June 2014 – Pr. Eric’s Newsletter

Dear friends,

I write this from a continuing education event that I am at this week.  It is called the “Festival of Homiletics”, which means a celebration of preaching.  Our theme is about using the imagination in sermons.  I listened to 3 good sermons and 2 good lectures and one so/so discussion today.

One of the sermons was about clay jars.  If you have a few minutes look at Jeremiah 18:1-12, Isaiah 45:9-10 and 2 Corinthians 4:7-15.  They are all lessons that refer to clay jars.  We were reminded of the fact that the church is a clay jar.  It holds the treasure which is the gospel, the good news of Jesus.  We were reminded that we sometimes focus more on the clay jar than on the treasure inside.  We have all experienced many changes in the church, the church is not what it used to be.  Of course this is how it must be because the world is not the same as it used to be either.  This was encouraging to me.  We were reminded that as the clay jar that holds the treasure of the gospel all we, the church, really need is a book, a towel, a table and a cup. And, we are not alone.  God is working in and through us all the time so that the gospel gets proclaimed and lived out.

I thought about our theme, “Who are we?”.  We are a clay jar so that all will know that the power is not in us but in God.  We are a tested, trusting, called, holy and proclaiming clay jar.  The people of God with a treasure to share.

Enjoy these wonderful summer days!

Pastor Eric