Some of you may remember that last week I published two posts Visions in an Empty Glass and We Were Created For Change that flowed out of a profound moment with God that I experienced a couple of weeks ago as I gazed at the empty communion chalice. I continue to meditate on those images and God is still speaking to me from them
The chalice that inspired me was handblown glass and today I contemplated the whole process of glass blowing which involves inflating molten glass into a bubble (or parison), with the aid of a blowpipe. Skilled workers are capable of shaping almost any vessel forms by rotating the pipe, swinging it and controlling the temperature of the piece while they blow.
All of us are like handblown glass, shaped by God into vessels of beauty I thought. All of us are molded uniquely, no two the same. All of us are special, lovingly crafted. Some of us are molded as goblets ready to be filled with living water that others can drink from. Others are like windows – transparent and allowing the glory of God to shine through. Others are like lenses, focusing and magnifying the beauty of God. They break the light of God into rainbows. Blown glass comes in all the colours of the rainbow. It comes in all shapes and sizes. It has many uses from purely functional to decorative.
And then of course there is crystal. Compared to glass, fine crystal may be thinner or more decorative because the lead content lowers the working temperature of the glass, making it easier to sculpt. Normally, glass has to be fired to high temperatures with only a short window of time to blow or mold it. The presence of lead lowers the temperature and extends the working time, allowing crystal to be more ornately decorated compared to glass. However, while the presence of lead helps in sculpting it to the desired shape, it also makes the crystal more fragile, breakable, and prone to scratches. I love to run my finger around a fine crystal goblet and listen to the music that resonates through it. Like some people I know, it sings of God’s wonder and majesty.
What kind of vessel has God shaped you to be?
4 comments
I remember watching the professionals work their craft at Waterford in Ireland. It was amazing! In the case of their products, there are no factory seconds (my ex wife was disappointed). If it is not what the artisan wants, it is shattered to be re-blown. Thankfully, God does not shatter us literally, but I do believe that we can be remade and that remaking can be painful at times. As to what sort of vessel I am? Remember the scene from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade? The cup of Christ was the humble cup of a carpenter, not the bejeweled chalice. I try to live and serve as that humble cup. Thank you for the moments of reflection, dear sister!
Beautiful reflection Michael. And yes sometimes the humble unattractive cup is the most precious.
I posted a picture and story in my comments on my blog share on FB
Love it Michael just looked at it. Provides another beautiful image for me to contemplate on