God, the Potter (Jer. 18:1–11)

The writers of the scriptures used images that the people of that time could connect with. In the time of Jeremiah, every town had a potter, and I can imagine that people would stop by and watch the potter work. There is something fascinating about watching someone work a lump of something that has very little form into something useful and beautiful. Many times in the Bible, we hear God referred to as “the potter.” God shapes many things.

If you have ever watched a potter or worked with a potter’s wheel and clay yourself, then you know that sometimes the clay has a mind of its own. It takes on a shape that is completely malformed. The potter has to start over. Like the potter, God has the power to change the game plan. God is in charge. The people that Jeremiah was speaking to directly and to us today need to be reminded that we are not in charge.

We are also reminded by this passage that God wants what is best for us and is willing to change His mind concerning us. Jeremiah is calling the people of Israel to repentance. The word repent means to “turn around.” The people had turned away from God, and they needed to turn back to God. We too are called to turn back to God by confessing our sin and asking for forgiveness. That is why we have confession as a part of our regular worship service.

Letting Go

In this passage from St. Luke’s Gospel, we hear Christ talking about what it takes to be one of his disciples. This passage is often referred to as describing “the cost of discipleship.” The German Pastor and Theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote a book entitled The Cost of Discipleship. Bonhoeffer expounds on the concept that is set out in this reading from Luke. Christ makes some very strong statements in this segment of scripture. He talks about giving up all of our possessions in order to follow him.

It is easy to allow the material things of this world to take control of our lives. They can prevent us from having a relationship with God. This is what Christ is warning against. When we can let go of worldly things, we have a freedom to spend our energies on seeking God’s will in our lives. It is not that God does not want us to have good things—God does want us to have the very best things. However, God wants to be the center of our lives. We cannot keep God at the center of our lives if we allow something or someone to take that place.

In Chapter 22 of Genesis, we hear the story of God asking Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. God did not actually want Isaac sacrificed: He wanted Abraham to realize that the most important thing in his life was God. That is the point that Christ is making. Nothing should be more important to us than God.