No Deposit, No Return

“And nobody puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine bursts the skins, the wine is spilt and the skins are ruined. No, new wine must go into new wineskins.” Mark 2:22

It makes sense I suppose, but I have become more nostalgic as I grow older. I cannot imagine a three-year-old reminiscing over the “good old days” when he was two. But, we do collect a body of loves and memories that grows greater with time. In junior high we may long for those days in grade school where we didn’t have to change classes. But, by the time we are well into adulthood we have a garage full of people and experiences tied to our heart.

I love the old Coke bottles. The curve of the 10 ounce bottle fit your hand perfectly. If it came out of an extremely cold machine, it might even have a bit of frost around the edges. I even remember pulling a bottle out of an old chest-type freezer watching the others move into place along their serpentine path. They looked like a queue of passengers waiting for a Disneyland ride.

 Plus, those bottles were actually worth something. Collect enough of them, turn them into the grocery store for their deposit, and you could hit up McDonald’s later in the day. I loved it when Coca-Cola rereleased those bottles in a recent limited run (except you could only recycle these bottles, they weren’t worth anything as a deposit anymore.)

I’m not sure how many container types and sizes Coke has come in. There are cans and plastic, 10, 12, 16 and 20 ounces. But they all hold the same thing: Coca-Cola. What is in those bottles is worth far more than the container.

But we in the church sometimes get this reversed. We develop nostalgia for the ways church “used to be”. In the same way that memories of the old glass bottles along with their deposit brings a smile to my face, so do types of church and worship practices. For some, it is the “old hymns” of the camp-meeting era. Others may reminisce over high-church music accompanied by an accomplished organist, all ending with a big “Amen” at the end of the hymn.

We must admit, though, that those are only the containers. I fully understand the attachment to certain styles and practices. I came to faith in Christ during the “Jesus Movement” of the late 60s and early 70s. Give me a beach, five or six guitars and a few simple choruses song around a campfire and I am home! (“Pass it On”, anyone? Or “Have You Seen Jesus My Lord?”) This generation hears my stories from the 70s and looks at me like I’m a member of the Grateful Dead, and the generation before me is happy with themselves that they let us longhairs into the church, oh so long ago.

But the atmosphere has changed. Our culture has shifted. Even Billy Graham recognizes this and says, “Today I senses something different is happening. I see evidence that the Holy Spirit is working in a new way. He’s moving through people where they work and through one-on-one relationships to accomplish great things. They are demonstrating God’s love to those around them, not just with words, but in deed.” (See the book, The Next Christians, by Gabe Lyons).

The church was wise to accommodate the new way God was bringing people to the New Wine of the gospel during the 1970s. We must not make the mistake of digging our feet into the ground in this generation, insisting upon the present wineskins. When such an icon as Billy Graham sees the Holy Spirit moving away from Crusade-type evangelism toward one-on-one service and love, it would be wise to listen.

As a pastor I struggle with this reality. We still meet on Sunday morning, sing a couple of hymns and a few more modern songs. We still have a sermon, announcements, and pray for people we know. And, for those that join us, we are a fairly happy bunch. But, I wonder, is it really our expectation that a world that has little connection with church-going will pull off the covers on a lazy Sunday morning to sing songs they don’t know and talk about words they barely understand?

I do not have many answers yet, not practical ones, anyway. I know we should move toward more outward service; but how does one do that in a small church/small town rural environment. What is it about our old Coke bottles/cans that need to change? What can stay the same? Is washing windshields for free at the local Chevron once a week in the name of Christ enough? And, even though many individuals are doing deeds of service, what does it mean for the local church as a whole to do that? How, indeed, do our wineskins need to change?

I’m not sure the answer. But, for you, reader, perhaps it is enough to get you asking the same question: “How do my wineskins need to change. How can I exhibit the truth about Jesus as God’s Son to a culture that has changed their baseline views about Him? How can I begin to shine so that people can see my good deeds and glorify my Father in heaven?”