Created
in
Our
Image

Which Jesus do you worship, the Vegan Jesus, the Weeping Jesus, the Gentle as a Lamb Jesus, the Political Activist Jesus, the Plastic Dashboard Jesus? We have a tendancy to want to create him in our image rather than being created in his image. In spite of the archaic language, I like the imagery created in the old gospel hymn:

Have thine own way, Lord. Have thine own way!
Thou art the potter, I am the clay!
Mold me and make me, after they will,
While I am waiting, yielded and still.

That imagery comes straight out of the Book of Jeremiah: "The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, 'Go down to the shop where clay pots and jars are made. I will speak to you while you are there.' So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so the potter squashed the jar into a lump of clay and started again. Then the Lord gave me this message: 'O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand," (Jeremiah 18:1-6). I'm not completely comfortable with the idea of being squashed by the hand of God like a lump of clay. But I love the idea of being gently shaped by the loving hands of my creator. And if we are completely honest, most of us haven't done the greatest job of shaping our own lives. We are always at our best when we give God full creative rights to our lives.
One of my sons goes to Vintage 21 Church in Raleigh, NC. They have put together a hillarious set of videos that pokes fun at the way we sometimes distort the image of Jesus. You can view one of the videos here. Enjoy! -- bob