{"id":1148,"date":"2013-09-08T15:14:19","date_gmt":"2013-09-08T15:14:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/?p=1148"},"modified":"2020-12-03T11:46:38","modified_gmt":"2020-12-03T11:46:38","slug":"potters-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/potters-house\/","title":{"rendered":"Potter\u2019s House"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Jeremiah 18:1-11<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

September 8, 2013<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sermon preached by Rev. Donald Ng at the First Chinese Baptist Church in San Francisco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 When we were married over 40 years ago, the most popular dishware was melamine plastic that came in different colors and almost unbreakable. It\u2019s now a fashionable collectible! Isn\u2019t this the same stuff that they found in baby formula in China?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But then when we got more established and thought that we can actually not break any dishes, we graduated to stoneware. They were heavy just like it\u2019s name and when you drop one of these pieces; they wouldn\u2019t always shatter but they usually damaged everything else it might have hit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now we have a set of dishes that are more Japanese in style with different earth-tone colors and after so many years of everyday use, I\u2019m sad to say that we don\u2019t have 12 pieces of each anymore. I know I am responsible for at least 2-3 broken pieces!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But isn\u2019t it interesting that when we visit a nice home furnishing gift store when we are on vacation that we would always be attracted to hand-made clay dishes and pots. There\u2019s something about these pieces being one of a kind. Each piece has the potter\u2019s name inscribed on the bottom and the price tag confirms its uniqueness. There are no 12 pieces of the same clay creation that are identical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jeremiah<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Scripture that we read today from Jeremiah, the prophet wondered if the people of Israel knew how to get to the Potter\u2019s House. Around 600 BC during the last years of the southern kingdom of Judah and the first years of its exile, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: \u201cCome, go down to the potter\u2019s house, and there I will let you hear my words\u201d (vv. 1-2).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jeremiah might have wondered why he had to go there, because God could have given him his word where he was sitting. The prophet followed a well-known dirt road across a dry-riverbed and found the potter working at his wheel. When Jeremiah obediently went as the Lord instructed, he came to a much more profound understanding of what God would say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jeremiah realized that the work of the potter was an illustration of how God was shaping the people of Israel. The clay in the potter\u2019s hand was exactly like Israel in God\u2019s hand. The prophet realized that God controls the fate of entire groups of people as easily as a potter manipulates a lump of clay. Jeremiah said, \u201cThe vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter\u2019s hand and he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to him\u201d (v. 4).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes the clay starts off looking bad, but then improves. \u201cAt one moment,\u201d says the Lord, \u201cI may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, but if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will change my mind about the disaster that I intended to bring it\u201d (vv. 7-8).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At other times, the clay begins by looking good but then goes bad. \u201cAt that moment,\u201d says God, \u201cI will declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, but if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will change my mind about the good that I had intended to do to it\u201d (vv. 9-10).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jeremiah is reminding us that God is in control, constantly working and reworking us into vessels that seem good to him. If we turn from evil, says Jeremiah, we\u2019ll be shaped into something wonderful. If we persist in ignoring God and living selfish and sinful lives, we\u2019ll be radically refashioned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the hymn, \u201cHave Thine Own Way, Lord,\u201d we sing,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Thou art the potter, I am the clay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Mold me and make me after thy will,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            While I am waiting, yielded and still.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The question before us is do we know the way to the Potter\u2019s House? We might be drawn to the nice gift shop in a vacation town where they sell one of a kind pottery but do we know how to get to God\u2019s house?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And with today\u2019s modern living, we\u2019re not so good at waiting anymore\u2014let alone remaining \u201cyielded and still.\u201d We want to make and mold our own lives, instead of allowing ourselves to be made and molded. We\u2019ll buy a new set of dishware while the old set is still useable just because we want an upgrade. We want to have our own way, not the way of the divine potter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Potter\u2019s House<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To get to the Potter\u2019s House, we begin with learning the right address. God commanded Jeremiah to first rise up and then go down to the lower elevation of the potter\u2019s house. Here at FCBC, we can say that our church is a room in the Potter\u2019s House.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At this particular location, God is not expecting us to show up in some kind of perfect final form, nor is God waiting to jump on us and smash us for our sins. In the Potter\u2019s House, God shapes us into the people he wants us to be. We are permitted to be works in progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the Potter\u2019s House, we are invited to make a right turn. The word that is repeated in this passage is \u201cturn.\u201d God speaks of a nation that \u201cturns from its evil\u201d (v. 8) and calls for Israel to \u201cTurn now, all of you from your evil way\u201d (v. 11). God also says that \u201cI will change my mind\u201d about a nation that turns from its evil (v. 8), and \u201cI will change my mind\u201d about a nation that turns toward evil (v. 10). The language of turning and changing is the language of molding and making. Nothing is fixed; everything is changing and can become better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And when we arrived at the Potter\u2019s House, allow the potter to work with your clay as he chooses. Allow God to shape you and reshape you. Don\u2019t worry about what shape you are in now; the potter can reshape you. Don\u2019t fixate on the flaws of the past; the potter can purify you. Don\u2019t stress about wrong turns you\u2019ve made in the past; the potter can help you move in a new direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Potter\u2019s House, you are ever-changing clay in the divine potter\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being Reshaped<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Georgia, there\u2019s a social service center called The Potter\u2019s House. In this agency, discarded people such as drug addicts and alcoholics learn to re-enter society by fixing people\u2019s discarded appliances. There are two simultaneous processes of recycling going on: drug addicts and alcoholics are rehabilitated as they rehabilitate cast-off appliances. There is no waste in the Potter\u2019s House as individuals collect old appliances, repair them and sell them, only to discover that they themselves are repaired in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s no waste in the Potter\u2019s House. The potential of all humanity rests in the idea that God does not create waste, God recycles! There are people who have tough times in life and they may feel that they cannot make it any longer. But God does not create waste. Fortunately, God is ready and eager to take what is broken and fix it; what is wounded and heal it; what is defiled and cleanse it; what is bitter and sweeten it; what is impure and purify it; what is incomplete and make it whole; what is ugly and turn it into something that is beautiful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you ready for God to recycle you? Don\u2019t wait until your pot has become hardened and irretrievably brittle. But come and visit the Potter\u2019s House to see how he will shape you and reshape you and when you turn right, he will give you a complete do-over and reform you after the image of God in Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today we started our Fall Sunday school classes at 10:00. Have you considered making it a priority to attend a class so that God would reshape you into his image? In a couple of weeks, I\u2019ll be starting my next Inquirers Class for those who have pondered the meaning of becoming a Christian and accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and the meaning of church membership at this church. Have you considered taking this step on the way to the Potter\u2019s House to permit God to reform and transform you to be his loving disciple?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God the Potter is not limited to reshaping our personal lives but sometimes, we acknowledge that this is never an easy task. According to Jeremiah, God, the Potter can recast the divine destiny of nations. If the nation turns from its evil, God will change his mind about the disaster that he intended to bring on it. And if God has declared that he will build up a nation, but then it does evil, God will change his mind about the good he had intended for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are called to not only be concerned for our individual outcomes. We are called to participate fully in the righteousness and justice of nations and countries on earth. A couple of weeks ago, we commemorated the 50th<\/sup> anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.\u2019s \u201cI Have a Dream\u201d speech on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Seeing the situation with Black men we have in Oakland today, this dream has not yet been fulfilled. There is still evil in our nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We can\u2019t turn away from the violence and daily dying of innocent people in so many countries around the earth\u2014Egypt, Iraq, and Afghanistan. And as we worship this morning, the United States is preparing for military strikes against Syria for using sarin gas that poisoned and killed thousands of citizens. For us to enjoy our relatively peaceful existence and not recognize that there is still evil in the world makes us accomplices to the crime. God, the Potter desires to reshape us and reform us to be in his own image. God\u2019s heart is to reshape and reform all the nations in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Lord said, \u201cTurn now, all of you from your evil way, and amend your ways and your doings\u201d (v. 11b).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amend Your Ways<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amend your ways. Amend your doings. Allow the divine Potter to make you and mold you, according to his will. Open yourself to being filled with the Holy Spirit, until\u2014as the old hymn says\u2014all shall see \u201cChrist only, always, living in me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Such transformation is painful, because we like our own ways. We prefer our own doings. Waiting for God and yielding to God run counter to our daily routines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But unless we find the Potter\u2019s address, we will never be shaped into the people, God wants us to be. We\u2019ll end up being less loving, less graceful, less hopeful, less connected and content than we could be. We\u2019ll never experience the truly abundant and everlasting life that we could enjoy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So take a turn toward the place where God will remold you. The next time you visit one of those nice gift shops that have one of a kind pottery, pick up a piece and examine how unique it is just like how unique and special you are because God in Jesus Christ is waiting to reshape and reform you into the person who is right with God and right with neighbors\u2014one who shows Jesus to the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you might work on a project like carpentry and you made a mistake in cutting a piece of wood, it\u2019s a cause for despair. But clay is a highly forgiving medium. When the potter\u2019s clay suddenly collapses, turning inside out, the potter simply moistens his hands and picks up that mass of clay once again, forming it into a ball. He slaps the ball down upon the wheel, centers it, and sets it to spinning again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God invites you to come to the Potter\u2019s House where he wants to reshape and reform you into someone who is beautiful again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let us pray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are the potter and we are the clay. You are the author, and we are a part of the story that is told. You are the creator, and we are the created. Yet we confess that we have elevated ourselves to the center of our universe. You, God, are the source and ground of good. In our pride we have not consulted your word. Jesus puts others first, he challenged the powerful, and he lifted up the meek and suffering, but we have made it our priority to preserve the status quo, especially when it has meant preserving our possessions and our wealth for our own use. Like clay, remold and remake us, so that when others see us they will praise you, Holy Artist, who designs the best in our lives. As we take hold of the life that is real life, we pray you will take hold of us and shape us into true servants and disciples. This we pray in your name. Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jeremiah 18:1-11 September 8, 2013 Sermon preached by Rev. Donald Ng at the First Chinese Baptist Church in San Francisco.  When we were married over 40 years ago, the mostContinue readingPotter\u2019s House<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[11,35],"class_list":["post-1148","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-donald-ng-sermons","tag-fcbc","tag-jeremiah"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1148","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1148"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1148\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2562,"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1148\/revisions\/2562"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1148"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}