new and old
In Bible times, wine was a staple of every kitchen, neither the grape juice of some Christian traditions nor the elite connoisseur's drink in secular culture. Grapevines were harvested in the home, and the fresh juice was put into freshly harvested goatskins. As the juice fermented, the wine would expand and the skin would stretch accordingly. This would be especially true of what is translated as "new wine", a sweet variety that was particularly intoxicating. Perhaps this was the kind of wine Jesus "manufactured" at the Cana Wedding, which would typically be served first, with the less potent forms coming later, after the guests had drunk too much to notice the difference (John 2:10).
And so, Jesus advises, not for the kitchen but for the church, that the sweet and intoxicating New Wine of the Spirit He serves needs to be put into fresh wineskins, in which we as a Body welcome the Spirit in new ways of worship, discipleship, and service (Matthew 9:17). As we pray for that New Wine to be poured out in revival, we need to allow ourselves to be renewed both as disciples and as a Body so that we don't burst when He is poured out. These days are times to prepare ourselves as fresh wineskins for the New Wine.
However, Jesus also advises that the renewing church needs to keep that which is old, as well as welcome the new. In the verse just before that about the new, Jesus says, no one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse (Matthew 9:16). The Church is indeed old and torn up these days as it still seeks to hold on to The Faith once delivered. Those who prepare for The New Wine are wise not to toss the venerable garments of God's Word, His Righteousness, and prayer. History is littered with the sad witness of those who have drunk the new wine but spurned the old cloth. Let it not be so in the refreshing days soon to come. Rather, let us be those disciples who bring out of God's Storeroom new treasures as well as old (Matthew 13:52).