Central to the meaning that Jeremiah wants to get across is the idea of turning, of repentance. When the potter finds that what he’s making is ruined, he “turns” or “repents” and makes something different. The call that God issues to the Israelites is a call to repentance, a call for them to turn from their evil ways, and if they will turn then God promises that He will also turn from the course of judgment that He has set. It’s a call to a radical change, and the piece of pottery that will emerge afterwards will be different from the one that might have been possible before it was ruined. Different, but not worse. The skill of this Potter are such that the remade vessel is never second-best, but always simply best.
Entertaining Angels - August 28, 2016 - 15th Sunday after Pentecost
Inadequate for Ministry? Who Cares?! God sure doesn't! - August 21, 2016 - 14th Sunday after Pentecost
Some of you might be saying to yourself, what does this have to do with me? I'm not too young. Maybe you are thinking the opposite: "I am too old." Well, this isn't just true for the young, Jeremiah's call story is a particular story for a particular person with particular objections, but it is a story that repeats itself over and over again with a different set of particulars. God calls, the person objects for some very good, logical reason, but God moves forward with them anyway.
My Soul Magnifies the Lord - August 14, 2016 - Mary Sunday
We All Are Chosen Ones - August 7, 2016 - The 13th Sunday after Pentecost -
July 31, 2016 - The Eleventh Sunday After Pentecost
July 24, 2016 - The Tenth Sunday after Pentecost
A sermon about fear, and relief of fear
"We must love them both, those whose opinions we share and those whose opinions we reject, for both have labored in search of truth, and both have helped us in finding it"
--Thomas Aquinas
