Pentecost 12, August 15, 2021

As we grow older, we hope to become wiser. Going to school is certainly part of the process of growing in knowledge, but wisdom isn’t learned in books. We gain wisdom through our experiences. And often through unpleasant ones. It is said that experience comes from what we have done; wisdom comes from what we have done badly.

We all know people who have learned from their mistakes – those who seem to know what to do in every situation and how to make sense out of things. They gained that wisdom simply by responding to the experiences of life. And others can share in this wisdom by listening to them and learning from them.

But there is another way to gain wisdom. It is a gift from God. And this is given to us freely from one whose own life and experience provides divine wisdom. But before we get to Jesus – who IS the Wisdom from God, let’s go to the book of Proverbs – the book which supplies our First Reading for today. There is another person in this reading that exemplifies God’s gift of wisdom.

You may already know that the book of Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings – that’s what a proverb is! This book is a part of the Bible’s library we call “wisdom literature.” Some psalms, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon and the book of Job are considered examples of this type of writing. While these books have real life characters and often tell stories, they are really intended to give insight about the realities and the mysteries of life. And since they are in the Bible, they point us ultimately to the reality of life with Christ and mystery of his love for us.

Today’s reading from the book of Proverbs contains an interesting element to the way the wisdom is portrayed. Wisdom is not a “it.” It’s a “she.” Divine wisdom is represented here – generations before the appearance of Jesus — by a woman who is calling out in the streets for all to follow. In our reading for today she is building a house! She has set the table and invites all the simple to eat and drink the food she has prepared. She is serving a feast and she stands at the corner and says, “I am calling out to each of you!”

Since we usually think of God in masculine terms, this feminine imagery is important to acknowledge. But what is most significant about Wisdom in Proverbs is not that it is a woman, but that it is a person. Wisdom is not some abstract concept or unreachable ideal. Wisdom is a person. The kind of wisdom God gives us in personal form is not something achieved by OUR own experience; it is a SOMEONE who shared the unpleasant realities of human experience – someone who suffered for mistakes and brokenness and created something beautiful and good. Divine wisdom is not about being clever or knowledgeable about life; it’s about Jesus – it’s about grace and forgiveness – it is about a cross and our relationship with the man who died there for us. Wisdom is a gift and when God delivers gifts he does it in person – in the flesh.

Other ancient literature contains wise sayings delivered by wise men. Ancient Greece had Plato and Socrates; the Chinese gave us Confucius. But God’s wisdom is not a collection of good advice gleaned from human experience by sages and philosophers. Divine wisdom IS a person. It’s not so much what he says, but who is he and what he does. The apostle Paul reveals to us in the New Testament that Jesus is the very incarnation of wisdom. He is Wisdom from God. Paul writes that in Christ are “hidden all the treasures of wisdom.” The cross, Paul says, is foolishness to those who don’t understand it, but to all who believe it is God’s wisdom.

Jesus came down from heaven to be divine wisdom – he invited all to come to him even those who seemed unworthy – he ate and drank with all who were hungry, even those others avoided – he set the table on the hillside as he provided the crowds with abundance regardless of their ability to provide for themselves – he hosted his friends at a meal where he showed them the full extent of his love in spite of their lack of understanding. In all of this he embodied the wisdom that comes as a gift from God. In today’s Gospel Jesus shows divine wisdom by offering his own life as bread for the world.

So when Proverbs reveals Wisdom as a person, we see Jesus. In Christ is wisdom – not the kind of wisdom that gets us ahead in life or fills us with some secret knowledge that makes us happy and successful. In him is wisdom that is life-giving because it is based on unconditional love and grace.

Whenever we are overwhelmed with unpleasant realities, when we don’t know what to say or what to do, when no human advice of counsel seems to resonate, God in Christ is with us and loving us and caring for us. When sin beats us down, God grants forgiveness for Jesus’ sake and restores us. When relationships are broken and dreams are shattered, Jesus intervenes with grace and mercy. That is Wisdom.

He calls to us – the simple and foolish – and spreads a table with himself – his own body and blood. He is here right now. Feeding us at this table – speaking words of comfort and love and forgiveness – giving us himself so that that we might be wise to the life giving power of his love. And with the gift of that wisdom, WE become wisdom. WE personify that grace and love and gives life.

When we approach situations with grace and understanding we are setting the table for the kind of wisdom that nourishes the spirit. When we respond with a listening ear to those who need our attention and care, we are inviting others with wisdom’s call. When we offer ourselves to those around us who need us, we are building a place of safety and shelter.

When I was a kid, my mom set a table early Sunday mornings with either homemade cinnamon rolls or homemade cinnamon coffee cake. It was a special treat reserved for Sundays. Did she do that as an enticement for us to wake up and get ready for church? Perhaps. And It worked! And that’s what wisdom does. It entices us with the promise of love without limits. With a space that is safe and welcoming. With an invitation that draws us to the things that matter.

That’s what Lady Wisdom in Proverbs did out in the streets when she called out to all who listen. That’s what Jesus did when he proclaimed the kingdom of God. That’s what we do when we act with loving wisdom. Wisdom is Jesus. Wisdom is grace. It’s the kind of wisdom that is hardly ever listened to and rarely promoted – but is widely and generously produced here at this table and in this gathering by Christ himself. And it is the only wisdom that in the end makes any sense or any difference.