The image of the potter in this passage, one of the best-known passages in Jeremiah, raises one of the most important theological issues in Scripture; the tension between, divine sovereignty and human freedom. Do our actions as human beings really have any effect on what God decides to do? Are we as individuals and communities locked into a course of events that God has already determined? 

The passage opens with a command to Jeremiah to go to the potter’s house where the word of the Lord will come to him. What follows is a straightforward description of the potter at work. Anyone who has observed a potter at work (and some of you may have practiced this craft yourself), knows that working with clay is demanding and time consuming. The vessel the potter intends can become misshapen as too much or too little pressure is exerted, or the wall of the pot becomes too thin or an intended shape doesn’t develop as planned. When this happens, the clay collapses and the potter has to begin again.  Jeremiah observes this process and the word of the Lord comes to him, making the work of the potter into a metaphor  for the way God works with communities and nations.  

Jeremiah’s lesson from God begins with the negative side of the metaphor. God as divine potter, can shape, destroy, and shape again. God emphasizes that the Divine will may be to “pluck up and break down and destroy;” this is within God’s power and God can will it!  But the other side of the metaphor is God declaring “if that nation turns from evil, I will change my mind”. 

This may well be a surprise to Jeremiah and to us: we are not really used to the idea that God might have a change of heart.  We tend to think of God as determining the course of the future and staying fixed upon that course. Is it possible that God’s plan is changeable?  Is it possible that human action might play a part in changing God’s mind? This passage tells us that God’s judgement is not pre-fixed; God responds to human repentance, to human change of heart. The Hebrew verb ‘to turn’ is used to mean ‘to repent’ in the bible. 

We are perhaps familiar with an interpretation of this passage which refers to God using the events of our lives to shape and form us, and I’m sure we could all give examples of how God has been present in our lives using events and circumstances to shape and form. But while God does indeed work with us to shape our individual lives, Jeremiah here is addressing primarily the life of the community and not the individual. God means to shape the community of faith in its collective, social, religious, and political life, to serve the Divine purpose. 

We can take three important lessons from this passage: First: God is deeply invested in our common life. The potter does not work aimlessly and neither does God. Every turn of the wheel matters. God is shaping us for purposes that often exceed our vision and imagination, and which also exceed our realistic and practical preoccupation with congregational and building maintenance.  

Second: the relationship between potter and clay, divine artisan and called community, is robustly dynamic. As a potter is not indifferent to the condition of the clay, so God is not indifferent to the way our collective life is taking shape.  

Third: there is a point in the process of raising a pot from the wheel when its future shape is set. For communities of faith too, there are watershed moments when the community faces choices that will have a profound effect on its future.  

Here at St. St. Matthias, we have come to such a watershed moment. Along with St. Phillip’s we are beginning a journey of exploration, where we will begin to discern whether we can better respond to God’s call together. It is a journey in which we will have to make choices, perhaps in some ways, difficult choices, as we consider whether we could be stronger together and better able to carry out the mission entrusted to us. There have already been conversations: between myself and Rev. Allen Doerksen, the rector of St. Phillip’s. Between the rectors and wardens of both parishes, and between the treasurers of the two parishes. Soon, the conversation will expand to include the parishioners of both parishes. This is a journey which will involve careful listening and ultimately a willingness to adapt and change. It will not always be easy, as each parish has its own identity, but ultimately, it is possible that we could be stronger together. I want to stress that the possibilities and choices before us are to be lay-driven and not pre-determined by the synod office. YOU are the church, and the clergy, including the bishop are here to serve you as you work this out and consider what might be possible. Ultimately, I urge you to trust the Master Potter who knows the whole history of this parish and that of St. Phillip’s. We are never alone on our journey, never without guidance, and never without the Spirit of God, guiding us. 

Turning our attention to today’s Gospel, we hear Jesus using pretty strong language. He tells us we must ‘hate’ our father and mothers, our sisters and brothers, that we must leave everything behind to follow him, that we too must take up our cross to follow him. This was all very counter-cultural in a time where the family was at the centre of society. I have a friend who always does careful research before making a purchase. For groceries, he goes through all the fliers, circling the better prices, for bigger items, he looks at all the information before deciding if he can afford to buy an item. In today’s Gospel, Jesus is providing us with all the information we need to calculate the cost of discipleship and he is telling us that we have to live with a certain detachment, a willingness to follow Jesus and put him first. He’s telling us that discipleship will not be easy and will require us again and again to let go. To surrender cherished beliefs and practices as we grow and come to deeper understandings, to love without possessing, to serve without being in control, and to pray with open hands, always making room to welcome the stranger. Change will always be a part of discipleship, sometimes radical change as the Spirit constantly pushes us out of our comfort zone. We can’t do any of it by ourselves and we’re not expected to, in fact problems arise when we try to go it alone. We are called to be a community with all the blessings, difficulties, frustrations and challenges that are inherent in that. A community that is inspired, motivated and compelled by the Spirit that empowers us to become what God has in mind for us. Amen.

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