Filled with Hope

I came home from church on the freezing cold rainy day, and decided it was a perfect day to make a creche scene out of Sculpey Clay. I wanted larger figures than the little Sculpey Clay creche I made a few years ago. My plan is that every year, I will add one animal to the scene. I thought it would be easy. It was not. I don't know how people make large Sculpey figures since they tend to fall over as they warm up in the oven during the baking/hardening process. I suspect they use some sort of wire armature, but I didn't have any wire. Additionally, I was limited by the colors I had, because I had no desire to go out in the cold rain for more clay. Besides, I wanted to practice making due with what I had, and being content in my limitations. It took me much longer than I thought it would, but in the end, I was happy with my little clay family. (No one needs to know that Joseph is propped up with a Sculpey clay blanket I made for Baby Jesus, but it didn't fit over baby Jesus once it baked into a solid hard slab. However, it was perfect for propping Joseph who melted in the oven and keeled over severely to the left. SHHHHHHH!)

I decided that if I get good at this, I could make Christmas gifts. Who wouldn't want a handmade Sculpey clay creche scene, afterall? Not only will the creative work perhaps keep me from despair or senility, but it will play nicely into my desire to decrease the excess of consumerism at Christmas. I am envisioning spending the whole year slowly constructing a complete tableau of Jesus' birth scene -- Mary, Joseph, Jesus, the manger, the three kings, angels, and then a few penguins or maybe kangaroos to round it all out.



Art is my gift... or so I thought. Despite that, it was really not as magnificent as I envisioned the Sculpey Creche would be. Our sermon Sunday reminded us that we are not supposed to wait till the day when we feel we will be completely ready to do what God would have us do. We are to do it now, ready or not. God always covers our inadequacies, and frankly, compared to God, we will never be adequate. The Pastor reminded us of Barak, the commander of the Israelite army that went against Sisera, the evil Canaanite king. God commanded Barak to go into battle and free his people from the Canaanite oppressors. Barak was willing, but not confident. He told Deborah, the prophetess of the time, that he would go and lead the troops, but only if Deborah came with him. His obedience was conditional, and as a result, the blessing of the victory was given to Deborah, and to another woman, Jael, who was the one who actually killed the evil Sisera with a tent peg through his forehead while he slept.

I guess that sermon gave me courage. If we are led by God to do something, we shouldn't hem and haw while assessing our fitness to do it. Just do it. God will accomplish whatever He wants to, but if we hold back, we will miss the blessing. Anyway, my little holy family is not perfect, but I like it. It reminds me to step forward in faith in all things God desires of me, even when I am certain that I do not have what it takes.

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Surrender your heart to God, turn to him in prayer, and give up your sins— even those you do in secret. Then you won't be ashamed; you will be confident and fearless. Your troubles will go away like water beneath a bridge, and your darkest night will be brighter than midday. You will rest safe and secure, filled with hope and emptied of worry. (Job 11:13-18 CEVUK00)






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