NEW WINE, FRESH SKINS

PRAYER MOMENT

Friday 6 September 2013

NEW WINE, FRESH SKINS

Pause. Be still in the presence of God

Reading. “Nobody puts new wine into old skins; if he does, the new wine will burst the skins and then run out, and the skins will be lost.” (Luke 5:33-39)

Reflection. As a boy Jesus had often observed how wine was stored in specially prepared containers made of animal skins. Every new harvest of wine had to be stored in new skins. It was an apt image for his message about the reign of God coming into the world. To be a Christian one cannot hold onto the old ways; the traditional beliefs and practices that do not fit with the new wine of the kingdom. Something new, “something greater than Solomon is here.” Jesus who is “the image of the unseen God and the first born of all creation” (Col 1:15-20)  calls me to a totally new way of thinking and acting.

Prayer. Almighty Father, it is wonderful to reflect on the new world you are making through the words and actions of your people, formed in the image of your Son and living in your Spirit. Teach us to rejoice in your activity and bend our minds and hearts to your work. Amen