Retired pastor Jack Harnish writes about the powerful truth that God has chosen us, frail and fallible humans, as vessels to carry the Good News of Christ to the world.
JOHN E. HARNISH
Retired Pastor, Michigan Conference
Fifty-seven years ago, I was a senior at Asbury College in Wilmore, Kentucky. One of the unofficial spring traditions at Asbury was Senior Panic. It happened when senior guys suddenly realized they were graduating without a betrothed. If they had been lucky enough to find a willing woman, they would hustle to pop the question. That’s a bit of an exaggeration . . . but not really.
If you had found the perfect candidate for your dreams, the next step was to strategize how to present the ring. Mine ended up inside a decorated sugar Easter egg. Charlie Van Meter’s diamond was the prize at the bottom of a Cracker Jack box. We all thought that was a bit risky, but St. Paul would understand. When he wrote to the Corinthians, he said, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us” (2 Corinthians 4:7, RSV).
Like a pearl of great price in a field, like a treasure in a clay pot, like a diamond in a box of Cracker Jack, we hold the Good News of Christ, the very Spirit of God, in our mundane, quotidian, all-too-human lives. The Eugene Peterson translation of this passage reads:
“If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That’s to prevent anyone from confusing God’s incomparable power with us. As it is, there’s not much chance of that. You know for yourselves, we’re not much to look at” (The Message, vv. 7-8).
In an old “Peanuts” cartoon, Linus contemplates his future while eating a sandwich. Looking at his chubby hands, he says, “These are hands which may someday accomplish great things… They may build mighty bridges, or heal the sick, or hit home-runs, or write soul-stirring novels! These are hands which may someday change the course of destiny!” Ever-cynical Lucy looks at his hands and says, “They’ve got jelly on them!” Sure they do, but God has entrusted his precious message, this priceless Gospel, into stubby-fingered, jelly-stained hands like yours and mine.
Just a bunch of cracked pots and clay jars, that’s all we are. Yet God has chosen to use us to carry his love to the world. Therefore, as St. Paul says, we do not lose heart!
Thanks be to God.
The publication of this article was made possible thanks to generous financial gifts from local United Methodist churches in Michigan through Ministry Shares. Thank you! Learn about the impact of Ministry Shares on mission and ministry in Michigan and around the world.
Last Updated on May 7, 2026