8 July, Saturday — New Wine in the Making

Saturday of Week 13 in Ordinary Time

Gen 27:1-5,15-29
Mt 9:14-17

“…they put new wine into fresh skins and both are preserved.”

The Gospel states that people put new wine into fresh skins instead of putting it into old wineskins; if they do the latter, the old wineskins will burst. Jesus is referencing this to the ministry He was trying to build, that the people of God were built through their relationship with Jesus, instead of just solely relying on heritage and rituals.

I feel that the call of building our relationship with Jesus as the fundamental blocks of discipleship is still relevant till today. It is not that relying on rituals to build faith is irrelevant; it still is, as the practices are also spiritual disciplines which help to provide a structure to exercise and practise faith. However, it is not enough to be fully convicted and allow yourself to take ownership of strengthening our faith, and opening up ourselves to be able to fully live as disciples according to God’s unique call for each and everyone for us. Having a relationship with Jesus is crucial in shaping our discipleship journey as well, as the connection helps us to stay open and attuned to His promptings and the movement of the Holy Spirit.

In my personal journey, growing my relationship with Jesus has taught me to trust and surrender, and to fear less. This helps me grow in my discipleship journey, as it has taught me to be more patient with myself and with others, to be more compassionate and less judgmental to the people around me; as well as to be more courageous in making decisions, and allowing myself to be stretched in areas where I believe God is leading.

Brothers and sisters, my hope is for all of us to take courage and be open towards trusting Jesus and growing our relationships with him so that we can experience love, joy and peace.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Grace Yee)

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I pray that I will continue to deepen my relationship with you and strengthen myself as Your disciple in that process.

Thanksgiving: Lord Jesus, thank you for moulding and shaping me to be who I am today and constantly pouring me into new wineskins.