Drying the clay

Lily Cathcart June 04, 2024 4 5

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Jeremiah 31: 12-14 (NRSVA)

12 They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion,
    and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord,
over the grain, the wine, and the oil,
    and over the young of the flock and the herd;
their life shall become like a watered garden,
    and they shall never languish again.
13 Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance,
    and the young men and the old shall be merry.
I will turn their mourning into joy,
    I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.
14 I will give the priests their fill of fatness,
    and my people shall be satisfied with my bounty,
says the Lord.

The first pot I ever made on the wheel did not look as impressive as I hoped. Who am I kidding, neither did the second, or the third.

But this is where we must open ourselves up to the patience in the process: the vision of what will be, tempered by the need to let things sit and steady themselves in their newer form.

I sometimes feel like I am wet clay: sitting in a drying room with scrunched up old newspaper supporting me to make sure I don’t crumple.

I sometimes feel like I have been drenched and pulled about and I’m anxious to get to the next bit.

I want to see the abundance, the promised beauty of where I am going.

But I can’t, God tells me I’m not ready yet. To put it in terms of clay, I’m still too saturated, too easily bent and a little too collapsible.

To be fair, God has a point.

The reading we have today is also filled with anticipation. It shares a picture of abundance and renewal, except the dancing and the planting hasn’t happened yet. The words remind us that, like a potter watching their clay dry, God knows good things are coming, even when all we can see is wet clay.

So I will sit here, I will settle and dry out. I will try to be patient as I imagine what good things God has planned for me.

Prayer:

Dear Father God of the drying

Help us to find within ourselves, our patience

Give us rest and help us to accept it

Prepare the way for good things

and please prepare us to receive them

Amen