The Body of Christ Carries the Treasure of God - 2 Cor 4: 1-15

I am not gifted when it comes to art, but one of my favorite places to be in college was the art studio. To watch my friends create something beautiful using their hands. I would spend hours watching brushes and pencils swiftly move across paper to create an image that someone had in their mind, or hands cup around wet clay, taking something that had no shape and giving it definition, a purpose. 

Paul understands the value of craftsmanship and sees God as the ultimate potter. The one who has created us, clay jars, in order to hold God’s treasure. Many of us don’t like to think of ourselves as earthen vessels - we would rather be made of something more resilient, yet that is exactly why Paul poses this image. Clay jars are fragile, even when they are glazed. They may be beautiful from the outside, but only for a period of time. After much use, the paint begins to chip away and their may be small cracks that emerge. Clay vessels are easily broken. And that troubles us. We do not want to be thought of as broken or vulnerable.

But we are vulnerable. Especially the audience to whom Paul is writing. He knows that they are facing persecution from every side - he’s been there and is facing it as well. But even persecution that may break the vessel, cannot deny the treasure we have inside. We may be afflicted - but not crushed. Persecuted - but not forsaken. Perplexed - but not to the point of despair. Struck down - but not destroyed. Because we carry the love of Jesus Christ in our very bodies. The gift of life that is the Holy Spirit. The knowledge that we were bought with the price of Jesus’ sacrifice and blood. And that is a precious gift.

The first time I remember hearing this particular scripture passage being preached I was serving on a short term mission team in Russia. A friend of mine chose this scripture to talk about at a youth group meeting. But there was something that made this particular youth meeting unique - it was part of the Wesleyan Church. I’m not sure how much you know about the history of Russia, but here are some of the things I learned. Missionaries from different faith traditions used to be welcome in Russia, but under a leadership regime change, foreign missionaries were dispelled and the Russian Orthodox Church was lifted up as the only religion to be practiced. As time went on, it actually became dangerous to even attend the Orthodox Church. But with the fall of the Iron Curtin came an opportunity for missionaries to re-enter the county - only many were not allowed, and even those who were granted access were often persecuted. As a result, even decades laters, those who practice a faith tradition outside of the Russian Orthodox Church are often shunned. These young people understood what it meant to be persecuted for their faith. And they understood what it meant to be carrying the treasure of God inside of them.

Human beings have the potential to do great things w within us. We have the ability to be creative. The ability to love and be loved. The ability to think things through. But these marks of human greatness can often backfire on us. We can start to lift ourselves up. We can use these abilities to do less than great things that harm others and the world. But the gift that we have from God is not for our glory but for Christ’s alone. 

But how can we share this treasure with others? First, we need to realize that this is not our gift to possess. We don’t own God or have sole claim to the gift we have been given through Christ Jesus. We simply hold the gift within us to shine for God. We have this treasure because we are the Beloved of God, but it is our responsibility to let others know that they are the beloved as well. To show them with our words and actions what value they have in the eyes of the Lord. To be the embodiment of the Good News for our neighbor. We will use our words and and our actions, but God will be given the glory. 

You may be saying, Pastor Michelle that sounds really good, but what exactly does that look like? I want to take time this morning to tell you about a resident of the Care Home in Mainesburg who died this year. His made was Leslie Merle Odle, but we just knew him as Merle. Mr. Odle had a sense of peace that radiated out of him. Every time you saw him he had a kind word and smile for you. And even as his body began to transition from this world to the next at the age of 98, he still radiated that peace.

The last time I saw Mr. Odle he was at rehab. When I walked into the room, a big grin came across his face and he said, I’m so glad to see you. He had a therapist working with him in his room at the time, and at the sight of his smile, she started to smile as well. 

At Merle’s funeral, Rev. Allen Huslander spoke about the treasure he held within his earthen body. As he got older, and his body started to crack and show signs of wear, Merle didn’t attempt to keep the treasure of Christ to himself. Instead he let it shine through all of those cracks and nicks and broken places and always gave God the glory. Merle understood that the treasure of the good news of Christ was too precious for him to keep it to himself, and it leaked out of his life with everyone he interacted with.

We all know people like this, don’t we? People who seem to radiate the love of Christ? People who humbly give God the glory for every aspect of their life, because they know that it is a gift from God? People, who despite facing hardships, let their light shine into the darkness? What makes these people so special is that they have used the life that God has given them to share the love of Christ. They authentically are themselves, and use the traits God has given them for something bigger then themselves. And perhaps what attracts us to this type of person, the one who shares the treasure of Christ with their entire being, is that its sadly all too rare. Some have not realized that they hold the treasure of Christ within them. Others are worried that sharing it will diminish its meaning and value in their lives. And still others just don’t know how to share it. But when people do leak out the love of Christ, it is a powerful experience to interact with them. 

Bearing and sharing the treasure of God is our call as the Church. In the Latin West, the Church saw this sharing of the treasure of God - this being the hands and feet of Christ for our neighbors - as the basic ministry of the body of Christ. All who are baptized are called to be Christ to their neighbor. We are called to be passionate about the well-being of others. And we are poured out as a love offering for God.

In a few minuets we will have an opportunity to share in holy communion. To celebrate that great mystery of the faith. After feasting, I would invite you to pick up a small gem stone, and as you walk back to your seat, remember that you hold the treasure of Christ within you. How are you being called to share it? How are you being used for the glory of God? Amen.