Shall the clay say to him that fashioned it: What are you making?

People travel to wonder at the height of mountains,
at the huge waves of the sea,
at the long courses of rivers,
at the vast compass of the ocean,
at the circular motion of the stars;
and they pass by themselves without wondering.
- St. Augustine

Scripture Text:(Jer 18:1-6)

This word came to Jeremiah from the LORD:

Rise up, be off to the potter's house;

there I will give you my message.

I went down to the potter's house and there he was,

working at the wheel.

Whenever the object of clay which he was making

turned out badly in his hand,

he tried again,

making of the clay another object of whatever sort he pleased.

Then the word of the LORD came to me:

Can I not do to you, house of Israel,

as this potter has done' says the LORD.

Indeed, like clay in the hand of the potter,

so are you in my hand, house of Israel.

Let us take a moment in silence today and imagine our lives as objects of clay.  Let us imagine our pasts, our presents, and our futures.  Let us see ourselves from God’s view; see our beautiful lives waiting to be molded into something so much more beautiful.  Let us see what beautiful things God has done in our lives, what blessings he has bestowed upon each of us. 

But it doesn’t look perfect does it? 

There are some bruises on the image, some failings, and some sins.  Let us hold this image in silence; let us look at the faults, the imperfections, and determine where we can each try again and make our lives what we desire, more importantly what God desires.  Where can we be more loving, more caring, more Christ-like?  Let us think of what the image of our lives would be had we looked to God in those moments of failing and sin, rather than our own selfish desires.  The image becomes much more beautiful and full of light.  Let us not be discouraged by this, but rather inspired.  We can try again; better yet we are encouraged to try again and to succeed. 

God the Potter won't stop working on us. He doesn't get frustrated; rather, He'll keep trying again and again and so should we.

It is with our lives; our Creator, God, easily impacts us if we only open our hearts to him.  Just as the slightest move of the clay maker’s hands can create pure beauty, so will the hand of God shape our hearts.