When your church needs new wineskins Mark 2:21-22 (cf. 2:13-3:6)

The american church is in crisis!

Why millennials are leaving the church religious people are “hypocritical, judgmental or insincere.” “Millennials are increasingly disassociating with churches and individuals who practice what they see as strident conservative political rhetoric.” 25% of millennials believe that churches demonize everything that resides outside of Christian culture. Young adults view the church as closed off and too exclusive, especially in light of an increasingly-pluralistic society.

Time to change!  “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.” 2:22-23

Time to change! And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, ‘The old is better.’” Luke 5:39

When we forget our mission! On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” 2:17

When we major on external religion Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, “How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?”2:18

When we institutionalize religion  Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” 2:27-28