Season of Creation – Week 4

Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Introduction 

Sermon Notes

Proverbs 31:10-31

In Hebrew tradition, wisdom is embodied. This is different from many more Western ways of thinking and philosophy where thoughts are often abstract ideas that are then debated. To understand wisdom in the Hebrew tradition, we best understand it best by reflecting on a lived example. This is a way that we can approach Proverbs 31. This means we come to these verses asking, “What is wisdom like?” We then have an example of wisdom embodied in the feminine. These verses then give us a detailed depiction of a wise way of living which shows the strength and character of wisdom expressed in the cultural context of the day. It is full of embodied examples, ways of relating to the world, nature and society and family. This is a wholehearted and whole-of-life depiction of wisdom. If we are not used to reading scripture and wisdom in this way, we could come to these passages and think that they are answering a different question, “What should a women be like?”, but that would not fit with the wisdom tradition in which they are written.

Psalm 1

This Psalm opens the songbook of the people of God, our psalms, with two different ways of living before God. The way of the righteous and the way of the wicked. The way of the righteous is seeking to grow towards God in all things: to learn the ways of God, to draw from the water of God’s presence and to bear the fruit of God’s spirit. The way of the wicked is shaped by mockery and characterised by walking, standing and sitting in a posture that is not open to God nor seeking to honour God. Whilst the way of the wicked is seen to mock the way of the righteous, the psalmist calls the people of God to confidence and trust in God’s judgement and God’s ways. It may be helpful to this of this psalm in relation to Isaiah 55:8-9, which speaks of God’s ways and God’s thoughts being different from our ways and thoughts. Psalm 1 shows the righteous being those who are seeking to know and seek God’s ways and God’s thoughts.

James 3:13- 4:3, 7-8a

These verses from James are sometimes introduced by a heading, “two kinds of wisdom”. Similar to the other scriptures today, they give an embodied, a lived, example of wisdom. This time they depict the wisdom that is shown in the life of a person seeking to live with the way of Jesus and in the power of the Holy Spirit. The fruits of God’s wisdom given in these verses have a similarity with the fruits of the Holy Spirit also found in the New Testament. These verses warn the early church that even if they think they are following Jesus, the way that they live and the fruits of their lives will truly show which wisdom, or way, they are living. This battle is Bishop Eleanor at Climate Justice Protest 2024 constantly within us as we seek to become more like Christ in all our ways. As our humanity and Christ’s divinity come together in our new creation in God. This epistle makes that calling clear and raises the standard of Christ high for the early followers and for us today.

Mark 9: 30-37

Two different ways are again juxtaposed in this Gospel. The way of the cross and the way of human ambition. Jesus takes the disciples to a place where they are able to safely de-brief and pre-brief all that has happened and all that is about to happen. The way of the cross is clear: surrender, sacrifice, service. The love and the wisdom of God embodied. However, the conversation between the disciples on the journey shows the very different human way of hunger for success and greatness. I want to encourage us to notice the extended family grouping within which Jesus and the disciples travelled which is shown in this Gospel. We see this shown in many parts of the Gospels, but very clearly here. They return to Jesus’ home town and even to his home. The extended family of men, women and children are together. The children are with Jesus. Jesus gives a powerful illustration to welcome the least amongst them as if they were the greatest amongst them. How often are our own eyes shaped by the human wisdom of looking to the most important and missing those who might be most important to God?

The power of the Gospel stands out with its clear counter-cultural call to serve the least and not to hunger for human ambition. There are also strong themes connecting all of the readings for this Sunday. These themes are 1) wisdom, 2) the way of life in God (the wise way of living) and 3) the lived/grounded/earthed calling of our faith. Each theme builds upon each other and then culminates in the Gospel story of Jesus with the disciples and the clear call to seek to serve and be the “least”. If we begin with a focus on the Gospel and the clear teaching of Jesus about the way of the Kingdom (the last being first), we can then bring in the example of the Epistle to illustrate the way that this teaching was needed again and again in the early church. We can link the inner battle described in these verses from James with our human nature and are calling to “put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27) and become God’s new creation.

Our psalm and our Proverbs scripture further illustrate the ancient choice of either seeking to live a life orientated to God or not and illustrate the ongoing call of the Judaeo-Christian tradition for God’s wisdom (now given in the eternal living presence of Christ) to be embodied in our own lives.

The clear call to be the least and to serve the least is as revolutionary now as it was when Jesus spoke these words from his lips. Throughout our world and our connection in community and creation, we can clearly illustrate the transformational impact on environmental and justice issues if we follow this calling. A world shaped by human self-sacrifice and service would be very different from a world shaped by human hunger for greatness and power. It may be particularly significant to speak about the different power relationships between men, women and children and the significance of this teaching to those relationships. This may be especially helpful in interpreting Proverbs 31.

Is there a particular marginalised group in your context that could be the “least” in the world’s sight, but who might be the most important in God’s sight and God’s desire that they be welcomed and served? Today’s scriptures challenge our own personal ambition, but they also challenge our culture as a church. We can too easily slip into a hierarchy of importance or living in ways that are not giving birth to the fruits of peace. Is there collective, as well as personal, repentance that the Holy Spirit might invite amongst you today in your shared life together?

It is important that we hear the embodied, the lived, character of God’s wisdom and God’s way. Today we do not want to simply think about things, we want to clearly focus on the way that we live. A practical encouragement to do something in the coming week would be a very fitting response to today’s scriptures. For example, to ask God to guide us in an act of practical service in the coming week. Inviting people to physically respond in action is important to honour the way of wisdom shown in these scriptures.