that encourages us to laugh out loud and speak our truth to a sober, cautious world of artificial limits and social censorship.” I pray that I can continue to be anchored in tradition. But even more, I pray that I respond to the invitation to effervescence. I love that word! And I want to be open to expansion---to growth and development.
Truly, I want to laugh---to laugh more than I cry. I am confident God wants us to move our boundaries. This is true for any number of the aspects for our lives and the life of the church. I am sure God will keep giving us new wine. Let’s accept it, celebrate it and apply it effectively.
I just ran across a neat little reflection piece by Pat Marrin. With a name like Pat, I had no clue whether Pat was a woman or a man. And it didn’t matter. The title of the article was “New Wine,” which I have chosen as the title for my reflection in order to give Pat credit. What she/he says in the article is worth sharing. It is something I want to give more thought. It is like putting a hard piece of candy in your mouth. It takes a while to eat. Probably like me, you play around with the candy in your mouth. It is fun. And so with this little meditation.
Marrin focuses on the biblical passage from Luke where Jesus says, “No one pours new wine into old wineskins.” It is a familiar story to me and I welcomed a chance to think again about the story. Marrin begins the reflection with a cute story, which I had never heard. “It is said that if you ask an Irish person a question, they will answer with another questions. “Got a stamp?” “Are you sending a letter?” From this Marrin concludes, “It seems that if anyone asked Jesus a question, he answered with a parable.” Indeed, the new wine story is really a parable.
In the parable a man who is paralyzed is brought by the Pharisees and Scribes to see if Jesus would heal him. In effect, it was a trick to see if Jesus would claim the powers of healing which alone belong to God. Sure enough he heals the guy and told him to “stand up and walk…” Jesus continues with his audacious ways by calling sinners to follow him and he dines with some questionable characters. And then Jesus launches into his interpretation of what he is doing.
This is when he says “no one puts new wine into old wineskins…” Jesus also says no one sews new material on an old garment. The Jewish leaders question why the followers of Jesus don’t fast and pray like all the other good religious folks. Why don’t they follow tradition? Jesus says that was a time for celebration. In other words, there is a time for tradition and a time for going beyond tradition. I like how Marrin puts it. “Old structures cannot contain this joy. Who puts fermenting wine in already stretched skins?”
Then Marrin makes an interpretative move that I admire. He/she notes, “These little images have survived as brilliant descriptions of the tension between tradition and innovation.” I appreciate the contrast between tradition and innovation. I like to think I am for both tradition and innovation. But they are different phases---different ways of being in the world and the world of work. Too many institutions---like the church---have tradition down really well and they are not innovative at all. Not to be innovative is normally a choice for a slow death as an institution.
Appropriately, Marrin says that “Tradition is good…” I agree. Tradition gives us a sense of the past. We continue to value the past through tradition. It anchors us and provides stability. But it is not the only way to be in the world. We need to be innovative as well. Marris says as much with these words. “But life is dynamic and ever-changing. Structure defines everything in predictable ways, but it is often unprepared for surprises and slow to adapt. Institutions lose their flexibility and become self-preserving and unresponsive to new ideas.”
I like the affirmation that life is dynamic. None of us can stop the march of time. I like the image of river to portray time. We are all in the river. Usually there is some structure, but structure inhibits surprise and serendipity. Structure and tradition tend to not trust or even deny God’s continuing revelation. The new always comes as seeds sown into the soil of the present. Often you can’t see the seeds until they germinate and emerge. And too often the new is declared to be a weed that threatens structure and institutions. We pull the innovative week and throw it away.
I like Marrin’s conclusion. He or she says, “New wine is a way of life, an invitation to effervescence and expansion. It is an attitude that encourages us to laugh out loud and speak our truth to a sober, cautious world of artificial limits and social censorship.” I pray that I can continue to be anchored in tradition. But even more, I pray that I respond to the invitation to effervescence. I love that word! And I want to be open to expansion---to growth and development.
Truly, I want to laugh---to laugh more than I cry. I am confident God wants us to move our boundaries. This is true for any number of the aspects for our lives and the life of the church. I am sure God will keep giving us new wine. Let’s accept it, celebrate it and apply it effectively.
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