Left...over

My family and I are still noshing on leftover turkey. Which got me thinking about how leftovers have really gotten a bad reputation over the years. True...turkey sandwiches night after night can numb the taste buds...but leftovers can also inspire us to try new recipes or even experiment with our own culinary talents.

And that got me thinking about the sermon I preached on Jeremiah 18:1-11 a few weeks ago...Thanksgiving weekend actually. There are some times I want a mulligan on sermons. Not that the one I preach was necessarily bad (you can click here to hear the "Reformed and Reshaped sermon) It was just that I could sense that a few of the pieces were not quite coming together the way I'd like.

This passage from Jeremiah talks about God being like a potter who reworks a 'marred' piece of clay. On the surface, this can feel like a less than affirming image of God or of us as humanity either. To be sure, we all have flaws or things we want to change. But to think of God reshaping those flaws or even us entirely feels forceful. Not to mention, we are surrounded by images daily that point out our shortcomings when it comes to our skin, our clothes, our car, the top ten ways we could be a better parent, save more, and have fresher breath. I want to come to church and for a few fleeting moments remember that I have gifts and do occasionally get things right and that God sees that too.

Yet the more I have thought of this image of a potter and clay, the less I am convinced that there is really anything forceful about it. Think of it this way. If you are working with clay and the vase you are shaping ends up like a blob in your hand; chances are you will be a bit frustrated. If when you start to reshape and reform that clay you are still carrying that frustration, if the tension sits on your shoulders, there is a really good chance the clay is going to rebel and become misshaped just like it did the first time.

You have to work with the clay (not against it or force it). You have to be in tune to places where the clay is getting too thin or the shape is starting to be distorted. Doing that in a frustrated or angry way just does not work. How much more for us as humans involved in this profound and life giving relationship with God?

So, if God is reshaping us and reforming us, I don't believe it is done in frustration at all. Just as clay can have a life of its own...so much more for you and I. God's reworking sees our potential, sees the way you and I are taking shape, sees where we are running a bit thin (especially this time of year).

Two weeks ago, I wish I would have had that insight.

But then again, like the leftover turkey tetrazzini my family will be enjoying tonight, I might have missed a chance to write this post.

May God's presence and peace surround you during this sacred time of year in a way that gives you strength and fills you with God's love. May the traces of God's grace be felt as we inch closer to Bethlehem this Advent season.