Lately, we’ve been soaring through the cosmos among stars and planets and galaxies. It’s been thrilling to find God’s fingerprint, His purpose, in it all. I need to come back to earth after this high-altitude adventure. And earth is my focus today. Clay, that is. Specifically, clay used in making pottery. More specifically still, clay that we watched being spun and molded on a potter’s wheel this past weekend.
We dropped in to the studio of one master potter this weekend as he was working at his wheel. This man, Ben, has been ‘throwing pots’ for 40 years and is a fifth-generation potter. He loves his craft and it glows in every piece on every shelf in his showroom. He was unfazed by our presence (and that of his cat, Elvis) and chatted comfortably with us (and Elvis) as he worked. Several others were there, too, asking questions, and listening with rapt attention at his easy answers. In just a few short minutes, the column of clay had taken the form of a vase under the expert, knowing, pressure of his hands. (I’ll be honest, some of his ‘simple’ answers were too complicated for me.) After arriving at a form that pleased him, he took a length of fishing line and slid it under the vase to separate it from the wheel. Then, carefully lifting it, he placed it on a shelf to partially dry till the next day.
Next up, a 14” tall candle stick. Ben took a fresh lump of clay and smacked it down hard on the wheel, and, in seconds, had it perfectly centered. (This first task looked simple, but for beginners, this part can be the bane of their existence as it can be fiendishly difficult!) In five minutes, interacting with his curious and impressed audience the whole time, the lump of clay had been transformed into the form of a finished candlestick standing proudly before us! Of course, many more steps are needed before it is truly finished. It needs to be kiln-fired to have the strength and stability to be usable.
Maybe my fascination with pottery originates in the creation of mankind – the dust of the earth, which, with water, becomes clay. God used the illustration of himself as a potter working his clay in Jeremiah 18:2-4 to show how He centers, shapes, and molds us to fit His plan. Submitting to being ‘fired’ seems terribly painful but is an indispensable step to becoming useful in the Master’s skillful hands. I’m in awe after seeing so many beautiful pieces of pottery this weekend, that each one began the same way, as a sloppy, wet, formless (and useless without the potter’s touch) lump of clay. PD
