On the Way to Wonder

“Something Beautiful”

         The dreaded day has come.  For me it is the funeral of my husband.  For you it may be an operation, a sending a child to college, or some other difficult life task.  Times like this bring us to reflect on our life path.  For my husband and me, we loved to sing this song.  We had dreams and ashes and we both crashed and burned in our early 20s but God put the pieces together, brought us together, and faithfully led us to today.  And he will lead us through today to his tomorrow.  Thank you, Lord.

18 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ² ‘Come, go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.’ ³ So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. ⁴ The vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to him.

Jeremiah 18:1-4

         Let’s look at the metaphor of God being like a potter again.  Jeremiah uses the metaphor to speak into how God is trying to shape and reshape Israel who is resisting him, into the dream he has for them.  It is obvious that the potter, whom we understand to be God, has a plan for the pot he is trying to throw.  And he doesn’t give up.  But it seems like the clay also has a mind of its own and resists or bubbles out or somehow is not just what the potter had in mind and so the potter tries again.

         As I face the funeral of my husband, I find this verse very comforting.  The shape of our lives is malleable.  Our mistakes need not define us forever for God has the power to rebuild that which is broken by life or misshapen when we are T-boned by others.

           Right now as I anticipate placing the cremains of a person I love into a crematorium, these verses speak to the resurrection and giving of an eternal body that does not respond to the laws of reality, as I now know them.  God can take the ashes and create something new and beautiful, even as a seed is put in the ground and grows into the beautiful bouquets that sit on my table.  God is able to take our misshaped lives and even that which appears dead and useless and make something beautiful.  To him be the glory.

⁸ Yet, O Lord, you are our Father;
    we are the clay, and you are our potter;
    we are all the work of your hand.

Isaiah 64:8

                  I have a son who is a potter.  He is not a professional as he does not have his own kiln but he loves to create pottery.  Lately he posted  a picture of a bowl he had thrown and titled it something like – any fruit looks better when displayed in a pottery bowl.  I reflected, how true.  Fruit in a plastic bag from the grocers cannot be compared to a beautifully arranged bowl of fruit on the table in an artistic clay bowl.

         I have always thought of references to God as the potter in terms of the shape of my life.  Why must I be a dandoline and not a rose?  I had not thought that he might be shaping me to display the wonderfulness of another.  Right now my children are gathering for the funeral of their father.  They are the holding vessel for his life’s story as they put together a service with pictures, a beautiful poem, and his favorite hymns.  They hold his story with love and respect to honor him.   We are the vessels that hold, support, and show off another.  What an honor.  Let’s pray we do it respectfully and gently, showing off God’s handiwork.  Blessings as you hold other’s stories.

“Let’s be real, fruits and veggies look better at home in handmade bowls.

@dncpottery #dncpottery #dncbowls”

⁴  I, Nebuchadnezzar, was living at ease in my home and prospering in my palace. ⁵ I saw a dream that frightened me; my fantasies in bed and the visions of my head terrified me. ⁶ So I made a decree that all the wise men of Babylon should be brought before me, in order that they might tell me the interpretation of the dream. (Daniel 4:4-6)

         Nebuchadnezzar the Great was historically regarded as the Assyrian empire’s greatest king.  Israel had been taken into slavery by him and taken from their land.  But the king had chosen a select group of survivors to train for leadership, one being Daniel.  We know Daniel because he refused to eat the rich food of the palace for dietary reasons.  He stood up for his beliefs.  We also know Daniel because he refused to stop praying and was thrown into the lion’s den.  Less known is the story of this great king Nebuchadnezzar having a dream and calling all his wise men together to interpret it. The wise men were defeated to interpret the dream.  Daniel prayed and was able to interpret the dream.  The point I want us to see is that God who is the awesome king we talked about yesterday, not only has authority and power like earthly kings but he can also tell the future.  God is outside or above time. King Nebuchadnezzar concludes,

³⁷ Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honour the King of heaven,

for all his works are truth,
    and his ways are justice;
and he is able to bring low
    those who walk in pride.

         As ponder the many things we don’t understand at any given point, it is comforting to know that our God sees a larger picture not only in scope like some drone but he also sees into the future and can chart our course into our future.

         Let us pray today for the war raging in the Middle East and all the anger and hate it embodies.  Lord, have mercy.

 ^“2 For the Lord, the Most High, is awesome,
    a great king over all the earth.”

Psalm 47:2

         When you hear the word “king” what do you think of?  Christians might think of King David in the Old Testament, leaping and praising God as he led the Arc of the Covenant back into Jerusalem.  Of course there was King Solomon, his son, praying for wisdom on the night of his inauguration.  Camelot and King Arthur captured the imagination of my generation and his struggle with forming a democracy and how to deal with Queen Genève’s affair. When my mother-in-law died, my Indian doctor gave me the picture from the end of “First Knight” when Arthur’s body is on a raft floating out on water and a burning arrow is shot to release his remains to the universe.

         Whether you think of Mulan and the Chinese emperor or Genghis Khan or some other historical person, we can all agree that kings faced challenges and needed wisdom and eventually died.  Psalm 47 compares God to a king not of an empire but of the whole earth.  He is the king of all people and all nations.  He is “most high,” “king of kings,” and “Lord of Lords.”   Government is his responsibility but he has a long-range plan of building the kingdom of heaven and we have a say as to whether we will be his subjects.  Authority is in his hands but he uses it with our best interest in mind.  He has all wisdom so we can trust his guidance.  And he will not die.  As Christians we believe that to be absent from our earthly body is to be present with him in our heavenly bodies.  That is a comfort when dealing with death.

         Think of a king you admire and then thank God that God himself is so much more “awesome”, “a great king over all the whole earth.”  Blessings.

Psalm 77:20”

^“20 You led your people like a flock
    by the hand of Moses and Aaron.”

         We started our meditation on the character of God by looking at the comforting words of Psalm 23.  We think of the “good shepherd” as leading us to safe places, by still waters, and green pastures.  He seeks us out when we are lost and he is the gate protecting us from evil.  In Psalm 77 the writer looks to God as his shepherd in times of great trouble.  He is so worried he can’t sleep.  He feels forgotten.  He doubts God’s love.  Some days are like that, for sure.

         I find as I face the funeral of my husband this Saturday that deep tension involved in faith when I know the truth but my whole being does not want to walk the path in front of me.  Your situation may be facing an unwanted surgery.  You may need to deal with a wayward child or abusive spouse.  Perhaps the challenge is a steep financial climb from debt.  There are many situations that confront our faith.”

         The Psalmist finds comfort by remembering God’s “deeds of old.”  Maybe we are not David, facing Goliath, but remember a time when God helped you face a giant of a problem.  Perhaps you are not dead and buried like Lazarus but you know the feeling of emotional numbness after a great disappointment or draining phase in your life.  The Psalmist advises us to remember how God has brought us through trials in the past.  He also suggests we take our gaze off ourselves and look at nature.  Receive a smile from a loved one or give a smile and perhaps it will be returned.  I love music when my soul feels dry.

         Encouragement as you face your unwelcome experience this week.

Blessings.

         Some weeks are harder than others.  Often on Saturday I focus on a hymn that leads us into the coming week.  This coming week I will celebrate my first birthday without my husband and Saturday will be the funeral.  The family and friends will gather to support us.  Tough stuff.  Your challenge may be different but I always find this song uplifting.

God sent His son
They called Him Jesus
He came to love
Heal and forgive
He bled and died
To buy my pardon
An empty grave
Is there to prove
My savior lives

CHORUS

And because He lives
I can face tomorrow
Because He lives
All fear is gone
Because I know
He holds the future
And life is worth the living
Just because He lives

And then one day
I’ll cross the river
And I’ll fight life’s final war with pain
And then
As death gives way to victory
I’ll see the lights of glory
And I’ll know He reigns

Because He lives
I can face tomorrow

CHORUS

²⁵ Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life.

 Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live,”

John 11:25

         One of Jesus’ favorite homes to stay at was the home of Martha, Mary and their brother Lazarus.  It was in Bethany, near Jerusalem, and he could retreat there away from the crowds at the Temple.  We have many stories about his relationship with this little family.  John tells us that Lazarus became ill and the sisters sent word to Jesus.  Jesus did not go immediately but he did know that Lazarus died.  The disciples are confused by the delay and the sisters are dispairing as they realized that Jesus could have done a miracle for them, the beloved friends, as he had done for so many others.

         How often does God not work in the way we think he could or might or as we have prayed and the obvious conclusion is that he doesn’t care about us or our situation?  Problems never seem to come at a convenient time and death of a loved one is never welcome, even when they have been declining with disease.  Life is always precious.

         Jesus waited four days and went to Martha and Mary.  Martha met him coming and lamented that had he been there Lazarus would not have died.  She confessed her faith that this catastrophe could have been avoided.  God is the God of the impossible and does have all power so suffering always challenges our faith, even today.  Jesus did not want her to just focus on the immediate but wanted her to understand the eternal.  Rebounding from our problems is certainly within God’s ability but Jesus wanted her to see that he is the God of eternal rebound, of eternity.  He is the resurrection and the life.

         God helps us bounce back from trials but more important is that he cares about our eternity and is working to that goal.  We can’t see eternity but he can.  We don’t always know the best way forward but he does.  We always want to choose the shortcut but he works towards permanent solutions.  It is hard to trust and “keep the faith.”  Some days I fall on my knees and pray,  “I believe Lord, help my unbelief.”  Blessings as you place those hard places in your life that need resurrection in God’s hand.  He cares.  Blessings.

⁷ So again Jesus said to them,

‘Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.

John 10:7

         This Sunday we will compare the Kingdom of Heaven to God’s vineyard.  In the Gospel of John, Jesus compares the Kingdom of Heaven to a sheepfold.  Jesus is the gate.  In Kenya a coral would be build of thorn bushes interlaced into a circular enclosure and the opening through which the sheep entered and exited was not far from the owners hut.  Wild animals and thieves would have to go over the thorn wall to enter or would have to go right by the door of the owner who protected the sheep.  Jesus compares himself to that gate.  Whatever enters our lives legitimately must pass through him.  Evil or thieves must steal into our lives and the gate is right there guarding us.  He continues,

“⁸ All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. ⁹ I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. ¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

         Those are comforting words as we face our day and whatever challenges confront us.  There will be blessings too.  Let us think what we might want our gate to allow into our lives today – patience with a difficult child? Love for a person we are on the outs with?  Forgiveness for the person who offended us yesterday?  Jesus is the gate controlling what flows in and what flows out of our life.  Let us look to him for the strength.  Blessings.

³⁵ Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life.

Whoever comes to me will never be hungry,

and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

John 6:35

         One of my favorite smells is fresh bread baking in the oven.  For our family, Paul’s Bakery in Eldoret, Kenya, was one of our favorite places.   We loved to stop and buy loaves of bread were long, square loaves of a good solid nature (not white air bread but made from less refined wheat flour) that were piping hot with the plastic bag clinging to the loaf.  At least one loaf never made it home as we all grabbed chunks.  No need for butter or jam or anything else.  Ok, if served with a Fanta soda then it was a meal.  I have seen communion done at conventions where breads from around the world filled the trays.  Tortillas and nans and chapattis have all become familiar in English lingo.  Many of us know about njeras made in Ethiopia from Tef flour I had never heard of.  When I asked my students from rural areas what they wanted to learn to cook, the answer was always bread and cake.

         I don’t know what your favorite bread is but I do know it is very hard for people with wheat allergies.  Jesus says he is the bread of life.  What words come to your mind when you hear those words?  Perhaps you get visions of good smells, best when fresh, or lots of different varieties.  Does braided bread remind you of Christmas?  Does a bread stick remind you of a spaghetti or pizza dinner?  How many types of rolls can you name?  Wow, so many ways to think what Jesus meant when he said that he is the bread of life.  Take a few minutes to thank God for your favorite bread and then thank him for how Jesus is like that bread.  Blessings.