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

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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 the treasure of the gospel.  He talks about a thorn in the flesh that God refused three times to take away.  All of this culminates in the message we all most need to hear:  My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.

August's Sermons at a Glance

• August 2 — Heart Tablets (2 Cor. 2–3) Communion Sunday: The new covenant written on human hearts. What it means to live as people of the Spirit.
• August 9 — What Ambassadors Do (2 Cor. 4–5): Treasure in jars of clay, the ministry of reconciliation, and our commission to represent a King we have not yet seen.
• August 16 — Frankly Speaking (2 Cor. 6–7): Paul's open-hearted appeal to a church he loves and his call to a life set apart.
• August 23 — Testing Your Love (2 Cor. 8–9): Generosity. Why we give, how we give, and what giving has to do with the gospel.
• August 30 — Bold Humility (2 Cor. 10–11): Paul's reluctant boasting and refusal to play by the world's rules of self-promotion.

A Thought to Carry With You

Two metaphors from these chapters are worth taking home this month.

The first is jars of clay.  Paul says we hold the treasure of the gospel in clay jars so that the surpassing power may be from God and not from us.  The cracks, as we've said so often, are how the light gets out...and in.  Your weakness, surrendered to Christ, powers your ministry.

The second is ambassadors.  Paul says we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making his appeal through us.  An ambassador does not have any authority of her own; she carries the authority of the One who sent her.  Her job is not to be impressive, but faithful.  That's our mission for Christ.

The Christian life is not about impressing others, but about letting Christ becoming more visible through you.

Looking Ahead to September

September brings the close of our summer series with the "thorn in the flesh," a journey up to the third heaven, and final pastoral instructions before what Paul expects to be his third visit to Corinth.

Mark your September Sundays:

• September 6 — The Third Time (2 Cor. 12–13) Communion Sunday
• September 13 — Rally Day! ...and a return to the lectionary for Year A.

A Simple Practice for the Month

This month, memorize 2 Corinthians 4:7. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. Carry it with you and say it frequently on those days when you feel inadequate.  Say it when you feel exhausted.  Say it when you feel ordinary. 

See you Sunday.