And he also told them a parable.
"No one tears a piece from a new cloak to patch an old one.
Otherwise, he will tear the new
and the piece from it will not match the old cloak.
Luke 5:36
How to fit in? This parable, which in the next verses includes the new wineskins and how not to pour old wine into new wineskins makes me reconsider how I fit in when I encounter different places and people in my day.
A priest told me he had a profound experience when he worked as a young adult to feed the needy in Pinellas county. He shared that one of the men told him how much the group enjoyed his group when they served them food, because these young adults ate with the group and talked with them while they all ate together. The other groups, the man said, would either sit away from the group they fed, at separate tables, or some would preach, well, at them, he said and not to them.
So with this verse, I see that there is a need to adapt to fit in so that as Chrstians, we can be more like Christ and see the needs of those around us, some of whom may simply want to be heard.
