The STAR January 2015, Issue 384 Better Than New “But 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. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driv- en to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies”-2 Corinthians 4:7-10. Have you ever broken the good china? I’m not talking about the everyday cups and plates. We all drop those dishes. My family routinely finds new ways to shatter Corelle dinnerware which claims to be unbreakable. We just throw away the pieces. I’m talking about grandma’s good china; the dishes that are too good to ever use. I’m talking about the china that’s worth a bundle on Ebay, but that you would never, ever sell. Some plates are so valuable that you feel duty bound to mend the cracks and chips. The Japanese have a wonderful solution for broken pottery. They call it kintsugi which means “golden join- ery” or kintsukuroi which translates as “golden repair.” Look it up! It’s really quite beautiful. Great artisans repair broken vases and dishes with a resin mixed with gold. Instead of hiding the damages to the pottery, kintsugi highlights every crack, chip, and missing piece with golden glue. Damaged fifteen-hundred year old Ming Vases can actually become even more valuable after the pieces are put back together with gold. The Apostle Paul compares us to a bunch of clay jars containing the treasure of Jesus Christ. The problem with clay is that it inevitably breaks. We are all afflicted, but Paul says that we will not be crushed. We are all struck down, but Paul says that we will not be destroyed. All of us are broken, but no one is ever beyond repair. The Bible never promises that we are going to go through life unscathed. We are resurrection peo- ple! We believe that God makes us better than brand new when we experience the “golden repair” of his redemptive love. So why do we hide our cracks? Why do we pretend that we have never been damaged? When I speak to friends in recovery groups like Alcoholics Anonymous they remind me that church is often uncomfortable because everybody hides behind the mask of perfection. Junkies need to be honest about their pathology. Sinners do too. The only way anyone is going to notice that the treasure of Jesus resides within the clay jar of your body is to acknowledge your brokenness. Instead of treating our mistakes, sins, and failures as something shameful to be hidden, perhaps we can highlight our flaws with the golden grace of Jesus Christ. You are actually more beautiful and more valuable because God has repaired you with his precious love. This New Year, let ’s all resolve to show off the “golden repair” of Christ the Lord. Let the treasure of Jesus seep out of every flaw. From the Senior Pastor Ryan Eikenbary-Barber
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Transcript
The STAR January 2015, Issue 384
Better Than New
“But 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. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driv-
en to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the
death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies”-2 Corinthians 4:7-10.
Have you ever broken the good china? I’m not talking about the everyday cups and plates. We all drop those
dishes. My family routinely finds new ways to shatter Corelle dinnerware which claims to be unbreakable.
We just throw away the pieces. I’m talking about grandma’s good china; the dishes that are too good to ever
use. I’m talking about the china that’s worth a bundle on Ebay, but that you would never, ever sell. Some
plates are so valuable that you feel duty bound to mend the cracks and chips.
The Japanese have a wonderful solution for broken pottery. They call it kintsugi which means “golden join-
ery” or kintsukuroi which translates as “golden repair.” Look it up! It’s really quite beautiful. Great artisans
repair broken vases and dishes with a resin mixed with gold. Instead of hiding the damages to the pottery,
kintsugi highlights every crack, chip, and missing piece with golden glue. Damaged fifteen-hundred year old
Ming Vases can actually become even more valuable after the pieces are put back together with gold.
The Apostle Paul compares us to a bunch of clay jars containing the treasure of Jesus Christ. The problem
with clay is that it inevitably breaks. We are all afflicted, but Paul says that we will not be crushed. We are
all struck down, but Paul says that we will not be destroyed. All of us are broken, but no one is ever beyond
repair. The Bible never promises that we are going to go through life unscathed. We are resurrection peo-
ple! We believe that God makes us better than brand new when we experience the “golden repair” of his
redemptive love.
So why do we hide our cracks? Why do we pretend that we have never been damaged? When I speak to
friends in recovery groups like Alcoholics Anonymous they remind me that church is often uncomfortable
because everybody hides behind the mask of perfection. Junkies need to be honest about their pathology.
Sinners do too.
The only way anyone is going to notice that the treasure of Jesus resides within the clay jar of your body is
to acknowledge your brokenness. Instead of treating our mistakes, sins, and failures as something shameful
to be hidden, perhaps we can highlight our flaws with the golden grace of Jesus Christ. You are actually
more beautiful and more valuable because God has repaired you with his precious love. This New Year, let’s
all resolve to show off the “golden repair” of Christ the Lord. Let the treasure of Jesus seep out of every
flaw.
From the Senior Pastor
Ryan Eikenbary-Barber
From the Worship Pastor Matt Kennedy
If you’re an introvert like I am, the steady stream of parties and guests to host that come with the holiday
season can be exhausting. It’s a myth that introverts don’t enjoy having company or going to parties; but it
is true that for an introvert these things take a lot of energy. So when January rolls around: we’re pooped! I
know many Minnesotans plan vacations to sunny destinations in late January or early February, but I sus-
pect many of them aren’t just trying to escape the cold—they’re in need of a break from all the socializing!
The holidays are a busy time at church too, so it makes sense that January gets awfully quiet around church.
You probably know what I’m getting at. The four Sundays of Advent usually bring us the highest average
attendance of the year. Just as quickly, the month of January is usually some of the four lightest attended
weeks of the year. I don’t write all this to cast judgment. It all makes plenty of sense.
For the first time in over a decade of church ministry, this past December 14th, I had to call in sick on a
Sunday. I’ve missed lots of Sundays for planned absences, but this was the first time I ever had to call in at
the last minute to miss church. It was very strange. I certainly wasn’t enjoying myself as a stomach virus
knocked me out cold, but even as I lay motionless on my bed, I could see the appeal of a “day off” from
church to stay in pajamas and avoid the noise of the world for a while. Though I wasn’t at church, I was
definitely at prayer (mostly bargaining with God to spare me any more vomiting). Still, I felt myself missing
corporate worship. It might be restful for the body to stay in bed on Sunday morning, but as Saint Augus-
tine said, “our hearts are restless, until they find our rest in thee…”
I am not about shaming anyone from staying home from church on occasion. It is often necessary. But my
hope is that worship is not something that wears us out, rather it should be something that gives us rest. I
know it often doesn’t feel very restful though. Could it be that we bring with us too narrow expectations of
what worship should be? The worship we do is done with deliberate planning and preparation so that it is
faithful, reverent, festive, and beautiful. But our worship is also done in a spirit of freedom. Scripture tells
us, “wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom”-2 Corinthians 3:17. Freedom is an essential value of
Covenanters. We recognize that freedom is God’s gift to us, and a gift we share with one another. Freedom
is grace at work among us.
I spoke to a friend a few months back who confessed that because they were in the midst of an unhappy
time in life, they felt like they didn’t belong at church. They didn’t want the pressure of putting on a “happy
face.” The words broke my heart. Coming to church doesn’t mean putting on any face except the one you’re
born with! If you come to church, and you think it would be more restful for you to sit and listen rather
than sing, please feel the freedom to do so. If you come to church and feel unable to mingle, don’t feel you
have to. If you come to church full of doubt, feeling short on faith, remember that Jesus said just a mustard
seed is enough. The church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints.
"Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest" - Matthew
11:28.
Sunday Preparations Sign up to volunteer at: bethlehemcov.org/find/sign-up-to-help;