During this period of recovery from the persistent cough that had plagued me for a few weeks, God provided plenty of time for me to reflect on the many blessings in my life, and the ministry to which He has so graciously called Peggy and me. As I experienced God’s healing and restoration each day, I was drawn to Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth as he provided a wonderful metaphor of our physical bodies being likened to “jars of clay,” which were useful articles of common everyday earthenware used throughout the Roman world. Unlike the “fine pottery’ used to set tables for elaborate banquets, this was just common “stuff.” But for the Christian, it is this common stuff that, when filled with the light of Christ, displays the light of God’s glory. This is how Paul put it:

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ (2 Cor 4:6).

Reflecting on the first day of creation when God said, “Let there be light,” Paul likened that event to the light that fills the lives of all those who have Christ in their lives. As in the first day of creation, it is this power that dispels the spiritual darkness, allowing the light of Christ to shine in and through us. Paul went on to say,

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us (2 Cor 4:7).

This treasure that we have is the light of the knowledge of God’s glory, which was powerful enough to dispel the spiritual darkness in our lives, allowing the light of Jesus to shine through us, simple “jars of clay.” Not only that, but even though every Christian has some “cracks” in their own jar of clay, the beauty is that the light of Jesus Christ within us shines through those cracks to light up a darkened room with His presence.

And so, I like to think of the Body of Christ (the Church) as being composed of a bunch of “cracked pots,” pots through whom the light of Christ is constantly shining, bringing hope and healing to those living in darkness around us. Those “cracked pots” are what make us who we are, children of God shining in a dark world. And we should wear this title of a “cracked pot” with honor, knowing what God has done in our lives in and through Jesus Christ.

Let me encourage us with Paul’s words to the church in Ephesus,

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of the light (Eph 5:8).

And so, friends, knowing that we once lived in spiritual darkness, let us live as “children of the light,” allowing the light of Jesus to shine through our own “cracked pot!”

Blessings to all. Hope to see you next week.