8-16-2022

Good Morning All,

                    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.”

    My wife and I received an outdoor propane fire pit for Christmas from our children a few years ago.  A couple of weeks later, my oldest son offered to put it together for his mother.  I would have gotten to it eventually but, you know.  I didn’t get to watch the construction; I wasn’t back from the church at the time.  Yet my wife could hardly contain her laughter when she told the tale.

    It seems that our, then, 2, almost 3, year old grandson offered to “help” his dad “fix it”.  Soon the little screws and nuts and bolts were spread around the patio.  Every so often he would stand in front of dad to get a better look or have the screwdriver that dad needed.  All in all, it added some time to the construction, but we both told my son; it was only beginning.

    When my sons were about that age and then older, they liked to “help” as well.  I remember telling my wife that I could get our livestock chores done in about an hour; it took an hour and a half when I was “helped.”  I remember looking for wrenches, hammers, screwdrivers, saws nails, boards, screws, bolts and just about anything that wasn’t tied down that one, two or three little boys could carry.  They would always want to help, and we usually let them unless it was unsafe for them.  They were allowed and encouraged to help because it formed a bond of love between them and the parents and grandparents that they were spending time with and now, the next generation is bonding as well.

    This is part of why our verse plays out the way it does.  We have the treasure (God’s saving Gospel message), but we have it in our frail human nature and condition.  This is one of the mysteries of faith; why does God let us humans mess it up so often?  We humans tend to squabble, waste time, lack total compassion and often just really mess it up.  It would go smoother if God just “zapped” the ones who would believe and then be done with it but that is not how he does it.  God uses created things to bring about healing in this broken world.  He uses water and bread and wine for our sacramental nourishment, and he uses other humans to provide the physical warmth and touch.  He uses human voices to speak to us at times; he uses human arms to comfort us when we are hurting; he uses humans to reach humans.

    He uses you and me to be his witnesses, to be the agents of change for him.  He does this to draw you and me closer to him and closer to each other.  He uses us, the imperfect creatures that we are, to spread the kingdom of God throughout the broken world.  He uses us, encourages us, and brings us to love him through our service to him.  It is all part of the plan.

Father, in your hands we rest safely.  Move us by your mighty Spirit to spread your message of salvation and hope.  Move us to have compassion on our brothers and sisters who are in need of your mercy.  Guide us to be your hands and voices in this world of pain and silence.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret