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There’s a new pottery studio here in town, over in Kinnaird. I haven’t had a chance to go there yet, but I hope to soon. I love the sounds, smells, and textures of people working with clay.

My mother was a potter, so I grew up watching small lumps of earth grow into beautiful creations in her hands. Often she wasn’t satisfied first try and would squish the clay back down again and start over, drawing it up and down until it became the vessel she hoped for.

There are a few places in the Bible where the imagery of God as a potter comes up. The most famous is probably in Jeremiah 18:1-11. There the prophet cautions the nation of Israel that if they choose not to follow God’s way and instead do evil, then God will squash them down as easily as a potter does a lump of clay that isn’t turning out the way they wanted.

Straighten up! No wobbles! Go the way you are supposed to or prepare to be torn down! The language is a bit harsh in the scripture, but I actually take great comfort in the idea.

Perhaps it is because I grew up around pottery and have done some myself, but I like the imagery that people, like clay, can be built back up again. We can have multiple chances to become what it is that we are supposed to be. We are works in progress, resilient and full of potential.

A pot that has been sent through the kiln is solid and un-fixable, but before that, it can be reworked, added to, trimmed down, or whatever is needed to make it the best it can be.

As I look at the chaos in the world right now, I find hope in the image of a Divine Potter, and I pray God will squash down some of the places where we have become unbalanced and dysfunctional as human beings. Squash down our greed and reshape us into generosity. Squash down our abuse of the planet and reshape us into good stewards of Creation. Turn our political divisiveness into respectful cooperation. Take down our racism, sexism, oppression, and homophobia and build us back up with loving kindness.

Maybe if we follow the Potter’s guiding hands, we won’t have to go all the way back down to lump stage. Let’s do our best.

Robin Pengelly is the pastor of Castlegar United Church.