Christ Notes – February 23, 2012

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD  "Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message."  So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel.  But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Jer 18:1-4

A few years ago, my picture was in the Cherokee County newspaper.  At least, I think it was.  My good friend Ginny and I went to Holbrook Campground for a worship service at their annual camp meeting.  It was a new experience for me and a joy to see so many families staying onsite for this traditional event.

As the worship service started one of the pastors in charge – a friend of mine – saw me and asked me to lead one of the prayers.  Not long after, a woman from the newspaper told me that she had taken a picture of me during the prayer and wanted to know my name and where I was from.  (Ginny now wants to be my publicist.)  I couldn’t help but be amused at the irony of being the picture representative of this event when I was merely an innocent bystander and had done none of the hard work of making it happen.

The message that day, brought by the Rev. James Smith, used the above text from Jeremiah.  He eloquently reminded us that we are still works in the hands of God, continually being shaped, re-shaped and perfected.  If one shape doesn’t work out or is finished in its use, then God prepares us for the next shape, and the next, and the next.

It occurs to me that we are very different from the pliable clay on that potter’s wheel.  We are called into service long before our shape is complete; while our clay is still wet and more work is still to be done.  Throughout our lives, we are works in progress; imperfect and unfinished, but useful nevertheless.  God calls us now, in this and every moment – even with our lumps and sharp edges.  And our response is to say “yes,” even if we have leaks, chips or weak handles.  God knows we will chip and break, but continues to spin us on the wheel until our final form becomes apparent.  We will just have to wait and see.

Now that we have started the season of Lent (we began yesterday with the celebration of Ash Wednesday), we take this formation even more seriously.  Lent is a time of preparation as we make our hearts ready to contain the good news of the resurrection.  Don’t be a bystander.  Make a plan.  Engage in a new spiritual practice, or choose a fast (give something up) for Lent.  Make a conscious and disciplined effort to grow during this season.  Your church family will be growing right along with you.

Blessings,

Rev. Nancy