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For God, who said, \u201cLet light shine out of darkness,\u201d made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God\u2019s glory displayed in the face of Christ.\xa0 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. (2 Corinthians 4:6-7)

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School starts again today!\xa0 A ray of light in the darkness that says: this lockdown won\u2019t last forever!\xa0 It\u2019s certainly something to rejoice about, especially for those of you in school and probably for your parents too!\xa0

But, at the same time, this wee bit of reopening is not the kind of hope you can ground your life on.\xa0 There\u2019s always a threat hanging in the air that it might not last.\xa0 Vaccines are delayed.\xa0 Variants of the virus are swirling about.\xa0 The horizon of hope seems uncertain indeed, even if today we find ourselves breathing just a little bit lighter.

That, I think, is why Paul\u2019s reminder in 2 Corinthians is a helpful one.\xa0 Our hope\u2014the light of the gospel of Christ\u2014is not something of our own doing.\xa0 It\u2019s not something that shines forth because of human ingenuity or intervention.\xa0 Can it shine through those things?\xa0 Sure, but it doesn\u2019t originate there.

Our hope shines forth from Christ.\xa0 The power is God\u2019s.\xa0 What belongs to us is the jars of clay that are our lives, our bodies, and our world.\xa0 Fragile vessels that always teeter on the verge of brokenness.\xa0 We\u2019ve likely never been quite as collectively aware of that fragility of our lives and society as we are right now.\xa0 All the grand things we have, are, and do as individuals and even as a society are little more than fragile vessels, jars of clay.

But for those of us who follow Christ, what we hold in our little jars is no small thing at all.\xa0 We hold the life and light of Christ.\xa0 The hope of new life and a world restored.\xa0 The all-surpassing power of forgiveness and healing.\xa0

In our little clay vessels, we carry with us the immortal, invincible treasure of the Good News of Jesus Christ, and with it, the hope that one day there will be no more disease to cripple our bodies, plans, and society.\xa0 No more sadness or anxieties to weigh down our hearts and minds.\xa0 We carry with us the hope that far better news is yet to come than just schools reopening.

It\u2019s not from us or because of us.\xa0 We are naught but jars of clay.\xa0 But from God in Christ comes this glory and hope that fills our jars with something real, true, and solid.\xa0 Thanks be to God.

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