Leftovers

“Leftovers” was preached at Community Presbyterian Church of Malverne, NY on Sunday, August 23, 2015. This sermon was not one of my better ones, but I am posting it as a reference for comparison of my own growth. I am still learning, and I strive for improvement. Inspirations were on two scriptural passages, memories, and other sermons.

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Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-18

1 Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel; and they presented themselves before God. 2 And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Long ago your ancestors—Terah and his sons Abraham and Nahor—lived beyond the Euphrates and served other gods.

14 “Now therefore revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods; 17 for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight. He protected us along all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed; 18 and the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”

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John 6:56-69

56 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever.” 59 He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum.

60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?” 61 But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63 It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But among you there are some who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him. 65 And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father.”

66 Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. 67 So Jesus asked the twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”

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Leftovers are great. Yes, I’m talking about food. Leftovers. The stuff you didn’t eat. The stuff you were unable to eat. The stuff that now waits in your fridge wanting to be eaten. You can eat leftovers cold or you can add a little heat to them. You can take them to work with you or you can send it off with your children for a school lunch. You can eat what you had for dinner last night as a breakfast or lunch. You can have it as a snack or you can even have it for dinner that next night. The meal is already prepared. Yes, leftovers are great!

Or should, I say, leftovers are usually great. Except for when you have too many leftovers. I mean, when Tupperware fills you fridge with leftover food. And for the next couple of meals, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, all you have is leftovers.

I remember one year, I was either in late middle school or early high school, and my family prepared a huge thanksgiving meal. While my family usually had thanksgiving with all our relatives, this was our first year with just my immediate family, and we may have prepared too much food. We had stuffing and green beans and potatoes and desserts and jello galore. It filled our entire kitchen! And the turkey! The turkey was a magnificent beast. My family indulged and we ate and ate and ate. But no matter how much we ate, we were going to have plenty of leftovers.

So the next day, my family has thanksgiving again. Complete with the stuffing and green beans and potatoes and deserts and jello. And yes, there was still that magnificent beast of a turkey. Now cleanly sliced into many, many – hundreds! – of pieces. The day after that, my family had thanksgiving again. The day after that, again. And again, and again, and again…. And again. I was thankful for the first thanksgiving my family had that year, and I knew I was very blessed to have this much food, but those leftovers became redundant and bland.

We tried to change the leftovers into something we would like. Especially the turkey. We made turkey burritos and turkey omelets for breakfast. We made turkey sandwiches. We made turkey noodle soup, turkey chili, Creamed turkey on toast; turkey this and turkey that! Turkey! Turkey! Turkey! We experimented with what we had and tried to make something new. We tried to change the leftovers into something that we would like, and we tried to change the leftovers into something that would best suit us. And after a week or two, when the leftovers became old and when we were tired of them, we finally threw them out believing the leftovers no longer served our needs or our wants. See, leftovers are usually great. Until we think we longer that we need or want them.

In both of our readings today, I see the characters responding as if they have only been given the “leftovers” – leftovers they believe they no longer need or want. They believe the big, hearty meal has already happened, and while they enjoyed the meal when it was given to them, they now are responding with tired and confused responses. They’re not happy with the leftovers. In fact, they’re so unhappy with the leftovers that they forgot the meal was freely given to them in the first place. That is, until one of the characters, Joshua in the Old Testament reading and Jesus in the Gospel reading remind them of why they were given the meal – a meal of salvation and grace – in the first place. To which each of their respective followers respond in a humbling manner.

In Joshua, we are at the point in the story where the Israelites have found peace and well-being. At this point, they have been living in their promised land for many years. They have been freed from their captors in Egypt. They were nourished with food and drink in the desert. God has given them the law and has shown them great miracles. God even defeated the Israelites’ enemies and laid a conquest to the land. The Israelites have been delivered! And they believe that they have been given their grand meal. And they were thankful at first! They celebrated and they praised God! They rejoiced loudly and wholeheartedly! They revered the Lord! They served the Lord! They loved the Lord! But along the way, the celebrations became sparser. The rejoicing quieted down. They praising stopped all together. They became complacent. And tired. And bored. They forgot about their time in Eygpt and their time in the desert. They forgot it was God who defeated their enemies. They forgot it was their God who laid a conquest. They forgot about the law and the land. They forgot that it was God who have delivered them to their promised land. They forgot about why they celebrated and the reasons they rejoiced and who they praised. They forgot.

That his, until Joshua in his very old age called them all together, and reminded them of the God that brought their ancestors to this place. In verses 14 and 15, Joshua declares, “Now therefore revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

Joshua remembers it was God who brought them their deliverance. He prophesies to all the people – to the elders and to the judges, to the leaders and officers – to all the people of Israel. Who was it that saved you?! The gods of Amorites that you now worship or the one true God of the Israelites?  Serve who you want – do what you want with your leftovers – but remember who served you first, remember who provided the great big meal of deliverance. Choose now.

And the Israelites do. They were reminded and they were humbled. They chose once again to worship and to revere their Lord their God. They saw that their leftovers were still once as good and as gracious as they had always been.

And then in the Gospel reading, we have a similar situation. Jesus has been preaching and performing miracles throughout the countryside. By this point, he has accumulated quite the mass of followers. This story actually directly follows the feeding of the five thousand. And the people loved it! They saw the miracle. They loved being fed fish and bread; this was an actual physical meal they could enjoy. They were being nourished; they we given gifts of food and drink. But when Jesus then declares himself as the “Bread of Life” and states, “Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty,” Jesus’ followers become hesitant. Sure, they love when Jesus can perform a miracle, but they become resistant to him when they learn that Jesus himself is the miracle. Some Jewish leaders start to complain. They have a problem with Jesus as the bread. Jesus counters with a familiar story from their Jewish tradition (God providing manna for Moses’ and his followers in the desert), reminding them if God could provide a physical, nourishing bread, God could also provide a spiritual one. But it doesn’t go over well. They forgot this story. This forgot Jesus has had just fed them moments before. They forgot that they have seen the miracles and have heard the teachings. They forgot they loved the man they followed. They, like the Israelites, forgot. And so they leave. This message was “too difficult” to accept. They now longer want what Jesus has to give. They no believe they no longer need or want the meal. Going back to their fields and their homes leaving Jesus alone with his original twelve. And so Jesus’ poses the twelve this question in verse 67: “Do you also wish to go away?”

And again, we see a humbling response from the disciples: “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” They know that Jesus is the incarnate God, and even though his teachings are difficult to accept, they know they must try because his words are words of eternal life. There is no one else they would follow. They want the miracles and the teachings. They want the bread of life. They want to eat the flesh and drink the blood (even though they have no idea what that means yet). They want the leftovers.

And so, that is what Jesus gives them. The disciples remain loyal followers. There were bumps here and there; denials and betrayals, doubts and questions; but every time, the disciples come back for more of the meal. It’s the irresistible grace that draws them in…

And that brings the message to us. As Christians, we become comfortable with our salvation.  See, we love and praise God when something really amazing happens. And we lament and depend on God when something terrible happens. Both of those we see as the hearty meal. We love when we can physically see what God has provided for us. But we too often are like the Israelites and the crowds who followed Jesus. When nothing good nor bad is happening, when everyday normal life is happening, are we truly praising or lamenting… or are we just forgetting?

The Christian message isn’t that something neither great nor terrible needs to happen for us to praise or lament. Christ calls us to know that we should always worship and revere God in our everyday lives through our everyday thoughts and actions. Before the meal, during the meal, and after the meal. Always. We are reminded and we are humbled. Jesus is the meal. “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life.” These words are the leftovers. We may not always want them; we may not always think we need them. But they are there. Stored inside of the grace that God has given to us. Easy. Convenient. Accessible. The leftovers that remind us why leftovers are so great in the first place.

Jesus is the ingredients. Jesus is the meal. Jesus is the leftovers that never spoil. And through him, we will forever be spiritually nourished.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

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 “Nourishing God, Thank for your Holy Word. Thank you for opening our hearts and our minds. We have seen the way you provide for your people. We have indulged in your hearty meal of grace and salvation. Forgive us when we forget that you are our God. Forgive when we overlook the gifts you have freely given to us. Remind us that you are always there and that you call us to always people your people. Give to us the leftovers we will ever enjoy. We glorify you this day and all of our days. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.”

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The Will of the Father

            "The Will of the Father" was preached at Lawrence Road Presbyterian Church on Sunday, September 20, 2015. Scripture, commentaries, creative writing, discussions with other seminarians, and the study of lament were among the inspirations. 

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Jeremiah 11:18-20

18 It was the Lord who made it known to me, and I knew;

    then you showed me their evil deeds.

19 But I was like a gentle lamb

    led to the slaughter.

And I did not know it was against me

    that they devised schemes, saying,

“Let us destroy the tree with its fruit,

    let us cut him off from the land of the living,

    so that his name will no longer be remembered!”

20 But you, O Lord of hosts, who judge righteously,

    who try the heart and the mind,

let me see your retribution upon them,

    for to you I have committed my cause.

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After a small meal in a small house with a small crowd of his closest friends, after he broke the bread and poured the cup, the Man went out to the garden to pray. Hours upon hours, the Man pleaded and begged the Father for his life. This was not what he wanted, but this is what he was willing to do for this was the will of the Father. Hours upon hours of praying long through the night… Suddenly, another man, a friend – the Betrayer – appeared. It all happened so quickly. A kiss. The betrayal. The Man foresaw this. He was arrested. Another friend – the Denier – started a fight. The Man calmed the Denier. He let the other men take him, and his friends deserted him. The kiss of the Betrayer still lingered on his cheek… This was the will of the Father.

He was taken before the High Priest where he was put on trial. Witnesses gathered to give their testimony. The Man looked out among the crowd. He saw the familiar face of the Denier hidden among the many faces of strangers. The man hung his head low. Many gave their testimony before him. Lies upon lies; false witnesses to condemn him! The High Priest asked the man to defend himself, but the Man stayed silent. This angered the strangers. They mocked him; they spat in his face. Someone struck him, a slap across the face. There was a cold sting on his cheek; the metallic taste of blood in his mouth. This was the first of the beatings to come. This was the will of the Father.

In the morning, they bound the Man and took him before the Governor. Suddenly the Man felt a great loss – the loss of a friend – the death of the Betrayer. He remembered the kiss. The betrayal. Death was hanging in the air. This was the will of his Father. The trial continued. The Governor asked him questions, “Are you the king of the Jews? Do you not hear the accusations they make against you? Do you understand I have the power to put you to death?” But the Man gave no answer. Not to any accusation nor to any charge. The Governor was amazed, and so the Governor sought mercy. This was the will of the Father.

The Governor went before the crowd. He would release one prisoner as it was custom to the festival. The Governor brought the Man before the crowd. There was a look of compassion and love in his eyes. Then the governor brought another man – the Other – before the crowd. The Other’s eyes were filled with wrath and frenzy. “Whom shall I release?” The governor asked, “The Man or the Other? Whom shall I release?”

“Free the Other!” The crowds shouted, “Free the Other! Free the Other!” The Other sneered and snarled, teeth like fangs in his mouth. But the Man looked out among the crowd, a look of love and compassion still on his face. This was the very same crowd that followed him just days before; this was the crowd that once loved him. “Free the Other,” the Man thought to himself. This was the will of the Father. “Crucify the Man!” the crowds shouted even louder, “Crucify him!” The Governor was astonished. He washed his hands before the crowd. Let the blood of the Man be on their hands. And so the Man was taken away. This was the will of the Father.

The Man was beaten again. Flogged and whipped. Whipped and flogged. His body was broken over and over. Blood stained his clothes; bruises covered his skin. This was the will of the Father. They stripped the Man of his clothes. They forced him into a scarlet robe and shoved a crown of thorns onto his head. Blood streamed down his face; he wore a crimson mask. This was the will of the Father. They mocked him. They spat on him. They gave him false praises and they beat him with a rod. This was the will of the Father.

It was time for the crucifixion. It was time to carry the cross. The crowds found another man – the Bystander – to carry this cross. The Bystander carried it up the hill to the place of the skull. The Man looked at the Bystander with love. “Thank you,” the Man whispered. This was the will of the Father.

When they had arrived at the top of the hill, the Bystander fell over in exhaustion. But it was not over for the Man. The Man was nailed to that cross. Three nails pierced his flesh. One. His left hand. Two. His right hand. Three. The center of feet. The Man was set to be crucified. This was the will of the Father.  Two others joined the Man on their own crosses. The Bandit and the Thief. The Bandit taunted him; the Thief trusted him. The two would die to the left and to the right of the Man. This was the will of the Father.

After hours of agonizing pain upon the cross, the Man cried out with a loud voice, “Eli Eli Lama Sabachthani!” The Man took a moment. He was about to die. He cried out once more. He breathed his last breath. This was the will of the Father. The curtain was torn. The earth shook and the rocks split. Tombs were opened and bodies were raised. The Man had died. This was the will of the Father. Jesus – the Son of God – was killed like a lamb led to the slaughter.

The will of the Father…

According to our Book of Order, the first question we ask during a ordination, installation, or commission service for our elders and deacons is, “Do you trust in Jesus Christ your Savior, acknowledge him Lord of all and Head of the Church, and through him believe in one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?” It’s a lot easier said than done. The question comes in three parts: “Do you trust in Jesus Christ your savior?” Remember the man we trust was deserted and betrayed by his own friends. Remember that our savior was beaten and mocked. “Do you acknowledge him Lord of all and Head of the Church?” Remember the crowds made fun of his royalty. Remember he was left upon a cross to die while people taunted him in his final moments. “And do you believe in One God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?” Remember it was Jesus who prayed to his Father in the garden saying, “Father, take this cup of suffering from me. Not my will but yours be done!” And remember it was Jesus on the cross who cried out with his final breaths, “My God, My God; Why have you forsaken me?”

“Do you trust in Jesus Christ your Savior, acknowledge him Lord of all and Head of the Church, and through him believe in one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?” How would we respond? And if we were to say “yes,” how would we live to ensure that we are staying true to our word especially in a world filled with pain?

It’s not easy. Especially when we consider what happened to the man we follow. When we put ourselves into the shoes of the Betrayer or the Denier, the High Priest or the Governor, the Other or the Bystander, the Bandit or the Thief, we realize it is not as easy to follow the man, as we would like to believe. And that is why we must consider one other character outside of this story. A character that lived many, many years before the life and death of Jesus. A character who knew following the will of God was not an easy thing to do. This character is The Weeping Prophet: Jeremiah.

For those who have noticed a darker theme among the passages I have chosen each time I have preached here at Lawrence Road, let me clarify two points. One, each passage I’ve preached upon was either assigned to me by Nina or it was that specific week’s lectionary text, the latter being true in this case. Two, I am drawn to passages where I see an emotional struggle in the story; whether that be anger, desperation, sorrow, or conflict.  That means I am very drawn to the books of the Bible such as Jeremiah where the act of lament is prominent. And it is in these words where we learn to relinquish our control and give it up to a God who has felt our pain.

Humankind has a tendency to shy away from their emotions and an inclination to hide our struggles. Especially when these emotions and struggles are directed towards God. We occasionally fail to recognize our losses and we occasionally fail to give weight to our sorrows. This creates sort of an inner chaos where our emotions become free-flowing and unpredictable because we are unable to channel it into a tangible feeling. We soon because overwhelmed by this chaos – lost in a storm of hurt we feel we cannot express. We become trapped in a whirlwind of debilitating and inescapable pain. This is why we need the act of lament. It gives a structure and a set pattern to our emotions. It helps us identify our own struggles as we give them up to God. It frees us from our pain as we name each of emotions – emotions that we feel have been caused by the world around us or even by God. It is through this act that we able to stay true to ourselves and to God because while laments are filled with emotions, they are expressed in a way where faith, love, and devotion are the key to one’s relationship with God. A lament is an act of righteous faithfulness.

Jeremiah knows pain, and if we read this text through the lens of our own human experience, we are able to see something more than just Jeremiah crying out to God. Yes, Jeremiah is sad and angry in this passage because he feels that God has done this to him. After all, it was God who called Jeremiah into service. But Jeremiah also recognizes that he does not understand God’s plans or God’s knowledge. Try as he might, his knowledge is limited in comparison with God’s. This is also true for us. Our knowledge is also limited in comparison with God’s. This is both an upsetting and comforting feeling. We live in a world where things just don’t make sense. Nothing happens according to the way we think it should. We expect that living a life of faithfulness will yield a life of blessing instead of a life of adversity, but this simply isn’t true. But through the act of lament, we relinquish our control over a world we never had control of, and we recognize that God is sovereign over all of human life. Over our blessings and over our adversities. From our own personal sufferings to the world’s harsh realities, our God is in control!

Our God knows our pain. Jeremiah said he would be like a lamb led to the slaughter. But God watched over Jeremiah. Through the sufferings and the hardships, God still cared for Jeremiah as Jeremiah responded to God’s call. And then hundreds of years later, long after the time of Jeremiah, the real divine lamb was born in the tiny village of Bethlehem. A lamb that would be followed by many and loved by even more. A lamb that would eventually be led to its own slaughter. This lamb came in the form of a man – the incarnation of God in whom the Word became Flesh. Flesh that took on all of the pains of the world and died for the sins of humankind. Yes, our lamb is Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

This is the God we follow. We know that it is Christ who shares with us in our pain, as it was Christ who willingly died for all of us. Christ – the only begotten Son of God – listened to his calling from His Father even though it was filled with pain and torture until it ended with his own death. But through his resurrection, the finality of death was defeated. Pain and grief have nothing in comparison with God’s love for us. And that is why in great confidence, we can answer the question:

We trust in Jesus Christ our Savior. We acknowledge him Lord of all and Head of the Church. We believe in One God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 

The world is filled with pain and grief and sorrow. Don’t shy away from that. Don’t hide it away. When you’re upset with God, you can do one of two things. You can lie to yourself and to God, and try to hide away something you both already know; or you can cry out to God, identify your emotions and struggles through a conversation with God, and experience the feeling of when God comes together with you in your mourning. As people of faith, we have a God who by grace allows us to lament – to release every emotion – because a lament is still a prayer; our faith, love, and devotion still remain. Cry out to God because God is listening for your voice!

This is the will of the Father. This is the will of the Mother. This is the Will of Your Great Creator.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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To the God who reigns above all else, The world is filled with pain; we don’t understand why. Instead of asking for the understanding, give us a voice to cry out to you. Give us the words and thoughts to express ourselves. Mourn with us in the same way you rejoice with us. We will live into your calling for us because we know your will is the will to follow. All glory and praise to you. In the name of the divine lamb, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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The Creation Before Creation

I preached this sermon at Lawrence Road Presbyterian Church on Sunday, September 13, 2015. Inspiration for this sermon came from scripture, film, art, and theology analogies.

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Proverbs 1:20-33

20 Wisdom cries out in the street;

    in the squares she raises her voice.

21 At the busiest corner she cries out;

    at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:

22 “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?

How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing

    and fools hate knowledge?

23 Give heed to my reproof;

I will pour out my thoughts to you;

    I will make my words known to you.

24 Because I have called and you refused,

    have stretched out my hand and no one heeded,

25 and because you have ignored all my counsel

    and would have none of my reproof,

26 I also will laugh at your calamity;

    I will mock when panic strikes you,

27 when panic strikes you like a storm,

    and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,

    when distress and anguish come upon you.

28 Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer;

    they will seek me diligently, but will not find me.

29 Because they hated knowledge

    and did not choose the fear of the Lord,

30 would have none of my counsel,

    and despised all my reproof,

31 therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way

    and be sated with their own devices.

32 For waywardness kills the simple,

    and the complacency of fools destroys them;

33 but those who listen to me will be secure

    and will live at ease, without dread of disaster.”

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On the seventh day, God finished the creation and he rested. He blessed and hallowed it, declaring it a day of holy rest after all the work God had done. Everything was good as it was created by God.

On the sixth day, “God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them.” These humans would have dominion over the animals that covered the earth. And so before God created humankind, God created the wild beasts of the earth. Everything that ran or galloped; creeped or crawled, God created. God blessed the humans and the animals and said to humans, “Be fruitful and multiply! Fill the earth! Hold dominion over the beasts of the earth and the fish of the sea and the birds of the air!”

Which brings us back to the fifth day! God created the fish of the sea and the birds of the air! Everything from the great sea monsters to the tiniest of creatures; to the majestic eagles to the beautiful sparrows.  The waters swam and the air flew, filled with creatures of every kind, joining the great lights of the sky.

It was on the fourth day God created these great lights, the sun and the moon and the stars. During the day, one greater light would rule the sky and at night, one lesser light along with the stars would rule the sky. These were the signs for time and seasons. And the light that the sun and the moon gave covered the earth and the seas.

And that is why on the third day God created the earth and the seas. God took the waters from beneath the sky and gathered them into one place so that dry land would appear. The dry land was called earth and the gathered waters were called the seas. Upon the earth, vegetation was drawn forth. There were seeds and fruits and trees. These were the plants that would be nourished by the lights and the plants that would nourish the humans and the animals. This all occurred in waters below the waters of the sky.

Because it was on the second day God separated the waters by creating a dome in their midst. There were the waters below the dome and the waters above the dome. This dome was called sky and it was filled with both light and darkness.

And it was the light that God created on the first day. “Let there be light,” God declared. And the light was good. It was separated from the darkness. The light was called day and the darkness called night.  But before this separation, there was only darkness covering a formless void. There was nothing but God the Creator.

This is the reversal of creation story we know. It’s the story that starts our Bible. It’s the story we read time and time again, from our youngest of years in Sunday School to even now in Adult Education. We know this story. But reading this story in the reverse order causes one to think, what was God doing before the first day? What occurred on the days before days? What was God’s plan or intention?

 And that brings us to the book of Proverbs. In the days before days, there was a creation before creation. Before the humans or the animals were created, before the fish of the sea or the birds of the sky, before the sun and the moon and the stars, before the vegetation and the earth and the seas, before the dome called the sky, before the light was separated the darkness, before God swept across the formless void, God created something else: Wisdom.

 It was wisdom that was brought forth in the days before days and it was wisdom that was created before the creation. And it was wisdom that worked beside God while he created. And it was wisdom that rejoiced at the end of each day because of God’ work. It was wisdom that delighted in God’s human race. But we know what happened after the creation. Humankind sinned.

Our passage today is personification of an attribute of God as portrayed by Lady Wisdom. She is angry and frustrated with the sins of humankind. And her angry warning is supposed to create some sort of catalyst and spark a fear into our hearts. She is saying that she will abandon us for we have abandoned her. It’s a terrifying warning and it’s an even more terrible thought. But it through this fear explained by Lady Wisdom that we continue to learn more about the accessibility of God and how God comes to us.

First, we need to acknowledge, Wisdom, especially in its purest form, can be terrifying. It’s the truth. The cold hard truth. And it’s even more terrifying when we know it to be true but we wish it wasn’t.

When I first read this passage in preparation for this sermon, I instantly thought of the Lord of the Ring movies / books. I knew I had to watch the first movie again. So three hours later and three hours not studying for my classes at seminary, I made a conclusion. Lady Wisdom eerily reminds me of Galadriel. For those of you who haven’t seen the movie or read the book, Lord of the Rings is about a small and humble hobbit named Frodo traveling to a land of shadow and darkness to destroy a ring of great evil. Galadriel is a wise and beautiful elven queen he meets along the way. And at one point, Frodo offers her the ring to which she responds with a wicked and terrible speech… a wicked and terrible speech filled with wisdom.

Now mind you, I was nine when this movie first came out. As the movie was PG-13, I begged my mom to take me. She thought it was be too gruesome and that I would be too afraid. So after I begged and begged, the two of us ended up in the theatre. I remember at one point during a battle scene, one of the monsters is decapitated by one of the heroes and my mom looks over at me and asks how I’m doing. Here I am, at the edge of my seat, grasping the arm rests for dear life, with a look of excitement on my face screaming, “This is awesome!!” But mothers always seem to know best because my mom was right in the assumption that I would find this movie scary, and it was actually Galadriel’s speech that made me cower in fear. This beautiful elven woman in a beautiful long and flowing dress instantly became dark and negative, covered in body armour, shouting her speech in a dark and twisted voice:

“And now at last it comes. You will give me the Ring freely! In place of the Dark Lord you will set up a Queen. And I shall not be dark, but beautiful and terrible as the Morning and the Night! Fair as the Sea and the Sun and the Snow upon the Mountain! Dreadful as the Storm and the Lightning! Stronger than the foundations of the earth. All shall love me and despair!”

It only lasted ten seconds before she was the small and beautiful queen once again, but as a boy of nine, I was terrified. Her words rang true with ambition and wisdom. But because this speech and the wisdom in her words, Frodo knew he must be the one to continue to carry the ring. It was through her terrifying wisdom that Frodo realized that this was his journey, not hers.

For another example, think about it like this. Lady Wisdom is similar to a parent scolding a child. Whether you’ve been the one scolding or the one scolded, we know this feeling. It’s not a good feeling for either party. But we understand it is something necessary we need to do. As the one scolding, parents don’t do it because they want to; they do it because they have to. They probably dislike it just as much as the one being scolded. They firmly tell their child what he or she has done wrong and the consequences that will follow. They do this to teach the child a lesson. But even in the scolder’s anger or frustration, their love for their child does not diminish. This is an act of wisdom. As the one being scolded, they don’t want it happen; they don’t even want to admit it needs to happen. They may whine or complain, but eventually they will listen to their parents. They suffer through the consequences and they learn. They try not to let it happen again. And even here, in the shame and sorrow of the one being scolded, their love for their parent does not diminish. This is a response to an act of wisdom; therefore, this too is an act of wisdom.

Lady Wisdom is a scolding parent whose love for her children is being expressed through anger. We are those children. We have been the simple or those who choose to remain ignorant. We have been the scoffers or those who take pleasure in cynicism. And we have been the fools or those who despise knowledge. And each time, we have rejected her wisdom. Time and time again, we reject God’s wisdom. And for rejecting wisdom, wisdom will reject us. There will be sudden and unpredictable consequences that come like a storm and a whirlwind upon us. We will reap what we have sown and we shall be punished for our evil deeds. As I said, wisdom, especially in its purest form, can be terrifying.

While this passage is supposed to light a fire of fear within our hearts and minds, it also can be used to give us an overwhelming sense of peace. See, we have been punished. Our God came to earth in the form of a man – our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ – to die on a cross. That was our punishment. And our God continues to be punished on our behalf. For being simple and for being the scoffers; for being the fools who despise knowledge; for rejecting wisdom and for rejecting God; God is willingly and lovingly being punished on our behalf. God came to us to bear all our sins. God continues to come to us to bear all of our sins. We know this to be true!

Hear the first two verses once again, before Lady Wisdom gives her fearful warning:

Wisdom cries out in the street;

    in the squares she raises her voice.

At the busiest corner she cries out;

    at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:

No matter where we go, God is with us. It proves how accessible God is for us. We find God here in church. We find God reading scripture. We find God in our conversations with one another, with our family and friends. We find God in nature and we find God in our cities. In the streets and in the corners, in the squares and at the entrances, God is present, crying out for us. And it is only through wisdom that we are able to hear it.

There’s very well known images of Jesus knocking at a door. The images portray Jesus coming to us. What we don’t see is what is on the other side of that door. That’s us. But we’re not there ready to open the door. We’re not even preparing our house to welcome Jesus in. Rather, we’re doing everything to keep Jesus out. We’ve shut the door tight, locked all the locks, closed all the bars. Jesus is still knocking. And so then we move the couch in front of the door. And then the fridge. And the kitchen sink. And then your second-born son. Jesus is still patiently knocking.

And that is where grace comes in. Grace and wisdom and salvation. It is through these natures of God that the door is opened. It is through them that we are able to welcome Jesus into our homes and into our hearts. It is Jesus who is knocking at our door and it is through the resurrection of Christ that the door is opened.

We need to fear God. That is why we are doing everything we can to keep God out and that is why we have rejected wisdom. But there should be a greater fear in a life without God. We should fear that without God’s wisdom and love and grace, that door would never be opened.

From the creation story to the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, there was the almighty wisdom of God. It worked alongside God then and it continues to work alongside God now. It rejoices with us and it delights in us. That is why we as humankind, in our brokenness and in our sins, have been saved. It was all part of the plan. In the days before days and in the creation before creation, God had wisdom, and in that wisdom, God chose to love us.

If we live in wisdom, we will live in peace. If we fear the Lord, then there is no fear for misfortune. Because our God – our God of infinite love and wisdom – will always cry out for us.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen. 

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All mighty and all loving God. In the days before days and in the creation before creation, you created wisdom. In that wisdom, you chose to love us. Help us to live into this love. Use your hand to guide us in ways that best serve you. Forgive us when we abandon you or when we reject your wisdom, for we know it by your grace that the door to eternal life has been opened. We pray these things in the holy name of your Son, Jesus Christ.       Amen.

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