“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.”
– 2 Corinthians 4:7-12
This happened at my house last week…
Something ugly and unanticipated happened at my house… as a coffee mug I purchased in Provincetown, MA back in August 1979 after coming home from a summer’s archaeological dig in Israel… was accidently knocked off the coffee table by an unnamed grandchild breaking into about 15 pieces. It was one of a kind.
My heart sank as I heard the crashing sound, knowing immediately what that sound was… only to look down to the floor realizing something I valued was now shattered… and I took responsibility for the moment… not the child’s fault… as I normally drink my coffee at the kitchen table but on that particular day, I just happened to have it sitting on the table next to the glider I occupy in my living room. And the response I got from said grandchild? After blurting out how much that coffee mug meant to me as it was almost 50 years old and it had gone with me to each town I’ve lived in since I was the vicar at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Columbus, TX? What words did I hear? “Well, nothing lasts forever!” Said grandchild does not want to know what almost happened after that…
But… said grandchild was right. Nothing lasts forever. Almost. Stuff that is important to us can and does get broken. Sometimes on purpose and sometimes accidentally. A car. A favorite car. A job ends. You liked that job. An arm gets broken. Your pitching or painting arm. A family is shattered and scattered because of death, divorce, infidelity or alcohol / drug abuse. Way bigger stuff than a coffee mug. A friendship comes crashing down because of a misunderstanding or by stupid words spoken in a stupid moment. Or this… someone stops being part of a faith community due to the words or actions of the pastor or a particular church member. “Well, nothing lasts forever!” said grandchild declared… and yes correct. Almost.
While the stuff of life can get broken and shattered into so many pieces and no longer recognizable… the LOVE of GOD is certain… never breaking… cannot be shattered and scattered… only received and shared… like I’ve been known to point out before… we live a ‘cruciform’ life… life in the shape of the cross… as love comes down to the world in Jesus and goes out through us to the benefit of our neighbor…
“Nothing lasts forever,” said grandchild spaketh. Almost. And when stuff gets broken and shattered there is still usefulness and purpose. The insurance company totals out your car and you get a new one. People find new work. Better work. Arms get put in a cast and the next thing you know… there’s regained strength. Relationships change. Remarriage can be a good thing. Recovery heals and new friendships are cherished. St. Paul was right. We do have this treasure… the LOVE of GOD in Jesus Christ who keeps coming to us in faith… as faith matters!
And that coffee mug shattered into pieces? I used my archeological pottery pasting skills now having a familiar pen and pencil holder to use and for those who come after me another 50 years…
