Jeremiah 18:1-11 and Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18 or [Deuteronomy 30:15-20 and Psalm 1] Philemon 1-21 Luke 14:25-33
The potter at his wheel is a very evocative image, more so to those who would have witnessed it (like Jesus) in their own backyards. They would have seen the craftsman start to make the pot
and then decide it wasn't quite right and squash it all down and start again
often the amateur looks on with amazement wondering why the work has begun again. To us it looks OK
to the artist, the craftsman, the master they see something that needs more and more and more work
So, this is a quite a useful image for you and me
of the way God sees us
we may think we are OK
or that there is not much that can be done but God views us rather differently than we view ourselves.
So Paul revisits quite a lot of his old friendships, and relationships
...like this one with Onesimus
and finds with maturer and deeper reflection
that things change
He was not always given to kind reflections,
but he does not stand still
and there is a sense in which he becomes more compassionate,
more charitable as he grows older.
So might this happen to all of us!
THIS WEEK
- Take a few moments to ask God if you are seeing your life as God sees it.
- Is there something about your life that you are just not understanding?
- Do you have a relationship with another person that needs to be re-evaluated in a more positive light? Are there things that need to be begun again?
- And remember, sometimes what looks or feels like destruction is a new beginning
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