The Potter’s Potter
“Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.” Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. – Jeremiah 18:2-4 (KJV)
When I grow up, I want to be a potter. I want freedom to shape the urn or the cup or the plate. I want no interruptions. While I throw the pot, gently and turn it towards itself, I want to rejoice that delicious health food shows up in Gaza. To celebrate the end of war with the Ukrainian woman who begged leaders to stop hurting the people. Her house was destroyed. Her parents died in it. She was an aspiring writer. Now she is a despairing writer.
While throwing, I want to imagine that innocent people no longer suffer but instead are turned towards themselves, freely, without obstacle. Almost the way I think the Potter God threw you and me into the universe.
Am I looking for the wrong maturity? The instruction is less about clay than about thresholds. “Go down to the house of the potter, and hear my words.” We are not to go there and pot. We are to go there and watch the Potter watching the potter’s work. The potter, interrupted, tries his throw again.
How to want what in personal growth? Threshold. Listen for the Holy. Choose a mentor. Don’t try to become a potter; listen to the Potter. That’s enough.
Prayer
Holy One, you who understand what is most important, free us from productivity on behalf of imperfectly creative creature-hood. Amen.
About the AuthorDonna Schaper is an interim Pastor at the United Church of Gainesville, Florida, and author, most recently of Remove the Pews—first from your theology, then from your building.