June 03, 2018
FRAGILE JARS
Pentecost 2, 2018
2 Corinthians 4:5-12
“Fragile Jars”
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
“For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” (2 Corinthians 4:5-7)
Treasure. That one word sparks interest from all people…everyone loves treasure. For some treasure hunting is a great hobby…just go to a beach and watch for people with metal detectors combing for their own buried treasure. Treasure from God…how wonderful it is…and knowing that it is here for us in God’s Word and Sacraments brings joy to the hearts of Christians…or at least it should. But how we long for other treasures…treasures of this world…treasures that do not last…treasures that we think are more tangible…but fade away.
Over the past year we have buried family and friends. We have seen loved ones hospitalized and battling different ailments. Suffering and death is something the world does not like to see…and it shouldn’t because death is never natural but is caused by sin. Suffering and death were never intended by God but came with the fall of Adam and Eve…and come to us who are just as guilty by our own sin.
We don’t like death because we lose those that we love. We don’t like suffering or watching suffering. Very often we pray that God would take all suffering away and postpone death for our own selfish reasons. Death also reminds us of our own sin and that we too will die because of them. Death reminds us of how fragile we and this life are.
All around us people are suffering and dying. Many of them do not know who Jesus is or what Jesus has done for them. For these people death has not lost its sting and they have no hope for the future. Our world knows suffering and death. It’s knows the hurt involved with both. But the world does not know Christ or have hope in Him.
As Christians we have hope in life everlasting and we know that death isn’t the end but the beginning of life eternal. Yet we still doubt in our Savior. We look around us and see the violence in the world. We see dictators that try to wage war and commit genocide. We read about gang warfare and innocent children dying on the streets. We have friends whose marriages struggle and fail. We see families torn apart from fighting. We see suffering, pain, and death in all forms around us and wonder how we can go on.
The answer is found in the clay pots of our text…the treasures of God. “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.” (2 Corinthians 4:8-12)
Look at those words…and at your very lives. Each of us in our own way has been hard pressed on every side, we are perplexed by the problems of this life, persecuted for our faith in Jesus, struck down by our sinfulness, from disease, heartache, and pain. But through Christ; through the treasures of heaven we are not crushed, we are not in despair, we are not abandoned, and we are not destroyed. While the world, sin, and the devil attack on all sides Christ is ever present. Even though it may seem we are at the end of all of our resources…God is not at the end of His resources. God is always with you, always protecting you, always carrying you. He will never let you be destroyed.
But what about death? People saw the life and strength of Jesus in the suffering of Paul. By God’s grace people see the life and strength of Jesus in the suffering of our loved ones that hold fast to faith in Jesus. Through God’s grace people see the life and strength of Jesus in the suffering of all Christians…in you and me. While the world sees death as destruction and the end of life…we know that it is the beginning of Life…life that is eternal in Christ…life that death cannot touch.
Rejoice Oh Christian for the Light of Christ is in you and through you the Holy Spirit is bringing others into the faith; into the knowledge that Jesus Christ died for their sins. And although we are fragile pots that contain the treasures of heaven Satan, sin, and death have no hold on us. We may be hard pressed on every side, but [we are] not crushed; [we may be] perplexed, but [we are] not in despair; [we may be] persecuted, but [we are] not abandoned; [we may be]struck down, but [we are] not destroyed. For we are God’s beloved children! Salvation has been won! Heaven is our home! Amen.
Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. Amen.
