Loving God, you have created us in your image and called us to be bearers of light in your world.  May we continue to grow into the image of your Son, that all might know your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

    I am curious today what you remember either reading or hearing about the apostle Paul.  He had many enemies and detractors, it seems.  Can any of you remember some of the things that other people said were wrong with him?... [his gospel is “veiled”; things in his letters are hard to understand; not an eloquent speaker; letters weighty but bodily appearance is weak; not a “real” apostle]

    In today’s reading from 2 Corinthians, Paul is defending himself once again from some of these accusations.  He explains that the reason he is engaged in this ministry is because of God’s grace and mercy to him.  He says that he’s not going to falsify God’s word or use cunning in order to get people to jump on board with him.  He says that even though some people think his gospel is veiled (or unclear), he has only spoken the truth.  And then Paul makes it clear that he and those who are with him are not proclaiming themselves.  Rather, they are always and only proclaiming Jesus Christ as Lord and themselves as slaves for Jesus’ sake.

    All of this brings Paul to that marvelous image of the treasure in clay jars, or the treasure in earthen vessels. (See image:)[http://www.google.ca/search?q=light+from+cracked+earthen+vessel&biw=1400&bih=865&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwivqc-jz5HNAhXh7YMKHTICDaAQ_AUIBigB#imgrc=wDJVLVy_six6jM%3A] Just to unpack this image a little bit, Paul has already made reference to Genesis 1:3 with the God who says, “Let light shine out of darkness” (2 Cor. 4:6).  He talks about this same God shining in our hearts “to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”  Add to this the fact that the first human being was created out of the earth, and you start to get the impression that we might be those earthen vessels or clay jars that contain the treasure of the light of God.

    The thing about clay jars, at least in the first century, is that these are the vessels for ordinary use.  These are not the special vessels of gold or silver or bronze.  This is not the fine china that we’re talking about here.  These are the common, ordinary vessels, made from the earth.

    The thing is that Paul is not the only one who has had people tell him what is wrong with him.  In fact, I would guess that most people here have been told at some point, either by others, or even sometimes by yourself, the ways in which you are not quite good enough or don’t quite measure up.

    Have you ever been told that you are ugly, or too short, or too tall?  Have you ever been told that you’re not very smart, or not thin enough, or even that you’re too smart for your own good?  Have you ever been told that you can’t sing, or that you’re uncoordinated, or that you’re hopeless when it comes to mathematical or mechanical things?  Have you ever been told that you’re not good looking enough, or not particularly gifted, or simply not good enough, period?

    The thing that all of us need to hear somewhere along the line is that God has a different narrative for us, and God’s narrative goes something like this: First off, each one of us is valued and loved.  Each one of us has been created by God – created both for ordinary and for special use.  Since we are human, we are also fragile and flawed.  Having been created in the image of God, our purpose is to reflect more and more the image of Jesus Christ in all that we do.

    The thing that is so neat about this image of the earthen vessel is the fact that it is cracked.  God uses cracked pots.  You see, if the pot isn’t cracked, nobody gets to see the light of Christ that is shining within it.  The other thing is that if I have never experienced any trials or difficulties, I really won’t be much use to others who are experiencing trials and difficulties.  This is not to say that any of us would go looking for trouble, but simply by virtue of living in this world, it is entirely likely that trouble will find us.

    The whole point of this image of the treasure in clay jars is that God delights in working through ordinary, flawed, and gifted human beings.  All through the Scriptures, God works through people who are either too young, or too old, or not good speakers, or from the smallest tribe, or not particularly good looking, or hard to get along with, or uneducated, or overeducated.

    Now, don’t get me wrong here.  God is not looking for incompetence.  God also gives each person gifts for the common good.  Yet, God is able to work through those who are weak or foolish because it is the power of God that works within them and through them.  This is the same reason that Paul gives for the treasure in clay jars - “so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us” (2 Cor. 4:7).

    And so, no matter how cracked, or afflicted, or perplexed, or persecuted you might feel, the light of Christ is available and given in order to shine in your hearts.  And no matter how gifted, or strong, or good looking, or smart you might be, the light of Christ is available and given in order to shine in your hearts.

    All of us have a certain number of things that we can do without God.  However, our lives become an entirely different story when we are reconciled with the Creator of the Universe through Jesus Christ.  For the Spirit of God can and will do amazing things through us, empowering us to be agents of reconciliation in our world, and signs of the light in the darkness for those who are oppressed.

    May God continue to use us, cracked though we are, to “increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God” (2 Cor. 4:15).  Amen.

Pentecost 3 (NL summer)                        2 Corinthians 4:1-15
June 5, 2016
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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