Sunday Sermon

Sermon # 1006
Jeremiah 18:1-11
Dr. Ed Pettus

“The Potter and the Clay”

Many years ago a community held their first annual craft fair. It was way out in the country where such things were quite popular and this particular fair lasted one full week. Seven days of booths, shows, contests, with crafts of all kinds made available for viewing, purchasing, and classes where the artists could teach their crafts.

The craft fair planning committee got together and decided to emphasize pottery for the inaugural event. Potters came from all over countryside to show their work and to enter the daily pottery contest. Each day a prize was awarded and potters would bring their works, some made pieces beforehand and others formed their creations on site so everyone could see how they worked.

On the first day, as each potter displayed their work on tables. There were pots, bowls, chalices, various attempts at other shapes. One potter placed an odd looking figure on his table. It looked something like a ball that appeared to glow with energy. It seemed to give energy to those who saw it. There was a simple title, “Light”, and the judges were quite impressed with it and gave the potter a blue ribbon for the first day.
Everyone was excited with a wonderfully successful day one.

On the second day potters worked and worked to shape new creations to win the second blue ribbon and all who saw the works were delighted. The same potter who won the first day’s competition exhibited another strange looking object that again amazed all who saw it. He called it “Sky” but words really fall short in attempting to describe it. It was another amazing piece and garnered another blue ribbon.

Well, as day three rolled around, all the potters were shooting to win over the potter who had already won two blue ribbons. But day three was no different. It was a very simple work, he called it “Tree” and he won yet another blue ribbon. Three in a row – the potter was on a roll.

By the fourth day the other potters were amazed at this winning streak. They had never seen anything like it. Soon other potters were coming around to see what this potter would create next. On the fourth day of the contest he fashioned another ball and then a series of balls, some glowed and others reflected the light. He called this work, “Lights”. Another potter was overheard saying: “That’s just like the first day, surely he can’t win with a copy of the first day.” But the judges, they thought it was the coolest thing they had ever seen. They were even more impressed by this display of creativity and so he took home yet another first place ribbon.

On day five many potters just gave up and watched this one potter who was winning all the first place ribbons. During the morning, he worked his clay, shaped a magnificent looking creature. The title was: “Fish”, and the judges could not help themselves. They gave an unbelievable fifth blue ribbon to the same potter.

Now on the sixth day no one believed that the potter could create anything more spectacular than the previous five works. By now everyone at the fair was talking about this one potter. As the sixth day progressed, everyone waited in anticipation to see what would be displayed. He brought out his latest work, which was covered with a cloak. Everyone stretched to see and when the cloak was removed they looked to see a shape that looked like the potter himself. The shape was lying down as if the potter did a clay mold of himself sleeping. This appeared to be the least impressive work thus far. It did not glow, it did not stand tall like the tree, and it disappointed nearly everyone there, including the judges.
Then, just as the judges began to move on to the next table, the potter motioned for them to wait. He bent over the shape - and took a deep breath - and slowly - and deliberately blew on the figure. Everyone wondered why until they noticed that the figure began to move! At first the movement was just a slight rising around the chest as if it were breathing. The people standing around blinked, shook their heads, and stared at the amazing pottery. Then the shape sat up and it began to examine itself. The judge’s mouths had by now opened wide in utter amazement. The shape looked itself over for a few seconds and then stood up and began to dance a little jig. It danced and danced and them started singing: “I am fearfully and wonderfully made!” “I am fearfully and wonderfully made!” “I am fearfully and wonderfully made!”
The shape danced and sang and praised the potter who had shaped it and had given it life. There was no doubt now that this was the best creation the craft fair judges had ever witnessed. Everyone was abuzz about the event and eagerly looking forward to the last day of the fair. Certainly it would be the most spectacular pottery ever created - bringing the craft fair to a climactic end.

Day seven: the potter was not seen throughout the morning and everyone began wondering if he was hiding somewhere creating a special final creation. As the contest began, all present saw another cloak covering the table used by the six time winning potter and they gathered around to see it revealed.
The contest was beginning and the potter was nowhere to be seen, so one of the judges removed the cloak and everyone looked with excitement to see, but the only thing there was a stool and the potter’s wheel. No great pottery, no shapes, no work, just a title and a note. The title read “Sabbath” and the note said: “six days shall you work but on the seventh, rest.”

The judges and all present were very confused and somewhat disappointed. They had so hoped to have a great ending to the fair, but this was not what they expected. The fair was over and while many were disappointed in the final day – they still talk about that particular fair with the amazing pottery from that particular potter.

Over the next few years the potter shaped numerous objects like the one who danced and sang. The potter taught all his creations to sing and dance.

(Singing) “Dance, then, wherever you may be; I am the Lord of the Dance, said He, And I’ll lead you all, wherever you may be, And I’ll lead you all in the Dance, said He.”

Somehow, from time to time his creations decided to remain silent. Other times they would not dance. They no longer danced a jig or sang a song. Then, even worse, some of his creations began to sing to other potters and dance for potters who did not give them life. So the potter finally decided to give them a choice, if they would turn from their silence and sing a new song he would change his mind about what he planned to do. You see, he had decided that if they continued to sing to other potters or to dance to anyone who had not given them the gift of breath, he would have to destroy them and start with some new clay.

It is said that to this day that same potter is forming new singers and dancers, creating new figures and giving them life. He teaches them to sing and to dance. And perhaps the most amazing thing he does for them is give them the freedom to choose what songs they will sing and what dances they will dance and his hope, his hope is that they will return to him alone to sing a new song and dance a new jig.

That is the story of the potter and the clay.
Amen.