More Words For God

Here are some more of my thoughts on words we use to describe God.

Potter – Isaiah 64:7 says “Yet, O LORD, you are our father; we are the clay and you the potter: we are all the work of your hands.”  God is the one who formed man out of the ground and breathed live into him (Genesis 2:7).  When we refer to God as the potter, it is not just a reference to God forming the first man from the ground.  God continues to shape and form us each day if we let him.  We do not instantly become perfect humans.  It is something we have to work at our whole lives.  Part of what we need to work on is opening ourselves to God so that he can shape us into what he calls us to be.  We cannot become what God calls us to be by ourselves.  We need God to be the potter.

Creator – When we think of God as creator, the stories that most often come to mind are the two stories of creation found in chapters one and two of Genesis.  These stories have literal explanations of how God created the earth.  Yet, God as creator do not simply create and walk away.  God is not like a manufacturer who makes a product, sells its, and never knows what happens to what he has made.  God remains involved in creation and continues to mold us and shape us as our potter. 

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

P.S. Check out Images of God for the rest of this series on words people use to describe God.