In June we toured Scandinavia, land of the Vikings. The Vikings had a reputation of being tough, fearless, ruthless, invaders and plunderers. We also toured a place called Vaxjo, Sweden. This area of southern Sweden is famous for glass, and its nickname is “Kingdom of Crystal.” Millions of tourists come to see the glass there each year. The most famous of the glass producers is Kosta Boda founded in 1742. There are two things about glass, it’s usually fragile and transparent.
2 Corinthians 4:1-15
The Vikings had a reputation for being brave and ruthless raiders. We tend to value bravery and toughness. We tell our children “big boys don’t cry” or “show me your muscles.” Weakness is not admired in our society and as a result, we all tend to wear a mask. We hide who we really are. We hide all our scars, our insecurities, and weaknesses behind a mask of what we want people to see. In verse 3 Paul talks about hiding the good news behind a veil. In verse 7 Paul compares us to fragile jars of clay holding the treasure of God’s message of salvation. God’s light can only shine through those fragile cracks in the jar or if we choose not to plug them. People can only see the beauty of your faith if you take off the veil. The Bible says its OK to be weak. God’s strength is revealed in our weakness. Don’t be like iron, be like glass, fragile and transparent. Let the good news of the message of salvation shine through you. Have you ever asked what happened to those Vikings? They were converted to Christianity of course. No one can defeat the all powerful love of Christ.