New Lives and New Wine

5/15/2012

“The Lord God, the God of Israel, deserves praise! He alone accomplishes amazing things! His glorious name deserves praise forevermore! May His majestic splendor fill the whole earth! We agree! We agree!” (Psalm 72:18–19)

God’s Goal is unchanged, His Character steady,

When He changes the *HOW* – you must be ready.

When something is Alive, it Grows,

As Growth occurs, Change does show.

A seedling begins in the greenhouse, guarded

From the wilds of the weathers till its roots have started

Then when the Gardener determines it’s time,

This tree is ready for the heat of direct sunshine.

If planted within the Grove just Right,

Even young trees survive the night,

So you can see that the Seed is the same,

Only the *HOW* to Grow did not remain.

Health, Growth, Life, full and free,

Remains God’s Goal for every tree.

The tiniest seedling, accepting His Ways,

Will Grow to strength in future days.

This is necessary to be a Part

Of the Fullness of what’s in God’s Heart,

A Race of People, united as One,

Bearing the marks and the Testimony of His Son.

Jesus’ Quality for all to see,

His Touch giving Life to you and me,

Not ashamed, not defending, not hiding away,

Rather streams in the desert announcing His Way.

Destruction and chaos on every side,

Darkness abducting souls wanting just a joy ride,

While right in the midst of all this calamity,

The souls clothed with Jesus are the Victory of humanity.

Yesu and Abba watch yet for The Wedding Day,

That all weddings foreshadow as does this today,

We all fully celebrate these two lives joined as one,

Because their hearts long more for the Wedding to Come.

All the joys of today reflect “all things made NEW”,

From the how, and the why, and the what it’s unto.

We celebrate His Love with you,

He who has, and is, and will make His Bride True.

We who have tasted and seen that He IS Good,

Stand in awe of all that He’s Promised He would

Do, yet, He saves the Best Wine for last.

Why would His People long for the past?

The Majesty He is yet to reveal,

His Glory, His Personality, His Power to Heal,

New Wine dripping from the mountains,

New Wineskin, the casing, for the fountain

Of New Life, Springs of Living Water,

Released by how we love each other,

Lives wide open, nothing to hide,

All spent on Jesus, so He’ll sooner get His Bride.

A wineskin, of course, is not useful alone –

But only by bearing the Wine it was destined to hold

So as we’ve tasted and seen in our own day and time

Jesus uses New Lives to carry His Wine

When New Life is given, It can’t be ignored.

How could we forget how He took all our sins

As His blood was outpoured?

How with pain and with tears staining His face

He looked at us with eyes full of Grace

“I’m making all things New, Dear Ones!”

Recall how His words gripped our hearts as He Won?

When New life is given –

it can’t be forgotten, discounted, passed by,

Explained away with mere logic by doubters awry.

Go ask the blind man if Jesus makes New…

Or try telling the Man of the tombs it’s not true…

Ask Lazarus if God brings back from the grave;

Go ahead and ask Bekah if He’s mighty to save!

A New Life? Why don’t you ask Mary Magdalene…

Or even ask me, because I’ve been washed Clean!

You know what we’d say if you put the questions to us?

“Good gravy! How we KNOW the change that He does!”

So listen a moment to some stories quite true

Of how Yesu has taken the old and made it brand New.

I’ll never forget that day…

Yesu called out, “My friends, come along.

We’re going to Cana – a wedding, did you hear?

Little Benjamin is to be married!”

The feast…

The wedding…

The wine has run dry…

“Yesu, please help us,” Mary cried.

“Fill up the jars and bring them to Me.

Now present to the groom this New Wine to drink.”

The best wine for last?

Who would dare to think!

Yesu has saved up the very best

For those who will leave behind all the rest.

I’ll never forget that day…

Eating our first meal at Matthew’s that night;

The Pharisees questioned with pretense and slight.

Jesus, so wise, so gracious, so true

Answered their posturing with hope of the New:

“No one sews fresh cloth on old garments torn

For the old cannot hold what has never been worn;

And New Wine into old skins must not be poured

Lest the New Wine burst out and be spilled on the floor.”

As He spoke, we could see this wasn’t a teaching

About sewing or vinting, but our hearts He was reaching:

“The old wineskin is brittle; Change is at hand;

Raise your heads high;

Move forward and stand

The old is not better

As some would contend

(Though possibly “safer”

For those who pretend).

But I give you My promise

Of Glory to Glory

For those who surrender

And let Me write their Story.

Embrace the New Wineskin

With faith and bold trust

Watch Me bring forth new Life

To what was barren as dust!”

I’ll never forget that day….

Together in the upper room, our hearts joined as one,

laying bare our lives, seeking Father, praise for all He had done…

Then a noise like a violent rushing wind…

Tongues of fire over each one began to descend!

The Spirit filling to bursting, overflowed from our mouths, in words of every language, every Pilgrim understood!

Astounded and amazed, many saved on that day… “Drunk with new wine,” some jeered in our faces.

Little did they know as they tried to abhor…

The Truth of their words – New Wine being poured!

Now not only new words, but new LIVES did we see

Each day looking after each others’ needs.

With awe, with dread and with wonder did we

Encourage, admonish, and apostles’ words take heed.

His Life inside us would always express

His care for His Family in love unsuppressed.

With power He dwelt among us in ways

That couldn’t be denied as we lived out our days.

His NEW Covenant that we were now living

Showed forth to the world the New Life He was giving.

This demonstration of His strength to save

Made clear to all that He was OUT of the grave.

Daily amongst His Blood-purchased ones

JesusLife Together was lived by His daughters and sons.

This was the New Wineskin that He had planned

To bring to full Glory each woman and man!

Fast-forward a bit to a more recent day…

When among the saints some news was Conveyed

Some friends and companions would make earthly abode

In a different location, on south down the road

A New Wine message from him so sweet,

Our hearts are so grateful and thump with one beat

To the cadence God’s sounding, His Master Call:

“All aboard God’s Train!” Come on, y’all!

We took stock of our lives over umpteen years

A Testimony of Truth unmistakably Clear

He gave us a Home – no, Palace indeed!

On foundation of Truth, through love, faith and deed

He held children safe in walls never yielding

We’re grateful for God’s Holy shelter and shielding

From those who would mock or try to invade,

Forget it! To those with just words – and in spades.

At the same time we’ve lived out loud and on purpose,

“In the world but not of it” with Love in Grand surplus,

Now time to get Moving to New Roads ahead

God’s showing the way and we’re being led.

We’ll not be found trying to cling to the past

There’s nothing back there – only “now” is what lasts.

Whether over the miles or right next door,

Our job is to follow and Trust to the Core.

We’ll build lives Together with gold, silver and gems

We’ll reject hay and stubble from now til the end.

We’ll continue to be His Light on Display

Taking Care one by one, to love and obey.

So no fear, no self-pity or “what about me?”

Attention on Jesus is all that is Key.

New Wine and New Life and more news from the Head:

Here’s Ben and Melissa about to be wed!

YES! Say the angels, we add our AMEN!

So glad we are for them, I’ll say it again:

YES! Say the angels we add our AMEN!

To the Life of today and around the next bend.

So Rivet our hearts on The Bride’s preparation

We’re in it for life, her Beautification!

Do it! Jesus! Have Your Full Way.

Father, for Him please show Your Display

Of Power, Glory and Presence Resplendent

You send forth Your Word and we will Defend it.

And one day we’ll wander on back to this lake

At the day we enjoyed with the people and cake.

This shadow so thrilling yet sweetly small

Compared to the Grandest Wedding of all!

The new wine that Father has said He will birth

Will finally be poured as in Heaven on earth.

The Spirit together with Bride as one

Will say “Come, Lord Jesus” and time will be done.

And, now, how we look towards that Great Final Day…

“Be sure of this, the time is coming,” says the Lord, “when the plowman will catch up to the reaper and the one who stomps the grapes will overtake the planter. Juice will run down the slopes, it will flow down all the hillsides. (Amos 9:13)

On that day the Lord their God will deliver them as the flock of his people, for they are the precious stones of a crown sparkling over his land. How precious and fair! Grain will make the young men flourish and new wine the young women. (Zechariah 9:16–17)

“Look, I am about to do something new. Now it begins to happen! Do you not recognize it? Yes, I will make a road in the desert and paths in the wilderness. The wild animals of the desert honor me, the jackals and ostriches, because I put water in the desert and streams in the wilderness, to quench the thirst of my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself, so they might praise me.” (Isaiah 43:19–21)

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had ceased to exist, and the sea existed no more. And I saw the holy city – the new Jerusalem – descending out of heaven from God, made ready like a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: “Look! The residence of God is among human beings. He will live among them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will not exist any more – or mourning, or crying, or pain, for the former things have ceased to exist.” And the one seated on the throne said: “Look! I am making all things new!” Then he said to me, “Write it down, because these words are reliable and true.” He also said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the one who is thirsty I will give water free of charge from the spring of the water of life. The one who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be my son.” (Revelation 21:4–5)

You will be convinced that I the Lord am your God, dwelling on Zion, my holy mountain. Jerusalem will be holy – conquering armies will no longer pass through it. On that day the mountains will drip with sweet wine, and the hills will flow with milk. All the dry streambeds of Judah will flow with water. A spring will flow out from the temple of the Lord, watering the Valley of Acacia Trees. (Joel 3:17–18)

For look, I am ready to create new heavens and a new earth! The former ones will not be remembered; no one will think about them anymore. But be happy and rejoice forevermore over what I am about to create! For look, I am ready to create Jerusalem to be a source of joy, and her people to be a source of happiness. (Isaiah 65:17–18)

“The Lord God, the God of Israel, deserves praise! He alone accomplishes amazing things! His glorious name deserves praise forevermore! May His majestic splendor fill the whole earth! We agree! We agree!” (Psalm 72:18–19)