New Wine, New Ways - Mark 2: 18-22

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Scripture Reading

Mark 2: 18-22 (ESV)

18 Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, “Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 19 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day. 21 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made.22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.”

Reflection:

Jesus uses the image of new cloth and new wine to show that the new thing God is doing doesn’t fit neatly into old forms and rigid systems. New wine requires new wineskins—fresh, flexible containers.

In worship ministry, it’s easy to cling to familiar ways of doing things simply because they’re comfortable. But if we resist every change, we may miss what God is trying to do in and through us.

Being open to “new wine” doesn’t mean abandoning truth or chasing trends—it means staying sensitive to the Spirit and willing to be stretched as He leads.

Personal Questions:

1. Where might God be inviting me into renewal or change in this season?
2. Am I open to new ways God may want to use me, or am I clinging to what feels safe?
3. How can I stay rooted in truth while remaining flexible to the Spirit’s leading?

Team Questions:

1. What are some “old wineskins” (habits, assumptions, patterns) we may need to re-evaluate as a team?
2. How can we discern together when God is leading us into something new?
3. How do we balance honoring what’s familiar with embracing healthy change?

Prayer:

Holy Spirit, I invite You to renew my heart and mind. Break any rigidity or fear that keeps me from following Your lead. Help me stay rooted in Your Word and open to Your movement. Pour Your new wine into my life, and make me a faithful vessel for Your work. Amen.