One of the lesions I was reminded again this last week as I was studying for the sermon yesterday is how God can use flawed, ordinary people to spread His perfect and extra-ordinary message.  You see, people in the 1st century (and even people in our own time) found it hard to believe that nobility or extra-ordinary wisdom could come from those of lowly birth.  Only those who were born with prestige or from well-to-do parents could grow up to be important themselves.  This was why Jesus’ hometown could not see Him as anything more than a carpenter.  “The myth of the Greco-Roman world was that godliness was tied to nobility.  [Similarly] the myth of our time is the godliness to tied to success.  . . . Mark invites us to commit ourselves to the truth that god does awesome thing through people and events that appear to be merely ordinary”  (Kernaghan 119)  I find it fascinating that God uses what Paul refers to as clay vessels to shine God’s love through.  We do not have to be perfect or successful or noble to show forth the message of Jesus.  And in fact, it enhances our message that God loves the broken and imperfect.  None of us should feel superior because without God’s love in our hearts, we are no better than anyone else.  We are all beggars telling each other where to find bread.