Liturgy: “More Than a Lump of Clay”
I’m a planner. I find comfort and security in knowing what’s coming. I hate surprises, and the unexpected. So, this summer should have thrown me over the edge except for one simple and key fact: “God’s got this”—my new motto.
What is the King’s Liturgy? King’s Liturgy defines our experience together as a Christian community. It outlines the rhythms we celebrate with the Church at large: Scripture readings, Sabbath habits, and celebration of Holy Days and historical events.
This Week’s Lectionary Readings
Jeremiah 18:1-11
Psalm 139:1-5, 12-17
Philemon 1-21
Luke 14:25-33
This week’s liturgy is contributed by Eileen Hawkins, Director of Counseling Services:
I’m a planner. I find comfort and security in knowing what’s coming. I hate surprises, and the unexpected. So, this summer should have thrown me over the edge except for one simple and key fact: “God’s got this”—my new motto.
In May, I got the call I’ve always dreaded, “You have cancer.” It stopped me in my tracks and completely shattered every single plan I had made. A new reality charged in, one that had always existed, but I blissfully ignored until then—the fact that I am not in control.
In Jeremiah, we read a familiar passage about the potter and the clay. Notice that the passage did not focus on the actions of the pot, rather the control of the potter. A potter has to be very careful while fashioning a pot; gentle hands, attention to detail, pressure when and where needed are all components in making a perfect vessel. Just as the potter has control over the pot, God has complete control over our lives and futures. This can be extremely freeing or completely frightening, our choice is in the response.
Psalms reminds us that God not only foreknew us, but that he fashioned us exactly how he wants us to be. You are his special creation and masterpiece. He made you with special talents, gifts, a personality; you look how he designed you to look—but how often we forget to see ourselves, our futures, and others through his eyes. Instead, we strive after a life and version of ourselves that’s in line with our own desires. We judge, we have to be reminded to love others, (like Onesimus), and we continue to feel the need to “help God out” from time to time because let’s be honest—trusting is hard!
In Philemon and Luke, we are reminded that our hearts do not naturally follow after God—it takes effort and daily pursuit. Trust and surrender are against our grain, they’re uncomfortable, unnatural, and make us feel vulnerable; but exactly what we need to do if we really want to center our lives on God rather than just fitting him in.
Thankfully, my cancer is gone and my prognosis is good, but God taught me several important lessons; I can trust him, he is present in the midst of trial and he’s a good, good Father—but trust is a choice. As you begin your semester, daily remind yourself that you are more than your grades, your successes, trials and failures. You are a child of the living and all powerful God and in his gentle hands; trust your future is secure as you are becoming the person he is molding you to be.