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DonateJune 3, 2007 |
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Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31
Psalm 8
Romans 5:1-5
John 16:12-15
Wisdom is calling! Wisdom is still speaking – on the street corner, at the marketplace, as you read the newspaper, as you consider the bumble bee, and watch the clouds scudding by on a summer afternoon. Wisdom’s call is “to all that live.”
Wisdom is calling – everywhere and within everything! Proverbs 8 proclaims the ubiquity of divine wisdom. Is Wisdom God herself, or the Logos, or the Spirit embodied in ordinary moments as well as moments of dramatic revelation? God is love, and divine love is wisdom embodied in acts of beauty and justice.
The theology of Proverbs 8 is subtle but inspiring. God creates the world in delight and beauty. Truly Sophia, divine wisdom, dances alongside – and within - God as an artist and companion, a cosmic child, joyfully bringing forth galaxy upon galaxy at the macro level, and the movements of our cells and the summer fireflies at the micro level. Proverbs’ image of divine wisdom reflects the unity of salvation and creation in God’s relationship to the world. And, it was – and still is – good, despite the threat of global warming, the mysterious deaths of bees, and the changing faces of glaciers and lakes. Through it all, wisdom calls. But, is anyone really listening? Will we choose life or death, wisdom or folly, as persons and a race?
The God of the Proverbs 8 creation story is full of wonder and delight. This God, beyond, yet encompassing, male and female, creates through all things – not coercively or completely or without our consent – but as an artist beckoning forth the creative powers of the world that reflects the divine delight.
Wisdom calls to us in every moment with the invitation, “choose life” – for ourselves, for the non-human world, and for our children and future generations – by choosing to become God’s partners in beauty-making and justice-seeking for all creation.
Psalms 8 continues the theme of divine wisdom, incarnate in our lives. While we are infinitesimal inhabitants of an infinitesimal planet, in a small solar system, in one of billions of galaxies in the universe, we still matter to God. The universe, some physicists suggest, is omni-centered. Accordingly, despite our own mortality and finitude, we dwell at the center of God’s care and have responsibility for caring for this good earth.
John’s gospel speaks of divine wisdom as the spirit of truth, guiding humanity on the path of life. God’s guidance is ours in every situation! Help is always on the way!
Romans 5:1-5 sees theodicy in terms of spiritual maturity. The Apostle Paul is not glorifying suffering or calling for passive endurance of injustice; rather, God’s dynamic grace, working within the events of our lives – the grace “in which we stand” – enables us to respond hopefully and creatively to the suffering we experience. We are healed by grace, not by our own individual efforts. The generous grace of God flows into our lives, giving us the courage and strength to face aging, political conflict, persecution, and death.
Today’s scriptures join theology, spirituality, and ethics. The divine wisdom that creates the universe calls us to embody this same artistry in our own lives. We are called to be God’s partners in the task of tikkun ‘olam, “mending the world.” Spiritual formation involves our partnership in God’s aim at beauty in our own sphere of responsibility.
Wisdom spirituality calls us to experience the wonder of life in all its complexity, to dance and live fully in this world, and to choose life in all its abundance. Trusting God’s grace and wisdom, we embrace life in its many dimensions – in joy and sorrow, peace and conflict, in living and dying – and commit ourselves to growing seeds of wisdom in every encounter.
Today’s scripures call us to liturgical and theological creativity. In the spirit of Proverbs 8, Christian education classes might consider photographs from the Hubble telescope and the human immune system. Participants of all ages can beinvited to take “a beauty break,” a period of ten minutes to simply enjoy the beauty of the earth and one another, and then share their visions of beauty. (See Patricia Adams Farmer, Embracing a Beautiful God.)
The wisdom passage from Proverbs 8 evokes possibilities of dance, banners, kites, wind chimes, and lively music within worship. Wisdom worship joins the human story with the universe story, and personal healing with global healing. Worship invites us to delight and dance in synch with God’s own quest for beauty.
Bruce Epperly is Professor of Practical Theology and Director of Continuing Education at Lancaster Theological Seminary and the author of several books.
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