CMLC 2026-03-25 Sermon (Lent 05)

You know, most of us try to hide the things that

are fragile. We reinforce them. We protect them.

We strengthen them. If something is breakable,

we don't necessarily put something valuable inside

of it. We don't typically store treasures in

things that could crack. But, God does. Paul

says we have this treasure in jars of clay. God

does not use gold containers. He does not use

reinforced steel. He uses clay. Ordinary. Common.

And breaker. Because that is what we are. We

need to clean his burnt vessels. That is where

God chooses the place of his treasure. You see...

When Paul points this out, he's not saying that

we are the treasure in the earthen vessels as

much as he is saying that this treasure is in

earthen vessels. We have this treasure. Because

it's not us. We're the jars. We're the ones inside

of which the treasure is to be found. But you

see, the treasure is the gospel. The treasure

is Christ Himself, life, death, resurrection,

that Jesus has carried out. But then He has brought

it for us, to us, and kept it in us. And He does

it for this reason, to show that the surpassing

power belongs to God and not to us. If the jars

were impressive, we might mistake the source.

If the containers were flawless, we might trust

the container as being what's important. We see

that so often, where time and time again people

continue to try to put on their best face, their

butt's front. Put the right foot, the best foot,

or if you're left handed, the left one. And you

go forward with that and you say, this is my

best side. This is what I want everyone to see.

Because we want people to trust us. We want them

to turn to us. And yet, we are the ones who are

continually fragile. We just make sure that nobody

knows that side. Because something powerful is

still at work. But it's not us. It's God. But

Paul gets very honest. He says we are afflicted

in every way. We are pressed, we are squeezed.

Life does not handle the jar gently. There is

pressure from every side. He says, afflicted,

perplexed, persecuted, struck down. Let's be

honest. This is not abstract. As I say those

words, at least one of them hits you as real.

One of them... if not all of them, strikes you

as something you have felt in, not all that long

ago. These lived experiences that we have, they

show the pressures that we go through, the strained

relationships where we wonder, why is it that

everything keeps turning into a fight? The uncertain

finances of, I know, I worked hard, why are these

things not getting paid? The failing health,

where we wonder, I eat well, I exercise, why

can I not seem to get where I want to be? Or

the emotional exhaustion. You try, try, and try,

and nothing seems to let up. And even sometimes

the questions that we just can't answer, and

we sit there wondering, why is it that the world

seems to be taking crazy pills, or is it eating?

Sometimes it feels like life is pressing in from

every side. But each line of this from Paul doesn't

just stand by itself. Pressed, but not crushed.

Perplexed, but not driven to despair. Persecuted,

but not forsaken. Struck down, but not destroyed.

So the jar is fragile, but... It's not abandoning.

God didn't put the treasure inside of you and

then just walk away. Something holds us together

that is more than just human resilience, more

than just try harder. The resurrection power

of the same God who raised Christ from the dead

and sustains His people. You see, the pressure

of all these circumstances does not destroy you.

It feels like it sometimes. But feeling that

way doesn't mean it actually is. But it also

reveals something. That there is light in you

that does not come from you. And that's the thing,

is Paul ends up showing us that all these other

things cannot destroy us. But then he goes deeper

and starts to talk about something a little bit

confusing. Because then, he doesn't talk just

about surviving the hardships. Then he says,

always carrying in the body the death of Jesus.

Wait a minute. I thought we were not crushed.

How are we carrying in the death of Jesus? See,

this changes everything. Because we're not talking

about random suffering that we feel like everything

around us is caving in. This is our willing participation

in Christ. Not letting the world decide what

will hurt us, but rather choosing to follow the

Christ who has given us life. But not just to

receive it, but to share the pattern, the pattern

of giving, the pattern of serving, the pattern

of losing when we should, the pattern of trusting.

Always. See, the life of Christ is not just power.

It is cruciform. It is meant to be the form of

a cross, of suffering. Paul says we who live

are always being given over to death for Jesus'

sake. Not because we're just enduring stuff around

us, but willingly given over. Because this is

where faith becomes visible. to trust that when

we give ourselves over, there is new life on

the other side. See, this is what we often resist.

See, we're willing to say, well, God sustains

me in the hardship. We're not talking about God

sustaining us just in the hardship. Paul says,

my life is being poured out. Being willing to

go to that. Because this is the pattern of Christ

himself. Jesus did not simply endure suffering,

he gave himself. And through his death came life.

And that's the pattern that we're looking at.

Is to be willing in these quiet everyday ways

to let go of so much that we try to cling to.

Because by letting it go... Being willing to

be poured out is when we can finally receive

what God has for us. When a parent sacrifices

sleep, time, and energy for their child. When

someone forgives instead of retaliating. When

a person gives generously instead of clinging

tightly. When a believer speaks truth gently

instead of trying to win the argument, saying

yes whenever deeply you wonder why. when you

bear with someone difficult rather than walking

away. In those moments, something is dying. Control,

pride, comfort, self -protection. But through

that death, life flows in and then through us

to the world. So this is the tension. We're not

destroyed by the things that we endured. but

we are still called to give ourselves away. Nothing

else crushes us, but we still pour ourselves

out. Nothing abandons us in this world because

we are always loved by God Himself and yet we

then still offer ourselves freely. But this is

not weakness as if somehow it's just sitting

there like some failure. It is not seeking the

suffering just to prove something. It is trusting

Christ enough to let go of it all, even when

it feels that it costs everything, because it's

supposed to. So as we come to the center of this,

we see that it points to Christ, not the Jesus

that people love to try to plaster in front of

us, but the one who was afflicted and crushed,

the one who was perplexed and forsaken, the one

who was struck down and killed. We were preserved

from those. He suffered them all. And why? So

that you would not have to be. He entered fully

into destruction so that in him would never be

abandoned. Because he's the true vessel that

was ultimately broken for the whole world. He

took on the fragile form because he knew he would

need to be broken completely for us. And then

because he was raised, the life we carry is not

fragile the same way that we are. Because sometimes,

as jars, we crack the load. Sometimes we find

ourselves with a little hole in here. Sometimes

the wear and tear that we wish nobody else could

see. But the treasure is still perfect and complete.

And when those cracks do show up, the light from

it shines even more fully. So for you, you do

not have to pretend to be strong at all times.

You don't have to try to hide your weakness.

You don't have to try to fear the pressures that

are around you. Because the power of holding

you is not yours. It is given to you. Because

your life is not meant to be preserved at all

costs. It is meant to be freely given. Because

in Christ, even the things that feel like a loss

are not given. The treasure remains. The life

of Jesus is still at work. And through jars of

clay, like us, God is still bringing life into

the world. So may we be willing to be fragile,

and in Christ still have everything. Amen.