We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all surpassing power is from God and not from us.

Apart from Christ no matter how good we look our jars contain no real and lasting treasure.

We have this treasure in jars of clay (7) St. Paul in our lesson uses a wonderful literary device comparing us to fragile jars or pots. I’d like you to ponder with me that picture of people as jars or pots of clay.

As many of you know, we have just returned from Boston. We stayed in one of the oldest and nicest neighborhoods, Beacon Hill. While in this expensive part of Boston we saw people or pots if you will that were richly appointed, others were obviously powerful and others well tended to. The area where we stayed was near the downtown and next to a large public park- Boston Commons the oldest common use park area in the US so there were lots of visitors and tourists. So we saw large pots and skinny ones, families of pots, hurried pots and pots reflecting all the races and peoples from around the world. In the park there were lots and lots of damaged pots, they were the homeless people that were everywhere.

All these people are like Paul says, clay pots. Clay pots are prone to chipping, cracking and breaking. Once that happens they are cast aside. Maybe they don’t break but part of the set does and then they put in a cupboard or in a garage sale.

Our text tells that that apart from the Gospel there is nothing of lasting value in any of the people or pots that I saw. All will eventually pass away. None of them of themselves are priceless. Oh the world may “ooh” and “awe” at us and our deeds for a time but in the end that will pass away. Numerous statues to men I’d never heard of was testimony to that.

We’d like to think that we are more than pots and jars made of clay. We‘d like to think we are unbreakable and that we will last forever but we won’t. As I look out at you this morning and having looked at myself in mirror this morning, I can honestly say that many of us are cracked pots, others of us have been chipped, still others have been glued back together and still others are just hoping no one breaks them. We, too, in and of ourselves no matter how much good we may do, are not a lasting treasure. But Paul does speak of a treasure that does last. The pots may not last but the treasure does. The pots may not be priceless but a priceless treasure can be put into them.

Christ may not have looked like much but He was the real treasure.

Jesus, the second person of the trinity, is the ultimate treasure for He is God- perfect without blemish or defect; He is holy and eternal. He alone along with the Father and Holy Spirit is worthy of worship and praise. He is a lasting treasure that does not fade away. This treasure, that is Jesus, did for us the most amazing thing: He set aside the glories of heaven and took up our humanity. He joined all that was and is God to a simple jar of clay, one like ours in most ways. He knew the frailty of this life and how easily pots are chipped, cracked, broken, smashed and tossed aside.

Of this Pot Isaiah wrote: He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him; nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him. (As a matter of fact) He was despised and rejected by men. (Is. 53.2-3a) He came lived among us taking up our sorrows and our infirmities.

Yet within Him was the treasure that was for all men. He came to teach us of God. Too many false teachers and misguided teachers had burdened and mislead the people. He taught of the men’s works verses the grace of God. He taught of justice- sin carries a terrible price and God’s mercy to pay that price. He spoke of the darkness of sin and the light of forgiveness.

He taught that man can earn the recognition of other men, but he cannot earn the favor of God. He taught that we should fear not the men who can chip, imprison, and even smash the clay jars that are our bodies. We ought to fear God, who can smash the fragile clay of our bodies and could cast the pieces into hell. We ought to be in awe of the One who came to save us from such a fate not because of anything we have done for Him or for others but purely out of divine and unmerited love.

Jesus did many things but most importantly He gathered up the sins of the whole world. The sins of thinking more of ourselves than we ought to, the sins of thinking that we could some how fill our pots with enough good works to impress God and merit our own salvation. He gathered up those sins and sins of our drunken paganism- thinking we could be gods good enough to be master potter’s ourselves. All these sins made for a bitter swill which brings with it suffering , separation from the Father and death, but Jesus drank it for us in full measure. For Him it brought on death and the wrath of the Father against sin. It led to Jesus jar being broken and smashed at cross. Jesus died and pieces that were His body were swept into tomb and left to be forgotten, but three days later, He rose, not some Humpty Dumpy badly glued back together again, NO! He rose again glorious and unbreakable. He arose with promises restoration and eternal life to all who would claim Him as Lord. He arose pouring out the treasure of His forgiveness on those who would believe. He arose to fill us with his treasure. In Christ, even though we may not look like much, we have real treasure.

We find that treasure in God’s Word. To the world it looks like just more words pressed on paper but we have been led by the Holy Spirit to gather them in for they are precious jewels. We have the treasures of baptism: forgiveness, adoption, reconciliation, rebirth, and renewal. We have riches of forgiveness in his Words of absolution and where there is forgiveness there is life and salvation. In communion chipped and broken as we may be Christ pours Himself into to us, renewing us and strengthening us.

I like to say that we understand all that Christ and the Holy Spirit have filled us with, but as frail human beings, clay pots, we often fail to grasp the priceless treasure that is within us. Oh, from time to time we realize the treasure, we have glimpses of it, but often we grow envious of each other’s worldly treasures; we see our jars chipped and cracked and crumbling away. Paul and the prophets tell us this world is passing away. Don’t focus on it but keep your eyes on heaven and its eternal treasure.

But, we do live in this world. We are often hard pressed, seemingly facing being chipped at every turn but we need not be in despair, let us keep our eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith. (Heb 12.2)Let us keep our eyes on the stable the cross and the empty tomb so we might preach not as the world preaches but that we might preach Jesus Christ as Lord, let us preach His forgiveness, peace, comfort and hope.

As I was pondering this message I was reminded of a song I’ve heard on the radio. It is entitled God’s Will. To me it speaks of someone who despite a very hard life has kept their eyes on Christ and even though he may not look like much to the world he truly carries a treasure in His clay jar. Allow me to share some of the lyrics with you:
I met God's Will on a Halloween night
He was dressed as a bag of leaves
It hid the braces on his legs at first
His smile was as bright as the August sun
When he looked at me
As he struggled down the driveway, it almost
Made me hurt
Will don't walk too good
Will don't talk too good
He won't do the things that the other kids do,
In our neighborhood
[Chorus:]
I've been searchin', wonderin', thinkin'
Lost and lookin' all my life
I've been wounded, jaded, loved and hated
I've wrestled wrong and right
He was a boy without a father
And his mother's miracle
I've been readin', writin', prayin', fightin'
I guess I would be still
Yeah, that was until
I knew God's Will
Will's mom had to work two jobs
We'd watch him when she had to work late
And we'd all laugh like I hadn't laughed
Since I don't know when
Hey Jude was his favorite song
At dinner he'd ask to pray
And then he'd pray for everybody in the world but him
[Chorus]
Before they moved to California
His mother said, they didn't think he'd live
And she said each day that I have him, well it's just
another gift
And I never got to tell her, that the boy
Showed me the truth
In crayon red, on notebook paper, he'd written
Me and God love you
I've been searchin', prayin', wounded, jaded
I guess I would be still
Yeah that was until...
I met God's Will on a Halloween night
He was dressed as a bag of leaves

We are jars of clay. Like Will and his mom, many of us are hard pressed but we are not crushed; at times we may be perplexed but because of Christ and the Holy Spirit we know we are not abandoned. Occasionally, we are knocked down but because of the hope, the real promise of eternal life we are never destroyed.

As I write these words I think of all the people whose lives and times are hard because of circumstances, fair or unfair, lives that are often beyond their control. People whose clay jars are even now being chipped or cracked, people who need to know of the treasure that is Christ, people who need a person like Will who can live out the hope that is within them. I pray for the likes of you and me that we might be brought to realize the treasure placed within us and live lives knowing this passes away but the treasure within us is eternal.

Amen