New wine, new wineskin

By e September 7, 2019 Jesus Stuff No Comments

Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined. Rather, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins. And no one who has been drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’

Friday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 435, Luke 5:33-39

The thing I perhaps most look forward to experiencing with ordination, is the ontological change I’ve seen as a result of the grace of ordination in other lives around me. I don’t know how God will change me, but I know I’ll be changed. Meditating upon this, and pondering how I can recognize and cooperate with this grace, I was particularly struck by this gospel passage.

We know the Bible points to wine as a symbol of the Holy Spirit, and of joy. I’d never stopped to think on this passage in that context, however. Joy resides in the heart. We might, then, re-read this scripture without utterly corrupting it as:

Likewise, no one pours new joy into old hearts. Otherwise, the new joy will burst the heart, and it will be ruined, and the heart will be ruined. Rather, new joy must be poured into fresh hearts. And no one who has been appreciating old joys desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’

God gives us a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26) in baptism, when we receive the Holy Spirit, and in ordination. As a child of God, I am called to serve, but as a deacon, I am a servant. I don’t mean to over-state or misrepresent the degree or nature of change, but it’s somewhere on the spectrum between the entirely new heart we receive with the grace of baptism, and the renewed heart (“Create in me a clean heart…” Psalm 51:10) we pray for in the process of continual conversion.

My point, then – God has new joys for us. These joys will stretch our hearts, and simply won’t fit in a dried up and rigid old hearts, so God’s given us new hearts. But likewise, if we cling too tightly to the joys we previously celebrated, we rob ourselves of the opportunity to receive, embrace, and share the new joys God has in store for us.

What joys am I called to let go, so I have room in my heart for the new joys God offers? Where am I rigid, and need to become more flexible, so God can stretch my heart to make room for something new?

What do you think?