.. or, the call to break open the jars containing our Christian treasures and share them with others.
When I was exploring a possible move to Cullompton I visited a number of local groups and individuals to test whether it was the right decision. One meeting I had was with two female clergy members who ministered in the area.
After a time of conversation we prayed together. One of the clergywomen shared with me a vision she had seen about a piece of clay. The clay began shaped as a jar, but gradually the person moulding it pressed it outwards and outwards until it became a very different shape.
“I think it means your ministry is going to challenge the shape of the church,” she told me, “And challenge the churches in this area. But it is being shaped by God and will be an answer to prayer.”
I have never forgotten what that clergywoman said, and have reflected on it often.
The image of treasure in clay jars is one used by the Apostle Paul in a letter to church members in Corinth (2 Corinthians 4.1-12). He is explaining how difficult it is to be the church in a world that does not understand it or its message.
For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness’, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
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.
From what Paul writes it is clear that the Corinthians are struggling. They are being threatened and persecuted, and their way of life is at risk. The gift of their faith is like treasure in clay jars, safe and contained, a precious commodity to sustain them during these very difficult times.
But in my colleague’s modern day vision the clay was very different, reshaped so that any treasure contained in it would be on show for all to see and spilling out for anyone to take. For me it was, and is, a powerful image and a very real challenge. It says to me that the time has come to break the mould and allow the treasure of our faith to glisten and gleam for all to see, on offer for anyone who wants to take it.
The Reformed Tradition has many treasures. Some are fundamentals for any church faithful in its call to love God and walk with Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. But there are things which make us unique, the particular treasures which shine: our relationship to scripture; our commitment to unity, justice, equality and inclusivity; our belief in living out the call to be one body of equal parts in a particular way, centred in the community where we live.
Perhaps now is the time to break the jars containing our particular treasures, or at least to make a radical remould of them. It’s a scary thought, relinquishing that which has kept us feeling safe and secure for so many generations. But Jesus challenged the rich to give away everything they owned in order to follow him. Maybe the time has come for us to do that too.
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This is the first in a series of blogs and articles related to how we might share our treasures. The first article is ‘What’s really going on when sacred and secular collide?’
Faith Inspiring Action 