God's Living Clay

Scripture

 Jeremiah 18:1-11

¹The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: ²“Come, go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.” ³So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. ⁴The vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to him.

⁵Then the word of the LORD came to me: ⁶Can I not do with you, O house of Israel, just as this potter has done? says the LORD. Just like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. ⁷At one moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, ⁸but if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will change my mind about the disaster that I intended to bring on it. ⁹And at another moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, ¹⁰but if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will change my mind about the good that I had intended to do to it. ¹¹Now, therefore, say to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: Thus says the LORD: Look, I am a potter shaping evil against you and devising a plan against you. Turn now, all of you from your evil way, and amend your ways and your doings.  (NRSV)

 

Devotion

My sister is a potter.  When she was in college, I loved to go watch her sculpt clay in her campus's art warehouse.  It would take her a few moments at the wheel to bring a shapeless lump of clay into something beautiful and useful.  She made it look so easy!  And yet whenever she gave me a turn, even my attempts to make a basic doggy dish would devolve into lopsided monstrosities.  My sister would laugh at my frustration, push everything back to center, and help me start over.  Eventually, I would give up, and she would go on to mold teapot or a coffee cup.  She even made me a tiny chalice!  I was always amazed by what could take shape in my sister's hands.

It is little wonder that Jeremiah compares Israel to clay in God's hands.  From Exodus on, God had been trying to mold the people into just and merciful nation that God wanted them to become.  The people would do well for a while, but then they would become corrupt and turn from God's ways.  Like a potter dissatisfied with their work, God would then work through prophets to reshape the nation by encouraging people to  tear down what had gone wrong, re-center their lives on God's ways, and go back to building up the community that God desired.  

Through God's guidance, Jeremiah  could see that the people's injustice and lack of mercy had reached the point that God was getting ready to break everything down.  This did not mean, though, that God had given up on Israel.  Being conquered by other nations may feel like the end of the world, but God will not abandoned them forever.  Instead, God would use this time to re-center and re-form their faith so that the nation can be built up again.  With God there to shape and mold them, even defeat and captivity could pave the way to the creation of something amazing.

Sometimes the events that break down everything we are used to help mold us into something better than what we originally were.  This does not mean that God puts bad things in our paths.  It means that God works to bring about good out of even the worst situations we an imagine.  I believe that God is going to use the pandemic in just this way.  During the past twelve months have been, God has helped us reassess what really matters to us and recenter our lives.  People have grown closer to certain loved ones and more emphatic about the activities and/or groups that are important to them.  

God has also helped churches reshape our ministries.  Holding church online and/or outdoors has invited people who cannot attend on Sunday mornings (for any number of reasons) or who do not feel comfortable walking into a sanctuary the opportunity to worship with us.  It also gives pastors a chance to be spiritually fed by "attending' the services of their friends and colleagues.  Similarly, online Bible studies, fellowship opportunities, and the like are increasing some people's ability to build connections with one another throughout the week.  I know of one church that has started a thriving card ministry to people in nursing homes...and another that delivers groceries to seniors who do not feel safe going to the store.  It has also encouraged churches to work together with one another and other community groups to assess needs, share ideas/resources, and support one another's ministries.   Even in the midst of so much pain and confusion, we are being remolding into better reflections of his God's love for all people.

This remolding process is painful, but it is ultimately good.   The candle holder pictured at the top of this post was given to me as I finished up an internship at a church in Kentucky.   My mentor pastor Janice explained that congregation had chosen to give me one made of clay as a way of reminding me that God has formed me into the person I am...and that God continues to mold me still.   She said that there will be times when I feel like I am cracking apart or being torn into...but that it is our cracks that allow God''s light within us to shines through for others to see.   I was floored by the thought that went into what had first seemed like a simple gift.  The candle holder now sits on my living room mantle so that every time I step into the room, I am reminded that no matter how easy or how difficult life may be, God is constantly shaping me in ways that allow the Spirit's light to shine through me.

As we begin to see the light at the end of the COVID tunnel, let us not discount the ways the Holy Spirit has made its presence known during this difficult times.  Instead, let us remember that we are clay in the sculptor's hands and celebrate the ways that God has molded and shaped us so that Christ's light within us can shine out into the world. I look forward to seeing how God will continue to shape us as we move closer to a post-pandemic world.

Prayer

 Great Sculptor, thank you for using even life's terrible times to shape me into a better reflection of your love.  Mold me and the communities I belong into what you would have us become.  I trust in your good plans, and I am ready for your light to shine through me.  Amen.