A Sacred Vessel - The Promise of Lent Devotional

A Sacred Vessel

Read: 2 Corinthians 4:5-7

We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure.

2 Corinthians 4:7

IF WE EVER WANTED a clear picture of how the realm of the spirit intersects with the material world, we need look no further than Jesus. The Incarnation was a restatement of who we were originally designed to be: dust of the earth formed into flesh and filled with the breath of God. That’s the picture we get from Eden, and nowhere has God said, “Never mind.” Jesus came as the exact image of God—our original design—and lived as we were supposed to live. He restored the pattern. He presented a portrait of the divine breath inside of a physical body destined for glory.

We, of course, live in corruptible flesh, but we are redeemed and restored to offer the same picture to the world. We are intersections of the human and divine—material bodies filled with the Spirit of God, fragile jars of clay filled with a great treasure, creatures of dust carrying a dazzling light. Sometimes—very often, in fact—that light is obscured beyond recognition, the treasure hidden deep inside. But it is there. Much of the Christian life is a matter of exposing it. The divine nature, no longer innate in us but freely available by faith, is given to us in order to be revealed.

The world longs for such a revelation (Romans 8:19), yet we are reluctant to claim that we have it. We focus instead on our frailties, faults, and fallenness. There is a time for that—Lent is one such occasion for healthy introspection and repentance—but it should always point us away from the problem and toward God’s glorious solution: the habitation of his Spirit within these material vessels. That’s where weakness becomes strength, faults are covered with mercy, pride gives way to humility, decay is overtaken by life, and the temporal is clothed in the eternal. In other words, our fragile jars of clay are a brilliant showcase for God.

Don’t be afraid to live as that showcase. Be humble, of course—it’s him in you, not just you alone—but you have been given an opportunity to reveal the character and nature of God to the world. Let the light shining in your heart scatter its rays into other hearts around you. Cultivate your treasure and share it freely.

PRAYER

Holy Spirit of God, fill this vessel of clay with overflowing treasure. Overcome the brokenness of my flesh with the wholeness of your wisdom, power, and love. Amen.

REFLECTION

In what ways might seeing yourself as a sacred vessel of God’s glory change how you relate to other people?

Further reading: 2 Peter 1:3-4

King of glory, soul of bliss, Alleluia!

Everlasting life is this, Alleluia!

Thee to know, thy power to prove, Alleluia!

Thus to sing, and thus to love, Alleluia!

“CHRIST THE LORD IS RISEN TODAY,” CHARLES WESLEY

From the Book: