Tasting the New Wine at Easter
World of Wonders was a great title for a novel. It’s also a great theme for those of us living to receive the wine of the Spirit. This year, I’ve tried to open my senses to the world of wonders that is filled with Christ’s Spirit. And this is what I’ve found: He shows up all the time!
Earlier this week, I was going through my mail. I saw an envelope from the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America. What could they possibly want with this Presbyterian? Yet the envelope had my name typed as if it were a personal letter. Inside were greetings from The Most Rev. Dr. Nathaniel Popp, Archbishop of Detroit.
Father Nathaniel reads the Presbyterians Pro Life Newsletter. He saw our series on the Apostle’s Creed and Life issues. In the article, I had tried to show the theological link between our affirmation of the resurrection of the body and our historic Christian commitment to the sanctity of all human life. The archbishop wrote to encourage me. “I rejoiced to see in print that there are members of the Presbyterian Church who uphold and bear witness to Sacred Scripture and tradition to the apostolic witness of the true resurrection of Jesus Christ and to the sacredness of life.”
Shared essential theological tenets. Shared ethical imperatives that arise from those tenets. It’s not just for Presbyterians anymore!
The Archbishop enclosed his Easter letter to his bishops and priests. It was a lyrical, stirring witness to the resurrection. Across the miles, across traditions, our spirits entered fellowship in Christ.
Opening that letter, I got a taste of the new wine being poured out all over the world. God, through the clear confession of the gospel story creates a fellowship that crosses cultures. His vision for the world joins together those who dare to embrace it. We feel the link of our connection across the ages. We feel the passion of our mission to the ends of the earth. We see God at work and realize we live in a world of wonders. Why, it’s as intoxicating as good wine which God gave “to make glad the hearts of men.”
Joyous Easter to you all
Gerrit Dawson
Co-Moderator, New Wineskins Association of Churches
