Loving God, you put your Spirit within us and empower us to show your love in our lives.  Rekindle in us the fire of your love, that we might be witnesses of your glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

            Imagine that you have been called to proclaim the good news about Jesus to as many people as possible.  You have traveled from place to place.  You have started a number of different worshiping communities.  You have proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah, your Saviour, and the Son of God.  You have tried to point to Jesus in everything that you do.

         However, you have faced adversity at almost every turn.  You have been flogged, imprisoned, beaten, and have almost drowned.  You have been opposed by mobs of angry people.  And now, you have even been hurt by people within the church.  Some have decided that they like other preachers better than you (1 Cor. 1:12).  Some have come with letters of recommendation and have tried to discredit you (2 Cor. 3:1).  Some have even said that the gospel that you preach is “veiled” and hard to understand (2 Cor. 4:3).

         If all of this had happened to you, how would you be responding?... Would you rail against all of these other preachers and their fake gospel?  Would you throw in the towel because it’s all too hurtful and difficult?  Would you point to your own God-given ministry and authority and order them to repent?  Or, would you continue to point to Christ?

         As you may well have guessed by now, this is pretty much what happened to Paul in his relationship with the church at Corinth.  And, twice within today’s reading, we hear the words, “we do not lose heart” (2 Cor. 4:1, 16).  Paul and Timothy and his other co-workers in the gospel continue to point to Christ and the light that shines within us just like a treasure in clay jars (or earthen vessels, if you prefer).

         This treasure in clay jars is an image that points us to our mortal human bodies and the light of Christ that we carry within us.  The Old Testament imagines in many different places that we are formed out of clay – ever since Adam was formed from the adamah (Gen. 2:7; Job 10:9; Is. 64:8).  Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.  God is imagined as the potter, and we are imagined as the clay.

         As we think about the image of a clay jar with a candle, or a torch, or perhaps an oil lamp burning within it, one of the obvious questions is, How does the light get out?  What makes the light visible when it is inside an earthen vessel?  In one of the stories in Judges, the people of Israel who are with Gideon hide torches inside empty clay jars.  Then, when it is time for their attack in the middle of the night, they blow the trumpets and break the jars in order to reveal their torches and begin the battle (Judg. 7:19).

         This is a relatively extreme and violent option for how the light becomes visible, and when we are thinking about our own bodies, it points us to the end.  In the end, our earthly bodies will be destroyed, but the light within us will remain with Christ.  However, surely there are ways to make the light of Christ visible long before death.

         Thinking again about the clay jar with the light in it, one of the most obvious answers is that it needs to be open in order for the light to be visible.  A sealed jar will not only hide the light, but choke it out altogether.  In the same way, when we close ourselves off to God, and to others, and even to ourselves, there is no way for the light of Christ to get in, let alone to shine forth in our lives.

         A third option that comes to mind is a jar that has some cracks in it – not necessarily a crackpot, but most certainly a cracked pot.  Some of the best witnesses to the love of Jesus are people who have experienced plenty of trials in their lives, yet continue to live out their faith.  The same love and compassion that was visible in Jesus becomes visible through those who have encountered Jesus – not only in his humility, but also in “the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6).

         Now, as you probably already know, we’re not talking about followers of Jesus who walk around glowing.  Rather, we’re talking about reflecting the life of Jesus in our own lives.  When we treat people with love and compassion – when we share with those in need – others meet Christ through us.  When we share the good news of God’s love – when we welcome outcasts and sinners – others meet Christ through us.  When we care for those who are lonely, or sick, or grieving – when we show others that they are precious children of God – others meet Christ through us.

         At the same time, when we are the ones who are lonely or sick or grieving or hungry or discouraged, Jesus also comes to us through others and continues to renew us in his love.  Yes, we are breakable, fragile, ordinary jars of clay.  Yet, as Paul reminds us, we also carry within us that which is unseen and eternal.  In spite of any trials that we might face in this life, Jesus continues to be with us and to prepare us “for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure” (2 Cor. 4:18).

         “So we do not lose heart” (2 Cor. 4:16).  We have this treasure in clay jars – the light of Christ that shines within us and through us – even when we are a little bit cracked.  No matter the circumstances in which we find ourselves, our God reigns and continues to bring us salvation and forgiveness and eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Thanks be to God!  Amen.

Pentecost 8 (NL summer)                          2 Corinthians 4:1-18

July 26, 2020

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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