Jeremiah 18:1-11
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.
Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel. If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.
“Now therefore say to the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, ‘This is what the Lord says: Look! I am preparing a disaster for you and devising a plan against you. So turn from your evil ways, each one of you, and reform your ways and your actions.””
“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’
“Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.”
Again the church where we planned to worship looked like it was closed for the season. We drove around and checked a few churches but missed the early start time we were planning on.
The church has a comfy feel, I think due to the size and the configuration of the pews. There seems to be a real camaraderie among the members.
The cross over the stained glass is beautiful and the chancel sort of tucked in an alcove adds to the homey feel.
We were early and were invited down to the social area for coffee. They had reorganized their library and we accepted the offer of free books.
The highlight of this visit was hearing of Steffin Hill’s visit to Geneva College with cookies and brownies, accompanied by offers of prayer for the students. You may draw them to you with snacks but you’ll win them with prayers.
There were some members of the choir who smiled a lot and it was great to see their joy. I was glad we could be there for Sunday School Recognition and to partake of Communion, offered silently.
The sermon, “In the Potter’s Hand,” dealt with how God is with us, how He may build us up or take us down in accord with His plan for us. The talk of the potter remaking some pots that did not go as planned made me think of most of us as cracked pots that God finds a way to use us even with all our faults. What does God require of you? When we come together in Communion is a good time to ask.
Our last visit here was just shy of two years ago. We were greeted before we even entered the building and many folks stopped to welcome us throughout our visit. We were invited for coffee and sweets and to take what we wanted from a table of books the church had purged from their library.
The pretty sanctuary was fresh and clean, just like the atmosphere. Today was Rally Day of course, so many programs that had been on hiatus for the summer were starting up again and there was much excitement in the air.
We were thrilled to hear about some of the mission activities including Steffin Hill’s participation at Geneva College’s Christian College Fair where they joined numerous other area churches and passed out brownies and prayed with 40 Geneva students. There was also communication from missionaries in Cairo, Egypt.
The choir was small in number but had great harmony and volume.
As Bibles were presented to some of the youngsters I appreciated the pastor’s comment that “Everything we do is Christian education.” How true.
The message, entitled “In the Potter’s Hand,” focused on the difference between being a follower of Jesus and a disciple…the difference being the latter pays a price. She made a point I had never heard or considered before: there was a cost for Jesus to be a disciple of His Father. The cost was in the form of having to give up His heavenly glory for a time, being tempted, being an outcast among His own people, trying to teach the religious leaders, suffering physical and emotional exhaustion, being homeless, heartbroken, mocked, scorned, whipped, and crucified. She then declared that this should be the cost for us too and that many people of God are saved and that’s about it. Broken people are willing to pay the price and are used by God.
So the bottom-line question seems to be, will we confess (i.e., agree with God about) our brokenness and allow ourselves to be used by Him? Are we willing to pay the price of discipleship in order for Him to fulfill His plan for our lives?
For the most part we are so intent on avoiding pain in our lives that we give fear more power than we should. Our fear causes us to run from anything that appears painful. Only when we reach the point of being broken and finally turning to God…when we finally give up trying to keep everything under control and simply run to Jesus…only then can we finally see God’s plan for our life.
God never said it would be easy. He only said it would be worth it.
Lord, we pray You continue to encourage this church’s ministry to Geneva students and all of their needy neighbors. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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