09/06/2025
“The Clay Is Not the Problem”
Proper 18, Year C – Track 1
Jeremiah 18 | Psalm 139 | Philemon | Luke 14
Beloved, hear the word of the Lord:
He is the potter.
We are the clay.
The wheel turns. The hands press. The form changes.
And the clay—though wet, though soft—is not discarded. It is held.
Do not say, “I am ruined.”
Do not say, “I am too hardened.”
For the potter does not cast away the vessel. He reshapes it.
Jeremiah saw it.
The potter at his wheel, reworking what was spoiled.
Not with wrath, but with resolve.
Not with haste, but with holy patience.
And what does the Lord say?
“If the clay turns, I will relent.”
If the people repent, I will reshape.
Even disaster, even judgment, is formed—not flung.
The hands that shape mercy also shape consequence.
Yet the wheel still turns. The clay is still wet. The potter is still near.
And now, hear the words of the Christ:
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple.”
Do not stumble at the word “hate.”
It is not the hatred of rage, but the surrender of priority.
It is not the rejection of love, but the reordering of allegiance.
He who clings to his own life will lose it.
He who releases it will find it reshaped.
You must carry your cross.
You must count the cost.
You must renounce all that you have.
Not because you are worthless—no!
But because you are being made new.
Look to Philemon. Look to Onesimus. Look to Paul.
Onesimus was a slave, a fugitive, a man without status.
Yet in Christ, he became useful—his name fulfilled, his identity reformed.
Philemon was a master, a man of power.
Yet in Christ, he was called to surrender—to receive not a servant, but a brother.
And Paul, though apostle, though elder, though teacher—
He did not command. He appealed.
He did not dominate. He interceded.
He became clay again, shaped by mercy.
Each one was reformed.
Each one was reshaped.
Each one became a vessel for the gospel.
And now, beloved, I ask you:
What kind of clay are you?
What shape have you taken?
And is it the shape the potter desires?
Do you trust the hands that press?
Do you know the One who forms you?
Have you counted the cost?
Have you released your grip on what you were?
The clay is not the problem.
The wheel is still turning.
And the hands of the potter are still responsive.
Let us pray:
O Lord, help us surrender.
Help us trust the wheel, even when it spins.
Help us let go of the form we cling to.
Thank you for holding us.
Thank you for reshaping us.
Thank you for forming mercy from brokenness.
And we marvel—
That you know us,
That you do not forsake us,
That you make vessels of grace from dust and water.
Amen.
Go now, beloved:
Go as clay—wet, held, and turning.
Go as vessels—some bowls, some cups, all useful.
Go as disciples—who count the cost, carry the cross, and trust the hands that shape.
And may the mercy of the Potter,
the intimacy of the Spirit,
and the reformation of Christ
be with you,
reshape you,
and send you out in peace.
Amen.
Photo: “Potter Herman Kähler in his Workshop” (1890), Laurits Andersen Ring
