When I was in Eighth Grade, the pals I hung out with were derisively called the Wise Guys, especially by male faculty members. We always had a smart answer for our shenanigans. Scriptures to be read during worship on the upcoming weekend remind us that in God’s eyes, we’re not always that smart. Real Wisdom is a gift from God, and often (usually?) runs counter to the wisdom of The System.
PROVERBS 9:1-6 “introduces” Wisdom as the feminine side of Creation; she calls those who will hear to “lay aside immaturity and live, and walk in the way of insight”. Wisdom goes beyond obeying the rules to accepting a divine relationship with a God who has generously created Life. Our ethics have turned upside down, and if we care to wait out the dark times, the Light will eventually win out. Well, THERE’s hope! Do we pursue the path of Wisdom, or do we squander our dreams on that which does not satisfy? Please note that Dame Wisdom freely offers bread and wine, the Nourishment of Eternity.
EPHESIANS 5:15-20 speaks to our need to live as wise people, acknowledging God’s Presence at all times. “The mark of the wise, according to this passage, is using time wisely, and using it to change the world.” (Paul V. Marshall, in FEASTING on the WORD, B 3:350) The Christ-follower is to put themself where the Wisdom is, abstaining from that which dulls the senses, and giving thanks for all that is, certain that God is there.
Many have skipped over the Gospel of JOHN 6:51-58, where Jesus announces that to eat his body and drink his blood is the fulfillment of Godliness. Many cringe when they realize that he means it: consumption is allowing each bit to flow through the circulation into the smallest of capillaries. Luther maintains that the emphasis should be on “MY”, instead of concentrating on “FLESH” and “BLOOD”. All of us “consume” something, sometimes the evils of The System. Real salvation is about attending to God’s Presence by not selling out to the impotent forces that surround us.
So the Wise are those men & women who proclaim that the Word has moved into our backyard and must be acknowledged. They commit to a life never quite in-sync with the common values, to a life on the fringes of The System, and of self-giving to the destitute and loveless.
In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King
Every Tuesday we’ll explore the lessons to be read during worship on the upcoming weekend, at horacebrownking.com
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I often wish Jesus had spoken in such cryptic language. I guess he has to hide his real purpose in coming from the Jewish leaders. This also gave us something to connect to the last supper; where Jesus also speaks of eating His body and blood. In the mystery of Holy Communion we enter into Union with God. In our lives we embody the actions of God following people. It is not to be comprehended by the wise but by we the spiritual or as the world would say the foolish. I choose to believe that through bread and wine I become one with Christ
I don’t understand but I believe!
Thanks Horace for causing us to encounter and embrace this mystery!
Glenn HasBrouck