Alisa Liskin Clausen on thu 29 dec 05
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From: Alisa Liskin Clausen [mailto:alisa@clausen.mail.dk]
Sent: 23. december 2005 23:08
To: Clayart
Subject: what if god was a master potter?
This is a story which is about potters and priests and everyday beauty in
everyday.
My friend, Eva, is the local priest. She asked me recently, if god was a
master potter, what the world's people would look like and what they would
be like.
I don't know really. god does not have an idea of what perfect looks like,
because all of his people on earth are perfect. Some go astray, but they
are created equally and are perfect.
When I make a pot that I do not think is what it should be, I can wedge the
clay up again, make something new that I think is nearer to perfect, or I
can fire it anyway, and later on discard the pot, or I can look at the pot
that did not turn out how I wanted it to be or imagined it to be after the
firing, and still, find the perfect purpose for the pot.
Ah, Eva was inspired for her sermon the coming Sunday.
She was going to christen triplets and their new born sister. The triplets
had been born 9 years ago. All boys, one brother died, one brother is
multi handicapped and one brother is healthy. Now they have a sister and
all of them were brought to church for their religious rights of passage.
The congregation was of sad and proud parents, family, friends and a potter
who know the priest but not the church.
A paraphrased translation of Eva's sermon that day;
Here can you see some clay I have gotten down from the potter. It doesn't
really look like anything special. But every one of us knows that in the
right hands, clay can become the most beautiful art craftwork.
If god was a potter, he could choose to cast away his work that is not
completely perfect.
But now, god is not a potter. He is god and creates. Therefore he cannot
allow himself to throw out anything or remake it into something else. He
sees possibilities instead. Only them, who dare to think differently or
creatively, can make the finest.
This is how people are created. Every person is a unique work of art, each
individual. In the right hands, clay can become anything. But also people
can be formed, when we come into good hands: our parents hands, our
family's hands, our friend's and other network's hands. Because, we as
parents want the very best for our children, we allow them to be christened
and lay them in god's hands and pray that he will help to continue to form
them.
The potter gave me clay and she also gave me a pitcher. (Shows congregation
pitcher from back side with handle). It should have in fact, been discarded
because the handle dried crooked. But it was fired anyway, and the handle
is still crooked. When she threw it way, she bent over it again, and she
could see right away that she could use the less than perfect pitcher, now
broken, for something entirely different than what she imagined it would be
used for when she was making it.
When the potter threw the pot away from her into the shard bucket, it broke
into two large pieces, concisely in halves. One side with the spout and one
side with the handle. The pitcher will never pour water or wine. (Eva
turned the pitcher around, holding it by the handle now, to show a candle
burning inside). But it is a special candle holder where candles will be
allowed to shed their light from.
None of us here today are perfect.
But we are god's invaluable artwork. We are them whom god's light shines
in.
As it is now a special time for peace and good thoughts,
peace and good thoughts to all of you.
Regards from Alisa in Denmark
Now in New Jersey, on vacation enjoying being my mother's child.
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