SCRIPTURE: 2 Corinthians 4:3-6
TEXT: 6b who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. THEME: Living loved by God brings God’s light into the world. INTRODUCTION When we have something of great value, we want to protect it. We leave it in the box it came in and wrap it up nicely and stick it in a drawer. This is what I did with this amazing chef’s knife I was given. I kept it in my drawer waiting for the time, my current knife would break. The giver of the gift asked how I liked the knife. I told them what I had done, and they said, “don’t wait, it’s to be used and enjoyed.” I took it out and began using it. Today, it is the best knife in my drawer. SCRIPTURE The title of today’s sermon is in reference to the ‘treasure’ that is mentioned in the next verse, 7, that says “we have this treasure in clay jars. God creates us from out of the dust of the ground, our bodies are clay jars. Verses 3-6 is the description of the gospel treasure, that is placed in us. The gospel is the valued treasure, housed in our fragile bodies of clay, but that is where the gospel takes flight. As we live the gospel with our lives, in our unique way, the gospel comes to life and becomes light to others. There are so many who are unable to see God’s light because of the other gods that they have in their lives, like veils that block the light of God. Their veils may seem so evident to us, but we have our own. Veils that we have accepted innocently enough. Veils of greed, power, prestige and money can block the light of stewardship, sharing what with have with others, humility and using our wealth in an economic current away from hoarding. Veils of possessions, materialism and fame can lead us away from the light of a simple life, not cluttered with stuff, being happy with our own opinions of ourselves. Veils of Privilege, image and approval that moves us away from the light of equal treatment of all, embracing our uniqueness, and self-assurance. When our appetite feeds our popularity, ego and selfishness, we are letting what people think about us shake our confidence and faith in doing what God calls us to do. Fear is the opposite of love, Prejudice is the opposite of inclusiveness, and racism is the opposite of diversity. If we are not careful, veils can block out the light of God. Blind, we can’t gaze upon God and live, but we can look upon Jesus and find life. If we imitate Jesus, we become points of light that inspire others towards God. We are not pointing to ourselves, but we are interpreters of what the Good news of God’s love through Jesus means. “Christ in you the hope of glory.” Is what the Apostle Paul says in his letter to the church in Colosse, to encourage them to live by the light of Christ. Anyone who believes in Jesus dispels darkness with light. APPLICATION It is important to know what the Good News is up against in the world. It is up against the veils put up by the gods of this world. It blinds and prevents a vision of the image of God in Jesus from being seen. Where and when have we sensed the sacred and caught glimpses of God’s presence? How can we help others get a glimpse of light so they can change their lives and community? We sense the holiness of God in our time of worship each week. We get a glimpse of God in the stories of consecutiveness and coincidence when things work out. We get this glimpse when we hear of healing and protections. The life that is rescued from harm, addiction, pain, abuse and fear give glimpses of God’s light. We sense the Holiness of God in our prayers. We may not be able to grab a hand and pray like we used to, but prayers are being put into poems. Prayers are texted. Prayers in the liturgy of the worship that can be cut and pasted and edited for our situation, shine light in the darkness of our despair. We sense the sacred in creation. Mountains, sunsets, flowers, clouds, skies, space, cells, molecules, animals, nature, even in the math that discover the formulas of the structures of nature. We help others get a glimpse of God in our gratitude, in our considerations of love, By the way we are. And the things we do. How we treat each other, especially when people are not looking reflect the image of God. Yesterday, I didn’t know how I was going to do it. I had a CTEL class and the Hawaii Conference’s Leader’s Event at the same time. I also was going to be away from home for half the day. I was up at 5. I putting things around the kitchen away, when outside to take in the laundry, I put away my folded clothes and pulled some weeds and cut some branches. My family always gets the left overs of my time and attention, so I decided to give them my best before my class and workshop. The treasure of the Good News is about fostering relationships with God, our family, and others. Being forgiven and being able to forgive others is a tremendous treasure in the reconciliation it forges. To be able to admit our errors, be forgiven and change our actions are acts of transformation that set us on new directions, made possible when the treasure of God is in our hearts and lived out, and not kept in its box. CONCLUSION Kung Hee Fat Choy, At Chinese New Year we gave, Lai see, to the grand kids. It made me recall what my mom told me about red paper money. “It is to be enjoyed, not saved. Buy something sweet. Spend it on something.” It is a blessing to your life. It’s worth, is when it adds something good to your life. The good News of Jesus Christ is the same way. It is to be lived not saved up, “put it under a bushel “no”. The Light of Christ is to be lived out. Our job is not to dispel the darkness in the world. Our job is to live as light. We don’t have to feel that we are at war with the gods of this world, we can burn through their veils just by living in the light of God. This is the treasure God has implanted in us, the love of God, with Jesus in our hearts.
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