The Divine Potter

~~~ Jeremiah 18:1-6 ~~~ Psalm 146 ~~~ Matthew 13:47-53 ~~~

This word came to Jeremiah from the LORD:

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

there I will give you my message.

What kind of message can you get from 

a lifeless ball of clay?

Perhaps it is a message of hope.

The potter tirelessly works the clay...

the potter picks up the clay...

the potter caresses the clay...

the potter develops a love relationship with the clay. 

Jeremiah had to get up and go down

 to the potter's house.

We do likewise when get up and go to our churches.

The potter's workshop houses all that is needed

 to make the most beautiful piece of pottery.

When we rise up and go to Mass

the potter has the unique opportunity to create

a most beautiful piece of pottery.

The potter desires to create you into his masterpiece.

A vessel ready to be cured in the fire.

A vessel too beautiful to be taken for granted.

The Divine Potter is waiting to mold you on his wheel.

Rise up, be off to the potter’s house...

Rise and go up to the potter's house

he is waiting for you.

The master potter has great plans

to mold you into the most beautiful vessel imaginable.

I am reminded that the clay is not in charge.

The clay does not act alone.

The clay ultimately surrenders

 to the skilled hands of the potter.

I invite you to picture yourself in the hands of Jesus.

Allow him to form you into His beautiful piece of pottery.

You are unique.

The potter calls you his beloved.

Always Blessed with hope in the potter's hands.

Always loved in the potter's hands.

Always treasured in the potter's hands.

~~~ Peace ~~~

Re-Working the Clay

~~~ Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Priest ~~~ 

~~~ Jeremiah 18:1-6 ~~~ Psalm 146 ~~~ Matthew 13:47-53 ~~~

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.

The Potter, the Fisherman, the Head of Household all made decisions.
The Potter worked the clay with his hands surrounding the wheel.
As the wheel turns the clay begins to take shape, but sometimes the clay collapses
becoming something other than what the potter had planned.

God as the Potter can shape me into his design, when I sin or stray
 it is as if I fall off of the potter's wheel...out of his hand...
as if I am turning out badly.

Do you trust that God is strong enough to take your brokenness
 and make of you into something better,
more pleasing to him?

God as the Fisherman allows all of the fish to be caught
 in the net...to be lifted out of the waters.

The Fisherman now carefully looks through his 'catch'
the good fish found and placed in the bucket.

When we sin we put ourselves in higher risk
of being cast out of the net...of being left
 on the shore gasping for air.

God as the Head of the Household
brings forth from the storeroom both the old and the new.

Jesus brought forth the new while taking care to preserve the old.
The Kingdom of God is so much more than we can comprehend.
It is more all encompassing than we would allow.

When God enters the scene, whether we are clay, fish,
or something tucked away in the storeroom
all things are subject to change.

I invite you to allow God to work you in his hands
 as he would a humble lump of clay.

I invite you to consider when the net scoops you up,
will you find yourself in the 'bucket'
with the keepers.

Lastly I invite you to consider how broad
God's perspective is as he goes to the storeroom
 and brings you up into the light.

We are Blessed because God never gives up on us...
He is always ready to rework the clay.
~~~Peace~~~

Standing at the Threshold

~~~ James 4: 1-10 ~~~~ Psalm 55 ~~~~ Mark 9: 30-37 ~~~

Today we stand at the threshold of Lent.

We encounter thresholds every time we enter through a doorway.  We take them for granted...but should we? Thresholds serve a purpose because they contain weather striping creating a more energy efficient entrance into the structure.

Webster defines threshold: A piece of wood or stone placed beneath a door; a door sill. An entrance or a doorway...A point of entry or beginning of something new...

Limen is Latin for threshold. noun: A threshold of response: point at which a stimulus is of sufficient intensity to generate a response.
I would invite you to use every threshold you cross during Lent this year as a stimulus to generate a response. Each time you cross a threshold make the conscious decision...to

"Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you."

If we stay at the threshold we cannot draw near to God. We must cross the threshold. We must go inside. It takes courage and conviction to cross this threshold. We are uncertain of what really lies on the other side of this threshold. If we do not cross the threshold we will not know God.

This Lent we are called to '..submit yourselves to God'. Cross the threshold into Lent and there God will  '...cleanse your hands... and purify your hearts'. Our invitation is to come away  a little while with the Lord during this Lenten time. Come inside where he is waiting for you. Waiting for you to submit your heart and soul into his hands. He is the potter and we are the clay.

Cross the threshold...come inside and he will make you new again...creating in you a clean heart.
If you make the effort these next forty days to draw nearer to God your heart will be changed. No one can draw near to God without being changed.

Drawing near to God is 'energy efficient' because the closer you are to him the easier it is to communicate with him. When God draws near to us his presence in our life is better than any 'weather striping' we could purchase. When he is near to us we are under his protective care. No harm can come to those who love him.

"Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you."

Let this Lent be the true beginning of something new in your heart.

I took this photo of the threshold into the Mary garden.

If we do not cross the threshold we will never know what wonders lie inside.

I chose this kaleidoscope image because there are tiny subtle pieces of brilliance just waiting to be explored. Come inside a see for yourself what wonders God has in store for you this Lent.

I will join you there.