Treasure in Clay Jars

Treasure in Clay Jars Pentecost 2B – June 3, 2018. Gospel: Mark 2:23--3:6 Jesus challenges the prevailing interpretation of what is lawful on the sabbath and tells his critics that the sabbath was made for humankind, not the other way around. Healing the man with the withered hand is work that cannot wait until the next day. 23One sabbath [Jesus] was going through the grainfields; and as they made their way his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. 24The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?” 25And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need of food? 26He entered the house of God, when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and he gave some to his companions.” 27Then he said to them, “The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath; 28so the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”  3:1Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there who had a withered hand. 2They watched him to see whether he would cure him on the sabbath, so that they might accuse him. 3And he said to the man who had the withered hand, “Come forward.” 4Then he said to them, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. 5He looked around at them with anger; he was grieved at their hardness of heart and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6The Pharisees went out and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.   Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:5-12 When we carry out God’s ministry we do so not for our glory but for the sake of Jesus Christ whom we proclaim as Lord. The power for ministry comes from God, not us, so that we persevere no matter what, trusting in God’s power and promises at work through us. 5We do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. 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.   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. 8We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies. 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. 12So death is at work in us, but life in you. – When we carry out God’s ministry we do so not for our glory but for the sake of Jesus Christ whom we proclaim as Lord. The power for ministry comes from God, not us, so that we persevere no matter what (even if we are “afflicted in every way”), trusting in God’s power and promises at work through us. The power and promises that are at work in us are in regard with how God is willing and wanting to bring healing to the broken parts inside of each us from all the devastating experiences we’ve had in life. By making us whole people, in a whole new way, we become a living testimony of God’s grace. Mark 2:23—3:6 - In our Gospel, Jesus healed on the Sabbath. For Christians, Jesus himself becomes our Sabbath Rest to bring healing to the withered. Japanese potters have a technique called (kinSHUEgee) Kintsugi 金継ぎ literally golden (“kin”) and repair (“tsu-gi”) “golden rejoining” a means to repair broken pottery that actually transforms it into something new and beautiful. They repair the cracks with lacquer and dust the lacquer with gold so that all of the cracks are now shining with gold. Perhaps that is what Christ does for us – as the love of Christ shines through our broken cracks, those cracks are healed, not so that others cannot see them, but so that they shine beautifully with the light of God shining in and through us forever. From Broken to Beautiful: The Power of ‘Kintsugi’ Kintsugi is a 15th-century Japanese mastercraft dedicated to the restoration of fine ceramic pottery. The essence of Kintsugi is the practice of focusing one’s intention on life’s hidden beauty and power. In the art of pottery, this ancient technique is about the power of transforming broken ceramic pottery into beautifully resurrected masterpieces. As you look at these Kintsugi art pieces, you can immediately see its transformative power. When the piece is shattered, the beauty is hidden. When it is artfully rejoined with gold-laced epoxy, it creates a stunning masterpiece by accentuating the cracks instead of trying to hide them. And this art form naturally begs the question: If such astounding beauty can emerge from a broken piece of pottery, could God, our Divine Master Craftsman, make a similar transformation with the parts of us we believe are shattered beyond repair? Just as the ceramic piece, in its original form has forever been destroyed, but through Kintsugi’s magic, the very core of its beauty not only survives, it thrives -- so too, the transformation God brings us is not just about putting the pieces of our broken lives back together, it’s about a total reinvention of our essence.  Our shattered pieces are reconciled into a beautiful, thriving child of God which allows the light of Christ to shine through us in an even more brilliant way. Let’s explore how practice of Kintsugi makes this miraculous transformation possible and compare it to our lives in Christ: Kintsugi’s first essential practice is about seeing the impossible as possible. The artist looks at the broken pieces and sees it as being re-made whole - even more beautifully than its first incarnation. For God to do this in us, we must set aside the “stories” we’ve told ourselves about how “we will never recover from our devastations, betrayals and losses” (losses such as the death of a loved one, a divorce, abandonment, etc.). And we must be willing to let go, forgive, and experience the new life God has given us. We cannot be healed of a hurt or brokenness we have that we aren’t willing to let go. In some cases, our pain becomes a significant part of our identity, and giving it up appears to be just too costly for us. But these stories we tell ourselves - that we cannot be made whole again - are false narratives. (It reminds me of the Humpty Dumpty story, where “all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn’t put Humpty together again.”) Once you are willing to set them aside, it’s vital to be open to experiencing healing & inner reconciliation -- by admitting “Yeah, I’ve got some brokenness and hurt -- shards from past experiences that I suffer with” -- because you cannot be healed of that which you deny. It’s important to note that we, by own, cannot put ourselves back together - only God has the right epoxy: the bond of the Holy Spirit that is strong enough to hold us together, mixed with the gold of our faith. The “self-made person” is a myth. We aren’t capable of doing this inner surgery by ourselves. Though, we may try all kinds of methods and materials to glue ourselves back together again. but as the scripture says, in Psalm 127:1, “If the Lord does not build a house, then those who build it work in vain.” We often try to build our lives by our own strength, instead of letting the Lord build our lives. We avoid God and steer clear of our inner pain and hurt through staying busy or traveling or by self-medicating to help us forget. But ironically, the answer lies in embracing the hurt and pain and offering our brokenness to God. And, God, the Master Craftsman, is able to create something very beautiful by healing, by artistically putting together the very shards we are trying to avoid.   Another possible reason people won’t set aside these false stories -- so they can be healed -- is because they believe the demonic lie that they are unworthy of love, acceptance, forgiveness, wellbeing and peace -- so our shattering experiences are ever before us, continually proving to ourselves and others that we will never become whole. But, the truth is -- you are a child of God, by God’s grace, you have been made worthy through the gift of Jesus in you. Jesus wants to make you whole, because he loves you and has gone all the way to the cross to prove it! It’s time we look at our lives differently -- pain, fragments and all. Rumi, the great 13th Century Sunni Muslim Islamic poet, scholar, theologian, and Sufi mystic, said this about the broken places of our lives: “The wound is the place where the light enters you.” You see, it’s a matter of perspective. Rather than thinking our wounds are only destructive, when we begin to realize wounds can also be constructive we are crossing from the realm of the impossible to the possible. It is then that our pain moves from being a problem to being an opportunity. By REFRAMing our view of our brokenness, by renewing the way we think of ourselves and the power of God’s grace working in us, BROKEN becomes BEAUTY! In Romans 12:2, Apostle Paul put it this way: Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God – what is good and well-pleasing and perfect. Though afflicted in every way You’ve not been crushed, you are not beyond repair. At times you feel perplexed, but you haven’t been driven to despair. When persecuted and rejected, by Jesus you’ve not been forsaken. And, remember when struck down, your life has not been taken. Rejoice when persecuted for following Christ on the right tracks. For with every blow, the life of Jesus will shine through the cracks. The cross of Jesus, his death we carry -- it is our call, So that the life of Jesus might be made visible for one and all. Read half a chapter of 2 Cor. a day during this series Questions for Reflection: 1. What are some ways that the light of God has shown through your own wounds? 2. How can we be better at becoming vulnerable, allowing others to see our cracks, so they may also see how God has made them beautiful? Take the long view - what is the big picture of life - see, even suffering, in light of the eternal perspective.