ok, so my church asked me to write a piece for next week's newsletter....about stewardship......and this request has caused me great anxiety....as i am as far from a gungho southern baptist as one can possibly be.....this is what i submitted:
Clay Pots
I find myself still thinking about Dr. Turner’s sermon from a few weeks back. He mused philosophically upon 2 Corinthians 4: about the treasures that God stores in jars of clay as signs that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us mere mortals. And as I recall, he went on to compare those jars of clay to us as Christians. He reminded us that while there are fancier jars out there, even the most basic and plain vessel has the potential to do great things in the name of God. I suppose he could have expanded his thoughts into a full blown stewardship message if he had felt so moved. Come to think of it, he might have, but my thoughts were wandering to a clay pot of my own.
I came across it when I was dragging out from storage the assortment of planters, pots and tubs that I plant with annuals for the front porch and the back deck. This oval-shaped terra cotta pot, handmade from Bennington, Vermont was a gift from my late sister-in-law. It was now broken horizontally in 2 places. This pot was much too precious to discard without careful thought as to how it could be repaired. I impulsively placed it in a spot where it could sit without being moved, fitted the broken pieces back into place, filled it with soil, and planted a pink geranium. As long as I remember what is special about this pot and respect that flaw, it can continue to be used for years to come.
There are many days, weeks and months when I feel just like that broken pot. And I have to remind myself that God can work through my brokenness only as long as I am willing to make myself useful to my family, my church and my community. I must remind myself that God remembers what is special about me, and respects those flaws by only asking me to use the gifts he has already given to me. I haven’t figured out how the pink geranium fits into this analogy. I am still working on that.
May God use the treasures stored in your jars of clay to further his kingdom on earth.
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1 comment:
All of us are clay pots with flaws. The way to be successful in life-to leave the world a better place than we found it--is to make those pots into something worthy. You did that by planting the pink geranium, and by writing your piece.
Keep writing, and planting. :-)
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