I remember giving my first
children’s message in a worship service.
It was at the Presbyterian Church in San Leandro , where I served as the Associate Pastor . It
was my first church out of seminary. I
was nervous. I wanted the message to be
good. I wanted to give a good impression
to the congregation. I wanted the
children to listen and learn some new biblical insights.
A large group of children were
seated together on the steps in front of the congregation. I was standing in
front of them with my back to the congregation. I was telling a bible story when suddenly
something jerked my neck forward and I almost lost my balance. This was before
cordless mics. The microphone was on a
long cord wrapped around my neck and the cord was plugged into the floor. I was trying to re-group when suddenly there
was another pull and I again almost lost my balance.
I looked at the kids and saw one
of the boys on his knees, head down, pulling on the cord with all his might. I didn’t know what to do, so I did what any
minister would do in that situation, I closed in prayer. So even today with cordless microphones, I sit
down while giving children’s messages. It’s
safer. Yes, human beings, adults and
children, are unpredictable. They can
surprise us, sometimes in positive ways and other times, well, in less than
positive ways.
Some people go through life with
unrealistic expectations of others. They
desire the perfect friend, the perfect mother or father, the perfect spouse, the
perfect children or grandchildren, the perfect church, the perfect pastor, and
the perfect neighbors. People are often
disappointing them because these people are not living up to their expectations.
Does that ring a bell with anyone?
I believe that it’s only when we
honestly look in the mirror and see ourselves as we truly are, see our own
faults and foibles, it’s when we admit that we don’t always measure up to
other’s expectations, that we can accept both our own humanness and the
humanness of others.
In our morning lesson from II
Corinthians we find the apostle Paul and his co-workers being severely
criticized by a group in the church
of Corinth
In the face of these charges, the
apostle Paul retorts that contrary to these false charges, his ministry is all
about Jesus, all about the gospel. He
makes this claim: “We do not proclaim ourselves. We refuse to practice cunning or to falsify
God’s word, but in truth we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone. The god of this world, Satan, is blinding the
minds of the unbelievers. We proclaim
Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. In the darkness of this world, we preach the
light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, who is
the image of God.”
The gospel of God’s forgiveness
in Jesus Christ is a treasure. The message
of the gospel, God’s gift of salvation in Jesus Christ is given to the world
and to you. Receiving it by repentance
and faith changes lives, saves lives, illumines lives. It has changed me. It has changed or could change you. The gospel of God’s grace and power, hope and
mercy has transformed billions of people’s lives.
The apostle then makes a second
astounding claim: – “God has given us the treasure of the gospel in clay
pots.” God has placed this divine
treasure, this priceless prize, in flawed human containers. The Greek word here is “ostra-kainois
sekusin,” which translated into English means clay pots or clay jars or
earthen vessels or cracked pots. In
excavating ancient ruins, Archeologists often find ostraca--fragments of clay
jars or broken pots that once held costly wine or expensive ointment.
Yes, you heard it right. Christian believers are clay pots or cracked
pots or crack pots. Turn to your
neighbor and say: “Hello crack pot!”
Scripture says human beings are sinners: flawed, fractured, fragile, marred,
chipped and broken. This truth is
inescapable. Christian believers are
forgiven sinners who are being changed by the Holy Spirit into the likeness of
Christ.
What are some implications of
this truth about treasures and clay pots?
It means we are not to think too highly of ourselves. Arrogance has no place in the Christian life. On the other hand, we are not to think too
lowly of ourselves either. Feelings of
inferiority or worthlessness or uselessness are totally out of tune with the
heart of Christ. Jesus rejects such
feelings and thoughts and so should we. The
gospel is that God loves us in spite of our flaws. God has entrusted this treasure to cracked
pots, like you and me, to share with others.
It further means that even as
clay pots, with this treasure inside us, we can accomplish great things in
Christ’s name. Like Millard and Linda
Fuller, who founded Habitat for Humanity International in 1976. They heard God’s call upon their lives to
build homes for the poor. Habitat for
Humanity has built, rehabilitated and repaired nearly a million homes in 14
countries.
These words about cracked pots
certainly apply to preachers. It’s
impossible to hide it. I remember an
incident at my church in Colorado . I had seriously injured my lower back. Nancy
drove me to the ER and they gave me some drugs. I let some elders know about my
injury. I woke up Sunday morning with
my back killing me. I took some pain
killers just before the service. When I
started to preach, I thought something is weird. I looked out at the congregation and all I
saw was happy faces. I kept getting lost
in my sermon, I couldn’t focus. But I
thought Alan, you are doing fine, no one is aware that your having some issues. I wasn’t panicked at all, I was totally
relaxed. I didn’t have a care in the
world. The next day, an elder told me
that someone had asked: “What’s the matter with the pastor,” and he over-heard
a person say: “Oh he’s fine, he’s just on drugs.”
Another implication of being
cracked pots is how important it is to be able to laugh at ourselves. One author wrote: “Laughing at ourselves
gives us a more accurate sense of who we are.
It breaks down barriers between others and us. It makes us more approachable. Our five sense are incomplete without the
sixth – a sense of humor. If you can
laugh at yourself, you are guaranteed a lifetime of chuckling. If you doubt that God has a sense of humor, take
a look in the mirror.”
Yes, the astonishing and surprising
news is this, God chooses us to fulfill his purposes in life anyway. It’s essential to keep this truth in mind. Why? The
danger is that your life as a Christian can become guilt-ridden and joyless, obsessed
with your own faults and failings. You
feel like you aren’t worthy of God’s grace.
You feel God could never forgive you for things you have done. Or your life as a Christian believer can
become judgmental, hypocritical, and self-righteous.
To whom is Christ calling you to
share the treasure of the gospel? What
a privilege, how humbling, how extraordinary, to be chosen and loved by God. “We have this treasure in clay jars, so
that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does
not come from us.” Amen!
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