God’s not done with you yet!

Jeremiah 18: 1-11

I am not sure how many of you have “thrown clay” before but it is a messy process of creation that on one hand seems violent- the term itself is a violent image.  Throwing, smacking, pressing, kneading are all very forceful words. But on the other hand the image is beautiful- smoothness, balance, centering, proportion and shape- more like a dance than a battle requiring an even, gentle touch.  There is beauty in the finished product but there is also beauty in the process of creation as well.  The creator has an image of what he or she wants that lump of clay to become… a bowl, cup, plate, vase…. The possibilities are nearly limitless but as the creation process progresses the clay does not always want to cooperate or imperfections develop so the potter begins again- smashing it down and starting from scratch.

In Jeremiah’s time, pottery was less about beauty and more about function.  Pottery items were used for everything- tools to cook, vessels for holding and serving food, lamps, items for worship including personal alters and idols.  Pottery was very utilitarian for most people and it was very fragile.  It was important that blemishes be worked out and corrected during the creation process so that it would be strong, functional and resist the temperatures from the kiln and from future cooking processes. 

I know for me, the first image that arises when I think of creating pottery is the romantic scene between Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore in Ghost.  It is sweet and romantic if not a little messy.  But if we are honest and look at the reality of creation; it is always messy and often violent. 

Even the way children become adults is often a painful process.  Children are exposed to violence, forced to navigate the tortures of making friends and dealing with bullies and betrayals of trust, learning to deal with the highs of success and the lows of failure, learning to love their imperfections as well as the places they excel. This is often a lifelong process whether we are 15, 35, 55 or 85- with each decision we make right or wrong we learn to live with and embrace the consequences, repent of our mistakes and try to make better choices the next time. 

This is the process that God is trying to explain to the Israelite people in our scripture but the lesson is not just for them.  This is a lesson that transcends time.   We have the benefit of hindsight when it comes to scripture.  We know how that particular segment of the story ended.  The Israelites, despite this warning refused to change, refused to turn back to God, refused to repent.  Soon thereafter, Jerusalem was destroyed by the neo-Babylonians and the people were scattered throughout the region.

God’s grace and love remained though and this was not the end of Israel’s story.  If it were we would not have many other books in the Bible including the New Testament.  God used this very painful time in the history of Israel to reform, recreate and give the Israelites another chance to choose God. 

While on the surface, this scripture lesson and the lesson we learn from the lives of the Israelite people in Jeremiah’s time seems to be one of doom.  With God there is always hope always another chance. 

No, their story does not end with the destruction and defeat by the Neo-Babylonians.  Yes, they are scattered for a time but as the Persian Empire gained strength and power the Jewish people were allowed, even encouraged to return to their homeland.  It was a difficult process I am sure to be a part of how God started over with the people and nation of Israel but even today it is evident that God has not given up on them. 

God tells Jeremiah that there is a connection between God’s self and the work of the potter.  We believe in the depths of our soul that God is the creator of all things.  We believe God created the universe, each thing we see- both man-made and natural.  We believe that we were lovingly and wonderfully made by that God.  God as creator was very evident as we walked through Deep Creek yesterday.  Plants in bloom, shade from the trees full of leaves, the cool breeze and warm sunshine.  There is even something holy in the laughter from the kids tubing down the creek as tubers and hikers alike enjoyed this gift from God. 

Creation though often requires reshaping.  A community once stood in that place; homes, gardens, dams and roads now gone or repurposed to be enjoyed by a new generation of people and animals.  Old trees rotting, upended at the root, the power and strength of the waterfalls crashing down, smoothing the rough edges of the rocks below, leaves beginning to turn yellow and fall to the ground. 

The beautiful Islands of Hawaii were created from the violent explosion of a Volcano!  The majestic Grand Canon was created from the violent forces of rushing water.  Even the magic of life itself is brought forth through the violent act of labor.  Creation is a painful thing--- but it is also a beautiful thing full of joy, excitement and passion.   Creation is both life and death and death that harbors in new life. 

God is the potter and we are the clay.  God is the creator and we are the created. 

We often have the benefit of 20/20 vision as we look back on the story of the Israelite people, the story of the people and nature that surrounds us in these mountains, and sometimes even our own lives. 

We see the results of the latest edition of God’s creation.  We watch as children grow, learn from their mistakes and begin to make mature well thought out decisions instead of emotion charged impulse choices.  We look back at the history of our own lives and see how God has smoothed the rough patches of our lives.  We can see how although there have been times of pain, there have also been times of joy. It is difficult and often impossible to see the process of creation in the midst of emotion but it is there and can often be seen more clearly as we examine our past. 

We see how God has given us a redo; new relationships, new jobs , the opportunity to put down an addiction, the chance to start over.  This process never ends.  Even if we think we always make the right decisions each phase of our life is God’s way of giving us the opportunity to be flexible, listen to his calling, allow God to mold us into a new creation, start over, begin again.  Each time we change jobs, a new child is born, when we retire, move to a new town, start a new hobby, make new friends.  Each allows us to try again.

There is joy and hope in the promise God makes to each and every one of us.  God is not through with you yet!  God is not through with you yet!

There is always a chance to return to God, make holy and healthy decisions for you and your family.  We are being shaped and molded by God to be the Christians we are called to be. 
Our ultimate desire then should be to remain soft, pliable and flexible like clay in the hands of our Creator.   These items on the altar have long been determined.  They are what they are- some useful, some beautiful and others… well, interesting- but we are not called to be a bowl or a cup.  When we get set in our ways and refuse to believe we can change or to be molded into the object desirable to God- instead of becoming something new and useful we will simply break.  Sitting still, being satisfied with the status quo, being stagnate in our faith is when we dry up and become brittle.

The joy and the curse of this is that it is up to us.  God has given us the free will to decide.  Yes, there are plenty of times when God makes things happen despite our most fervent efforts to fail but ultimately it is our choice.  Are we willing to be worked, molded and formed into the image of God- ever growing, ever listening and ever learning? Or, are we stuck, refusing to bend satisfied with the imperfections in our lives?

The Good News is that God is not done with you yet!  Unlike these items of pottery- we are not set, our future is not predetermined, God is still willing to work with us, to shape, mold and remake as many times as is necessary. We have been given the ultimate example of love, sacrifice, hospitality, salvation, and patience in the life of Christ.  

As we can see from the example of Israel and by looking back on our own live.  God is a God of second chances, and third and fourth- always willing to adjust to the decisions we make.
As Christians we don’t believe in reincarnation but we do believe in recreation.  Each day we wake up we are given the choice of how we want to live that day.   Each day is a chance to start a new life in faith allowing God to use us and mold us into the vessels of Christ’s love. 

Ponder for a moment your life until now.  Where can you see God smoothing off the rough edges?  Where can you see yourself being resistant to God’s molding?  What choices can you make today that will allow God to reshape your life, your relationships, your future?