January 17, 2013 (Thursday)
“..no man putteth new wine into old bottles..” — Jesus (Luke 5:36-39)*
Yesterday I tried something different–twice. My first project was biscuits. I watched my grandmother make biscuits many times. She never used a measuring cup or spoon, but her biscuits were always delicious. I laid aside the recipe and just went by “feel” as I blended the ingredients. Then instead of rolling the dough and cutting the biscuits, I just used a serving spoon and dipped up some dough and dropped the biscuits into the pan. Know what? They were delicious. A little different from the ones made by strictly following the recipe, but delicious.
For supper I tried the same method for steak. Since I have had poor results by slavishly following the cook book’s instructions, I decided to use the “feel” method to prepare the steak. At least either way I had the same results: poor. One of these days I’m going to get it right. Oh, having one of my biscuits with it helped a lot.
Trying different methods of cooking at least lent a little variety to the day–might even say “excitement.” As I thought back over the day, it occurred to me that maybe that’s what we’re doing in this world as we have discovered so many different ways to worship God. Hundreds of Christian denominations exist, each a little different from the others, yet all using basically the same ingredients. Recent decades have seen changes of many kinds as rigid denominationalism fades and alignments are formed in other ways. Something tells me we are only in the early stages of these changes.
One of the cookbooks has a little disclaimer: “These recipes can be changed according to what you like. Feel free to experiment.” Somehow many in the Christian world of today have heard that message–loud and clear. Message and methods are changing. Is that bad or good? What do you think?
*Luke 5:36 And he spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old. 37 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. 38 But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved. 39 No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better. (KJV)