2014 and the Potter's Hands

Jeremiah 18:1-6 (NIV)

1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. 4 But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. 5 Then the word of the Lord came to me. 6 He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel.

There was a couple who used to go to England to shop in the beautiful stores. They both liked antiques and pottery and especially teacups. This was their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.

One day in this beautiful shop they saw a beautiful cup. They said, "May we see that? We've never seen one quite so beautiful."

As the lady handed it to them, suddenly the cup spoke. "You don't understand," it said. "I haven't always been a teacup. There was a time when I was red and I was clay. My master took me and rolled me and patted me over and over and I yelled out, 'let me alone,' but he only smiled, 'Not yet.'

"Then I was placed on a spinning wheel," the cup said, "and suddenly I was spun around and around and around. Stop it! I'm getting dizzy! I screamed. But the master only nodded and said, 'Not yet.'

"Then he put me in the oven. I never felt such heat!" the teacup said. "I wondered why he wanted to burn me, and I yelled and knocked at the door. I could see him through the opening and I could read his lips as He shook his head, 'Not yet.'

"Finally the door opened, he put me on the shelf, and I began to cool. 'There, that's better,' I said. And he brushed and painted me all over. The fumes were horrible. I thought I would gag. 'Stop it, stop it!' I cried. He only nodded, 'Not yet.'

"Then suddenly he put me back into the oven, not like the first one. This was twice as hot and I knew I would suffocate. I begged. I pleaded. I screamed. I cried. All the time I could see him through the opening, nodding his head saying, 'Not yet.'

"Then I knew there wasn't any hope. I would never make it. I was ready to give up. But the door opened and he took me out and placed me on the shelf.

One hour later he handed me a mirror and said, 'Look at yourself.' And I did. I said, 'That's not me; that couldn't be me. It's beautiful. I'm beautiful.'

"'I want you to remember, then,' he said, 'I know it hurts to be rolled and patted, but if I had left you alone, you'd have dried up.

I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel, but if I had stopped, you would have crumbled.

I knew it hurt and was hot and disagreeable in the oven, but if I hadn't put you there, you would have cracked.

I know the fumes were bad when I brushed and painted you all over, but if I hadn't done that, you never would have hardened; you would not have had any color in your life.

And if I hadn't put you back in that second oven, you wouldn't survive for very long because the hardness would not have held.

Now you are a finished product. You are what I had in mind when I first began with you.'"

Has 2014 been a tough year? Have you felt like the teacup as you went through things that were uncomfortable?

Remember God knows what He's doing. He is the Potter, and we are His clay. He will mold us and make us, so that we may be made into a flawless piece of work just like He has planned for us.

Will you willingly yield to the Potter's hand?

Dear Lord, thank You for the trials we have come through this year. Help us look at them as the tools that You used to make us into what You wanted us to be. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Blessings of a New Year

Hebrews 13:16 (NIV)

And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

Bishop Stringer and his companion were facing starvation that late October morning. They had been returning home from the Mackenzie region of the Yukon when they were overtaken by winter. Even though it was early in the season, the amount of snow that fell during that first storm was enough to make them lose their way in the mountains.

They didn't despair, however. Instead, they looked at their sealskin boots and wondered if they could be edible. The notes left in Stringer's diary are quite revealing: "Thursday, October 21: Breakfast of sealskin boot, soles and tops boiled and toasted. Soles better than uppers. Soup of small scraps and bacon…the last we had; hands sore; took a long time to pack up…"

Isaac Stringer, one of the first to arrive in the Yukon, was aghast at the influence the whalers were having on the native population. Whalers supplied the First Nations people with alcohol and then took their women as their "mistresses". The consequences were devastating: alcoholism and disease, both sexually transmitted as well as common ones that the Inuvialuit had no immunity to, abounded. Very early on, Isaac succeeded in securing an agreement with the whalers that closed down the alcohol trade with the Inuit. Eventually he provided church services and literacy classes for both the Inuit and the whalers.

His task was not an easy one, however. He often had to travel long distances in harsh conditions, and his eyes eventually contracted snow blindness, a condition that is quite agonizing and incapacitating.

And his story isn't unique. Another bishop in the Yukon by the name of Bombas decided to live like the natives. He slept on the floor rather than in a comfortable bed, he dressed poorly and he gave away all of his possessions and money. He was well-liked, and as a result, he was quite successful in his ministry.

Were all these sacrifices worthwhile?

Ask the Inuit. They will say, "Yes!"

We generally prefer to avoid unnecessary sacrifices. However some of our sacrifices are unavoidable and still others are commendable. God's view on these is quite remarkable: "Do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased." (Heb 13:16 NIV)

In fact the apostle Paul goes one step further and urges us to offer our "bodies as living sacrifices": "I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship." (Rom 12:1 NIV))

What does Paul mean by this? He explains it in the next verse: "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." (Rom 12:2a) The rewards are astonishing, friends: "Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will." (Rom 12:2b NIV)

As we begin the New Year, 2014 let us ask our self the question: What attitude are we portraying in front of society? Are we more like the whalers described here, tending to promote our own interests? Or are we more like these missionaries, willing to be selfless while undergoing sacrifices, having taken to heart the eternal destination of those around us?

Dear Lord, You place in our hands the New Year, like a new born child.  The days and weeks to come are Your gift to each of us. Thank You blessing You have given to us so freely. Help us share that blessing with those You bring into our path this year. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Conclusion: Myth Busted

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

In 1523, an English animal trainer named John Fitzherbert said, "The dog must be trained when he is a whelp, or else it will not be [trained]; for it is hard to make an old dog [find a new scent]." Today, we've summarized his insight into this well-known adage: "You can't teach an old dog new tricks." It sounds good, but is it really true?

One of my two sons’ favorite shows on Netflex is a show that originates on the Discovery Channel called Mythbusters.  The goal of Mythbusters is to take timeworn adages like this one and see if they're true or false. So MythBusters' hosts Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage decided to go after this one, too. They found a pair of aging Alaskan malamutes who didn't know a single trick in the book. Malamutes are known for their stubbornness. As 7-year-old canines, siblings Bobo and Cece were equivalent to a couple of 50-year-olds in dog years, arguably qualifying them for the "old dog" category. After four days of training, Bobo and Cece proved Fitzherbert flat wrong. Each could heel, sit, lie down, stay, and shake upon command from Jamie and Adam.

Their conclusion: Myth busted. You can teach old dogs new tricks.

As we head into the New Year no matter the rut you find yourself in you can make a change for the better. Take a minute today and ask God to give you the encouragement and strength to change from the old tricks and start new ones that will make you more like God wants for you to be.

Dear Lord, We thank You for the New year we are fast approaching. Help us to make that changes that You would have for us to make so that we would be more like You, so others will see You in us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

No Excuses in 2014

Hebrews 10:24-25 (NIV)

24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

This is an alleged New Year’s letter written from a church member to the pastor of their church.

Dear Pastor:

You often stress attendance at worship as being very important for a Christian, but I think a person has a right to miss now and then. I think every person ought to be excused for the following reasons and the number of times indicated.

Christmas Holidays (the Sunday before & after) 2

New Year’s (the party lasted too long) 1

Easter (get away for the holidays) 2

July 4th (national holidays) 1

Labor Day (need to get away) 2

Memorial Day (visit hometown folk)        1

School closing (kids need a break) 1

School reopens (one last fling) 1

Family reunions (mine & wife’s) 3

Sleep late (stayed up too long Saturday night) 9

Deaths in family 2

Anniversary (second honeymoon) 1

Sickness (one per family member) 5

Business trip (a must) 1

Vacation (three to four weeks) 6

Bad weather (ice, snow, rain, clouds) 2

Ball games 2

Races 2

Unexpected company (can’t walk out) 2

Time changes (spring & fall) 2

Special on TV (superbowl, etc) 3

Pastor, that leaves two Sundays per year. So, you can count on us to be in church on the 4th Sunday in February and the 3rd Sunday in August unless we are providentially hindered.

Sincerely,

A Faithful Member

As we approach the New Year and everybody is talking about making resolutions from losing weight to getting in shape.  Let’s make a commitment to join together with God’s people at church where we can grow to be more like what God wants for each of us.

See you at church in 2014

Dear Lord, thank You for the new things You give us each and every day.  As we get ready to celebrate the beginning of 2014 help us make it a priority to attend church and be an encouragement to those you put in our path. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.