New Wine In Fresh Wineskins

The disciples of John approached Jesus and said, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast much, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. 

No one patches an old cloak with a piece of unshrunken cloth, for its fullness pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse. People do not put new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. Rather, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.” (Matthew 9:14-17)

Police reform regarding far better ways to address police brutality and racist behavior during encounters with city and town black populations is the outcry resulting from the killing of George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks (two prominent recent examples).  Some proposed ways to address these confrontations are more like patching this serious problem with a piece of unshrunken cloth that will pull away and get worse. 

And, that’s the fear: small steps falling far short of effective solutions to repair the tear in trust of our valued police.  We must never forget the many good men and women who keep us safe and respond when we are in trouble.  We must also acknowledge those who dishonor their badge.

We await the fresh wineskins being debated in Congress and with the President.   Our expectations are high, and we urge our elected officials not to let us down by avoiding the serious steps and new wine needed for reform especially sought by those who fear the police for no other reason than they are black or brown.

Today is the 4th of July.  The only fireworks we want are in the sky and not on the streets.  Congress now needs fire-in-the-belly and courage to respond during these days of reckoning.

Deacon David Pierce