Bethel Ontario Live September 7, 2025

Whenever the clay is marred, or spoiled, or something goes wrong, there's something to notice here. The potter does not throw it away. The potter doesn't discard it. Instead, the potter reworks it and shapes it into something new. So this is actually, instead of something to be scared of, this is a word of hope. It means that God does not abandon us when we mess up. [00:23:49] (34 seconds)  #HopeInGodsReshaping

When we crack under pressure, when we fall short, when our lives lose shape, instead of throwing us away or discarding us, God continues to work with us patiently, persistently. God will do that again, and again, and again. [00:24:49] (23 seconds)  #PersistentGrace

Clay in the hands of the potter, does not decide its own form. In fact, usually when it starts kind of going off on its own, that's when the potter has to smash it back down and start over. We, like the clay, we don't get to dictate the ways of God. [00:26:41] (18 seconds)  #SurrenderToThePotter

Jesus says, whoever doesn't carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. You've got to do the work if you want that recognition and that reward. The words aren't meant to scare us away. They're actually just inviting us to be aware, to have our eyes open, and to count the cost. [00:28:53] (25 seconds)  #CountTheCost

Jesus' example of the builder calculating the cost or the king weighing their chances of winning the battle, those things remind us that discipleship requires intention, it requires preparation, and it requires honesty. And we have to ask ourselves, are we willing to be reshaped? Are we actually willing to let go of what we cling to in order to be formed into vessels of God's love and God's compassion and God's justice? [00:29:35] (33 seconds)  #IntentionalDiscipleship

It may mean standing up for justice, when silence would be easier. Oh, I'm just going to be quiet. You know, I'm not going to help that bad guy, but, you know, I don't want to be making a show of myself. It may mean giving generously when the world tells us to hold tight. And it probably even means being misunderstood or opposed. [00:31:11] (32 seconds)  #CourageToStand

But the good news is that we are not alone. We are not abandoned to figure this out ourselves. We don't have to shape ourselves. We are in the potter's hands. The cost is real, but so is the promise. God is crafting something beautiful, useful, and something that bears God's image and love into the world. [00:31:44] (23 seconds)  #NotAloneInTheProcess

As a congregation, whether we're at our largest or our smallest, we are clay in the potter's hands. The Spirit may be reshaping us in ways we did not expect, challenging us to let go of the way we've always done it in order to be vessels for God's work at this moment. [00:32:10] (20 seconds)  #SpiritLedTransformation

And as individuals, we're invited to ask, where is God reshaping me? What am I clinging to that keeps me from being pliable clay? Am I willing to accept the cost of discipleship in my daily life? Not just my Sunday life, but my daily life, in my priorities, my time, my resources, my relationships. [00:32:30] (26 seconds)  #DailyCostOfDiscipleship

To be disciples is to place ourselves fully in those hands of God. Knowing that it's going to cost us. Knowing it may reshape us in ways we can't predict. And also knowing that God is making of us vessels of grace, justice, mercy, and love. [00:33:37] (20 seconds)  #VesselsOfGrace