2 Corinthians 4:5-12 (NRSV)
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Verse 5For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus' sake. Verse 6For it is the God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Verse 7But 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.
Verse 8We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; Verse 9persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; Verse 10always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies. Verse 11For while we live, we are always being given up to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may be made visible in our mortal flesh. Verse 12So death is at work in us, but life in you.
Devotion
Clay jars break, as every archeologist knows. Modern bottles break too. So ordinarily, we pour from fragile vessels in the manner for which the bottles are designed, carefully, so that none of the treasure is lost. It would be foolish, messy and dangerous for us to allow the bottle to break. But on some particular special occasions, for example the commissioning of a ship, we smash the bottle instead, letting the treasure held inside burst forth extravagantly. The ritual of breaking a sacrificial bottle of champagne on the bow of a ship or boat is one that expresses joy and thanksgiving, but also a preemptive blessing of safety and peace during times of troubled water that will inevitably come.
Perhaps God has poured the treasure of the gospel into the clay jars that are you and me for the very reason that it might burst forth when the jar is broken, so blessings might overflow. And these bodies, souls and minds of ours into which God has entrusted the gospel will break. But in our brokenness, God will commission a ship called grace that will sail to the ends of the earth.
Prayer
Make us thankful for your gift of rest Lord, and remind us that in our brokenness, you heal the world. Amen.