Treasure in Jars of Clay
August Newsletter — Month Three of Our Summer in Corinth Fourth in a five-part newsletter series accompanying our sermon journey through 1 and 2 Corinthians If June and July were the months of Paul the teacher, August is the month of Paul the pastor. We also meet Paul the wounded apostle. We are deep in 2 Corinthians now and the letter has taken on a bitter tone not usually associated with Scripture. The congregation has been listening to rival teachers (so-called "super-apostles") who have been making Paul look small according to the Corinthian measuring stick: Paul is not impressive in person. His speech is unremarkable. He refused our money, which proves he doesn't really love us. He suffers too much to be a real apostle of a powerful God. Paul does not try to out-impress the super-apostles. He leans into weakness. He talks about beatings and shipwrecks and sleepless nights. He talks about being a fragile clay jar carrying th...