Looking Ahead to October 2, 2022

 This being the first Sunday of October we will be celebrating the sacrament of Communion. If you are joining us on YouTube you are invited to have bread and juice available so we can all eat and drink together.

The Scripture readings this week are:

• Psalm 103:1-17
• Mark 10:13-16

The Sermon title is Wisdom’s Gifts

Early Thoughts: How do you measure Wisdom? What gifts has Wisdom given you?

In some places in Scripture Wisdom or Lady Wisdom (or in the translation we will hear on Sunday She Who Is Wisdom) is a title used for God. The NRSVUE, like many other translations, has chosen the traditional use of Lord/Father/his throughout Psalm 103. Dr. Wil Gafney, in her translation for the Women's Lectionary, has chosen Wisdom and female pronouns to refer to the Divine. Does that change how you see the gifts offered in the words of the Psalm?

What does it say to name Wisdom as the one that offers forgiveness, who brings life, who renews us, who offers faithful/steadfast love to all her children? Does that say something about the path of wisdom? Does that say something about how we are called to live in God's way?

I posit that The Way of Wisdom would be one way to describe what it means to follow Jesus, the one we call Christ. In that case what does the Psalm suggest about how we are to live?

The story of people bringing their children to Jesus is one many of know well. But this year, reading it in conjunction with Dr. Gafney's translation of Psalm 103 I read it differently. I saw it as a way that the wisdom of the Reign of God (and Jesus' whole ministry was about proclaiming the Reign/Realm/Kingdom of God) gets enfleshed. In many social situations over history, maybe even today, it would be seen as inappropriate to bring children to the great teacher. Common wisdom would say that this activity was an interruption to the work. Jesus gets angry, because Jesus sees the world differently. For Jesus the path of wisdom lies in "let the little children come to me". Jesus sees wisdom in children that we often discount or miss.

What gifts has children's wisdom given to you over the years?

The wisdom of living in God's way is often different from the wisdom of common sense. Sometimes it appears foolish by some standards. However, Lady Wisdom offers us the gifts of life, and that in abundance. We may need to have our eyes, hearts, and souls open to appreciate those gifts. ANd then we can be thankful for those gifts.

--Gord