Link to AGM reflection of 29 August 2010 |
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Luke 5.33 – 39 – A Church In Ferment 33They said to him, "John's disciples often fast and
pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking." 34Jesus answered, "Can you make the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? 35But the time will
come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast." 36He told them this parable: "No one tears a patch from a new garment and sews it on an old one. If he does, he
will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. 37And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins
will be ruined. 38No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. 39And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, 'The old is better.' " About this time in 2006 Sue and I were travelling along the Dalmatian coast of Croatia – the area that the Dalmatians came from. We stayed in a Bed and
Breakfast place at the town of Omis. It was a moderately sized family house. Shortly after we had arrived a medium sized truck arrived, tipped up its tray, and dumped load of grapes outside the garage door – and the men of the
family proceeded to start making the family's new wine for the season. Given the role that the Dalmatian settlers in New Zealand have had in establishing the wine industry here, it was very interesting.
Seeing them starting to make the new wine was how I felt after last Sunday's Annual meeting. "We're starting to making new wine. New wine of life and possibilities and growth." 1: You said maintenance of the
buildings is important but we want mission and outreach to be seen as at least of equal importance. It is an outward looking attitude. 2: There was a high level of participation. I set it up that way, but you responded. You could have just
looked at the floor. 3: You asked the Church Council to initiate a full review of the inside of this building – so that it may be a springboard and useful resource for the mission that God is calling you to. It
didn't take long for ideas to start flowing about that! 4: You put in place the new Church Council – which will have a new way of leading this parish ahead in the future. This is rather like getting a new
car. You know it's going to go well but it takes a trip or two to get it going at its best. It suggests to me that you're saying that 'the issues of the last 18 months are behind us, it's time for this church to start
fermenting.' And I sensed a certain impatience to get going. "Let's do something." Which links to the new wine and raises and important challenge.
What are we going to do with this new wine of faith and hope that is fermenting in this church. So let's get back to the wine business. Many of us grew up through the era when wine in New Zealand was something of a
novelty. Sure, lots of Frenchmen and Italians drank wine every day – you don't do that in New Zealand. There were the Dallies I West Auckland – all the 'ovich's', and the viticultural research place at Te Kauwhata.
It might have been a bit remote for us 5th generation NZers of British stock, children of the temperance movement. But it wasn't remote for the people Jesus was speaking to. He came to talk about a new way of
connecting with God and living out his life in the world, but there were a group of people – mostly religious leaders (ministers and elders) who couldn't see beyond the old ways. The disciples – the group of learners – of
John the Baptism, and those of the religious teachers, the Pharisees – observed the old ways of following the faith. But yours don't. We don't get it. 1 large scale evangelistic meetings. 2 The charismatic renewal. 2 Scripture in song – the choruses. 3 Home groups and house churches 4 Praise and worship
Now we see the importance of there is a new move which getting our focus out into society, bringing Jesus into the community in ways that ordinary (unchurched) people can understand. God is encouraging us to be those who
care about the world and people around us. 39And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, 'The old is better.' " It is
true that aged wine often tastes better than newly bottled wine. Often we want the old things – old songs, old experiences relived, old styles, old well proven techniques. These are good things and still to be savoured, but if we
don't bottle new wine, there will be no wine in the future.
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