Sunday, August 8, 2021
The Potter
The imagery of a potter forming a vessel is one that speaks to both ancient and contemporary peoples. It presents us today with a metaphor for living.
God says: When you read my prophet’s words, do they speak to you? They may ring too stridently in your ear. When my prophet brings you this image, does it comfort you? It may be too brilliant for your eye. When my prophet brings you this thought, does it open you? It may be too difficult for your mind. When my prophet brings you this message, does it console you? It may be too marvelous for your heart. Do you see how my potter’s hands have been at work in you? I do not see you as a pot badly formed but rather as a vessel with much more potential than you have seen, much more hope than you have engendered, more love than you have imagined. Allow me to work with and in you so that you may be a vessel truly beautiful in your own eyes. So that you may be a vessel truly ringing with the word of God.
When we see ourselves as flawed we shrink from sharing who and what we are. When we see ourselves as God’s vessel, vulnerable to God’s touch, we blossom into God’s healing touch for ourselves and others.
For another reflection on God as the great potter, enter the words The Potter’s Hands into the blog search bar and explore.
For a reflection on Jeremiah 18:13-17, enter the words Unnatural Apostasy into the post search bar.
Richard Rohr, OFS, has written an insightful and practical tool which we might use to examine the vessel we have constructed for our own lives, and which we might use to allow God to become our faithful, loving potter. FALLING UPWARD: a SPITUALITY FOR THE TWO HALVES OF LIFE. Jossey-Bass, 2011. Print. For a synopsis, click on the image above or visit: http://erb.kingdomnow.org/featured-falling-upward-by-richard-rohr-vol-4-8-5/
For a 90 minute video lecture by Rohr at Texas Lutheran University on Falling Upward, go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1kXeklcmMI
For a FALLING UPWARD STUDY GUIDE, visit: https://cac.org/bookstore-2/fu-book/fu-study-guide
For a reflection on falling into the deepness of God’s love, visit the Falling Down the Well page on this blog at: https://thenoontimes.com/falling-down-the-well/
Ladder image from: https://quizlet.com/175083582/visual-arts-flash-cards/
The Noontimes 