Sermon August 19, 2012

1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14

Psalm 111

Ephesians 5:15-20

John 6:51-58

“Living Wisdom”

I confess that I do not always prioritize the tasks I have to do and consider each of them carefully, weighing their importance and then scheduling my day, week, month or year accordingly. I confess that I don't want to spend that much time deciding anything. And I also confess that I often prioritize on the fly, doing what needs to be done as it needs to be done. And I confess that I don't get done what I need to get done in the most efficient way that I'd like to do it. I read an example of one person's conviction by this text in Ephesians about making the most of our time. In that case, it was exercise and commitment to exercise—finding the motivation to continue through or beyond illness or discomfort. And I confess that for myself as well.

Making the most of my time—of your time, individually and as a community—is an incredibly difficult thing for some of us. And for some of us, making the most of our time comes as second nature. Or that's the way it looks to those of us who seem to have trouble with it, who call ourselves procrastinators, those of us who can't quite find the spur to get that one thing done that never seems to get accomplished.

Wisdom can be expressed in the ways that we live our lives—wisdom in getting done what needs to be done as efficiently as possible. And there is wisdom in taking the time we need to get things done well—as a part of God's fullness and diversity of creation, it seems to me that all of us express some integral part of God's way and will for the world. So as we negotiate life—we are slowed down and sped up at different times and in different ways. Some of them frustrate us—and may indeed still be the will and the way of God.

Wisdom is expressed, according to the text from Ephesians by finding joy in worship. Wisdom is in the joyful faith of experiencing God. Foolishness from ignoring God—from what the psalm of the day might call not fearing God or thinking we are God, for that matter. While we might not ever say it, we may act that way at times.

As an example, I heard a woman describing how she used to see her faith. At one point in time she felt that believing exactly the right things in exactly the right way with exactly the right words used to describe them meant that she was safely saved. What she began to realize was that she made God very small and herself very powerful when she did that. She had all the control over her relationship with God and God had almost none. I thought this was an unusual and yet very accurate way of looking at salvation. We do need to practice spiritual disciplines: prayer, fasting, giving, service, compassionate acts, and worship because they spur us and help us maintain a relationship with God. And yet we can't say that just because we do a certain amount of “whatever it is” that that means we have it all together and God must be really impressed.

Instead, the text from Ephesians in the midst of all of the small pieces of this letter we have been examining, is pointing to “a pathway to wisdom through a spirit-centered lifestyle, joining individual and corporate, ethics and worship, prayer and action. Wise people make the most of the time of their lives. They don’t get distracted by ego needs, self-gratification, power plays, and consumerism. They have a big picture of life, not otherworldly, but cognizant of the countless opportunities to experience God in the shifting, dynamic, arising and perishing world. Life is short, live it to the fullest – be fully alive, glorifying God. Life is wonderful, despite its brokenness, because God is always with us as source of wisdom, energy, and adventure.”¹

And so because life is wonderful and we can be wise, the text turns our attention toward singing—celebrating Holy Spirit, it seems to be saying, instead of singing because of other spirits. It calls us to sing songs and psalms, make melody to God. Lively singing can be a lively wisdom when it moves us to worship, to praise, to thoughtfulness, to new ideas, to actions that help reveal God within us and all around us.

We celebrate the possibilities that may be—sing of the wonders of the world God has created—praise God for the experiences we have had of God in our lives and thank God for the incredible deeds that God has yet to do.

A few of you in the last couple of years have told me about songs/hymn that bring up memories and reminders of commitments made in the past. I still remember the song that our church sang when I decided to come forward and confess my faith in Jesus. It's not necessarily one I really have any fondness for otherwise. We were singing the gospel hymn “Victory in Jesus.” Some of you have expressed the comfort you receive from old hymns and some of you have said that you really enjoy hearing and learning new hymns. And a some of you have noticed that the hymns we sing on Sunday mornings usually, if at all possible, reinforce the sermon or the theme for the worship service as closely as possible, especially the hymn that directly follows the sermon.

As someone who loves music, songs often come to me out of the blue. And some of them for very good reason—I've been thinking about problems or confusions and a song will come that corresponds in some way. Though there are also the songs that are there for no reason and won't seem to leave. But most of the time, if a song is in my mind and heart, I can understand why. A song may redirect me from selfishness or sorrow, like one of the hymns we'll sing next Sunday, “My Life Flows on.” Sometimes when I have a particular sorrow or how found something to be particularly thankful for, the refrain from that hymn starts running,

“No storm can shake my inmost calm,

while to that rock I'm clinging.

When love is Lord of heav'n and earth,

how can I keep from singing?”

It's not even a song that we sang in my church as a child, but somewhere along the way it entered my internal recording of songs and tunes that means something to me.

In my life, songs and hymns have carved out permanent places and created patterns for my heart and mind to find solace. I'm glad I have them with me, reminding that God has been revealed to many people in comforting, loving and joyful ways. Some songs remind me of responsibilities we have toward one another as nations and as individuals

One song like that has these lyrics,

There is no nation by god exempted

Lay down your weapons

and love your neighbor as yourself

In the night fall when the light falls

And what you've seen isn't there anymore
It's through our blind trust that love will find us
Just like it has before.²

And I'm always reminded of my mother when I hear the Christmas carol, “There's a Song in the Air!” because it was her favorite. Perhaps because of that, but also in a more objective way, I also love this carol. When I sing or hear or think about this song, I am comforted by memories and strengthened in my faith.

The songs we love, the hymns that speak to us, the ones that give us hope, the ones that remind us of what's important or basic often play important roles in our faith development. This text in Ephesians leads its readers from the crucial life of wisdom in days of evil through drunkenness and wild living and offers the alternative pleasure of the presence of the Holy Spirit where singing to God and praising God and thanking God as the source of joy.

There are those of you who, unlike myself, may not find songs or hymns or singing as the inspiration, like some do. But I know that there are events, stories, and experiences that do prompt joy for you—walking in the woods or on the golf course, running in the rain and snow, witnessing the flowers blooming and even the incredible genius of a well-written novel may inspire you. In our worship, let us sing with joy when we can and in our lives outside this place, may we be enliven in the wisdom that we encounter as we praise God in so many other ways and in other places and times.

Our priorities can be kept in balance as we realize how it is that God comes into our lives—and by paying attention to those times, places and ways, we can learn what's really import to our lives as faith-filled Christians. The ideal life for each one of us is likely to contribute the life of faith that we share with one another. The wisdom that God gives us can move us to be more compassionate, more joyful and more caring in our relationships with others.

So let us worship God in all that we do—finding joy in a living wisdom, full of thanks and praise for God. Amen.

1http://www.patheos.com/blogs/livingaholyadventure/2012/08/the-adventurous-lectionary-twelfth-sunday-after-pentecost/

2“Our Deliverance,” Indigogirls on Become You, 2002.