The Wisdom of God

by Barry Pollard

(Based on John 6:51-58; I Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14; Ps 111)

While God’s word usually brings joy, these readings seemed more self-focussed. My devotional at the moment is about wisdom, and I could discern the readings all had something to say about wisdom! I wouldn’t have to struggle to thread them together to make a coherent whole!

However, Proverbs 16:1 says “We can make our plans, but the Lord gives the right answer”, and it turned out that my initial plan for this reflection was off the mark; I had to resort to divine input!

As I said, I have been wisdom-focussed for the past six weeks as the Reverend Doctor Selwyn Hughes has led me through the Book of Proverbs. This is the book that I consulted during the Covid lockdowns as I sought to send uplifting Scripture to the family each day in an attempt to give them a different point of reference. Aimed mainly at the grandees, there was always something that I could find that I thought would resonate with them. Proverbs, after all, is thirty chapters, and contains a total of 915 proverbs, give or take, depending on the translation and how individual proverbs have been grouped or divided; a truly magnificent collection of sayings and wise advice that we would all benefit from reading on a regular basis.

Our reading from First Kings told us how Solomon came to be so wise. But, I have to say, the selection we heard today is the sanitised version. The reading begins in Chapter 2 with three verses that tell us that Solomon succeeded his father and his kingdom was firmly established. It then resumes some way through Chapter 3. Between the two excerpts, perhaps to ensure his kingdom stays firmly established, Solomon displays behaviour that is cut-throat and power-seeking! Following his father David’s advice, he disposes of old enemies, anyone who can adversely affect his tenure on the throne, and refuses his mother Bathsheba’s request to let his older brother marry the young lass who was employed to look after King David in his old age, instead having him and his supporters killed too! This to me does not sound like the great wise man we have come to know.
Or is it?

You see, despite this murderous interlude, Solomon’s life turns around when he has a dream in which God asks him the big question: “What do you want?”
Can you imagine the magnitude of that question? God is asking! How would you respond?
Well, Solomon answered, “Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong.” He asked for wisdom! And he was granted it! And he got not only wisdom, but riches, fame and long life to boot. It could be argued that Solomon was wise simply because he asked for wisdom!

Solomon’s father David gets most credit for the Book of Psalms. We know that David’s past was one of great ups and downs (Goliath and Bathsheba are in-your-face examples). But David always longed to be right with God and was humble enough to admit to his wrongs and seek God’s forgiveness. He was in awe of God.
So today’s psalm of praise is important in providing a context for what Solomon likely picked up from his father. Each element of praise is like an argument being constructed. The crowning glory is summed up in the last verse: “Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom. All who obey His commandments will grow in wisdom. Praise Him forever!”

Praise Him forever indeed!

Some people interpret the term “fear” negatively. I used to. These days I have come to understand that it more accurately means ‘giving God undivided attention’. Giving God our undivided attention is the foundation of wisdom. Following his way will make us wiser.

Despite the startling interlude between our 1 Kings excerpts, we have to assume that Solomon benefitted from his father’s input and example. David was at times, after all, humble, was aware of his limitations, was aware of God’s grace, and was able to give God his undivided attention. I think he was wise.

How then can we relate this narrative to the Gospel we heard today?
John has Jesus revealing that he is the ‘living bread’, the centre of our belief. A revelation that causes more misunderstanding than joy! It generates lots of moaning and arguing.

You will recall the Scripture about how God’s ways are higher than our ways and his thoughts higher than our thoughts. It is a very succinct way of reminding us that we are not in God’s league. The moaning and arguing crowd couldn’t grasp what Jesus was telling them. It was beyond their comprehension. Those listening were confused. How could they eat the flesh and drink the blood of Jesus? That was cannibalism.
And I would be wondering how much do we need to eat and drink, and what happens when it all runs out?

Well, let’s find comfort in the realm of ‘mysteries’.
My good friend AI had this to say about mysteries: “A Christian mystery generally refers to a profound, often supernatural, truth or aspect of faith that surpasses human understanding but is revealed through divine revelation. These mysteries are central to Christian theology and spirituality and include concepts that are believed to be beyond the full grasp of human reason but are accepted by faith.”
Things we cannot really grasp can be regarded as mysteries.

Some key Christian mysteries are the Trinity (that there is one God in three persons), the Incarnation (that Jesus was fully divine and fully human), the Eucharist (that Jesus is fully present in the bread and wine), the Resurrection (that Jesus overcame death to give us eternal life) and the Atonement (that Jesus reconciled us with God). We proclaim our belief in them regularly when we affirm our faith. Things I don’t fully understand, when my reasoning has run out, I put into the realm of mystery and move on.
And I’m happy with that!

I have explained before that when I came back to faith I was enabled to make 180 degree turns in several areas of my life, almost straight away. My tongue became tangled when I tried to curse and swear. I started to see good in others rather than bad. I was able to put hurts of the past behind me (I was learning to forgive). Things generally took on deeper meaning. I started to think less about me and more about you. All of this was a mystery! I didn’t fully understand any of it but it has had a very positive impact on my life. In the words of Billy Preston (one-time pianist with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones), I reckon “that’s the way God planned it”. He went to work and I benefitted. I don’t know how but I am so grateful.

First Corinthians explains that God’s wisdom is so great that the wisdom of the wise and the intelligence of the intelligent are no match. In fact, God makes the wisdom of the world look foolish. Some obvious examples of that worldly wisdom could be the internet – conceived to empower and enlighten the world but overwhelmed with pornography and scams; antibiotics designed to overcome disease used to such excess that they’re promoting superbugs; painkilling drugs turned into mind-numbing thrills; military-grade weapons made available to not much more than children; and the list goes on.

I’m not saying everything we do is useless or ineffective. There is much good to be found in man’s wisdom. Almost everything I can think of started from a desire to make things better, more productive, longer lived, more efficient, cheaper and happier. The problem is more found in the end-user. Short term gain, maximum profit, social status and the like impact the good, rendering the new good idea another ‘problem in the making’.

How do we discern, then, whether our thoughts, words and deeds are going to be wisely carried out? What yardstick could we use to make judgments?

The other day I came across this practical definition of wisdom by Joyce Meyer: she says wisdom is simply the proper use of knowledge. This being lived out as doing now what we’ll be happy with later on in life. She says, “Learning to live out Godly wisdom is a daily process in which we’re all learning and growing, and a process that any of us, regardless of our past choices, can begin today. If we do as God instructs us each day, then our tomorrows will be pleasing to Him and pleasant for us.”
This is a great way to analyse what is going on around us and to guide what we do.

Back to the Gospel.
You may realise that everything in the Old Testament points ultimately to Jesus. The Book of Proverbs, the repository of much scriptural wisdom, points to Jesus. This is confirmed in First Corinthians 1, verse 24, which says, “Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.” What this is telling us is Jesus is wisdom. If we are to acquire and possess true and lasting wisdom it can only be found in the life and teachings of Christ.
I hear the Gospel telling us that Jesus is so important to our lives that we are doomed without Him. To be Christ-followers we have to believe and we have to do.
Jesus said, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh.” And He emphasised it by adding, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you.” The act of eating his flesh and drinking his blood confirms our place with Jesus.

Recall that when Jesus was trying to explain all this to the crowd there was argument. While the Bible doesn’t directly forbid cannibalism, it does contain various passages that are interpreted as condemning it. Those listening were confused. How could they eat his flesh and drink his blood?

Luckily, we have discerned that Jesus was not speaking literally. He was revealing the mystery of holy communion. By partaking of this holy meal we are asserting our faith in Jesus, we are accepting that our eternity is only accessed through Him. At the least it serves to remind us of who he is, and who we are. And personally it always reminds me how blessed I am.

[Holy Spirit moment: “What is true in the physical world is true in the spiritual world.” We need spiritual food (Jesus) just like we need breakfast!]

Jesus is the wisdom of God. He calls us to communion in the eating of the bread and the drinking of the wine. We come to the banquet as special guests. Special, not for who or what we are or have been. but because he has issued the invitation to us. Jesus is the wisdom of God. His life and his word are the examples we need to follow. These examples are what will help us to make decisions now regarding our thoughts, words and deeds that God and we will be happy with later on in life.

Proverbs 3:5-6 say: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

Let that be our takeaway this morning. If we are in communion with the Lord, partaking of all that he has to give, we are better prepared for life and eternity than if we rely on own efforts.

James (in verses 17-18 of his Chapter 3) gives a wonderful summary of God’s wisdom:
Wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favouritism and is always sincere.  And [he who is a peacemaker] will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.

A wonderful summary of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the Wisdom of God.

The Weaver

I’m putting this up for those who haven’t heard it before, and for those who have. It’s worth a read. It’s worth multi-reads. It delivers an especially helpful perspective to anyone facing doubt, confusion, challenge – anyone just wondering where life all fits together.

The poem was written by Grant Colfax Tullar (1869 – 1950). At least, that’s what Wikipedia claims, although I see it has also been credited to Benjamin Franklin and Corrie ten Boom. The latter certainly didn’t write it, but she used it in her books and presentations and, if you know anything about ten Boom, you’ll appreciate why. Anyway, my money is on Tullar, who, Wikipedia says, was an American minister, composer, and hymn writer, whose “most famous [work] is the poem The Weaver“.

Whoever wrote it, it’s going to be difficult for me to get their permission; but I’m sure copyright won’t mind if I present it here. Be encouraged, even if you’ve already drunk of it before.

My life is but a weaving
Between my God and me.
I cannot choose the colours
He weaveth steadily.

Oft’ times He weaveth sorrow;
And I in foolish pride
Forget He sees the upper,
And I the underside.

Not ’til the loom is silent
And the shuttles cease to fly,
Will God unroll the canvas
And reveal the reason why.

The dark threads are as needful
In the weaver’s skilful hand,
As the threads of gold and silver
In the pattern He has planned.

He knows, He loves, He cares;
Nothing this truth can dim.
He gives the very best to those
Who leave the choice to Him.

Thank you, Mr Tullar.

Bread of Heaven

by Sharon Marr

(Based on John 6:24-35, and the just released report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care)

Every three years, the lectionary invites us — or forces us! — to spend five long weeks in John’s Gospel, contemplating Jesus’s self-description as “the bread of life,” or “the bread which comes down from heaven”.  It’s a daunting business, to stay with one metaphor for so long.  After all, bread is bread, right?  What earthly thing could be more basic and simple? Actually, in our house that’s not quite true, because as far as our family is concerned nothing compares with Grandad Albie’s homemade bread.  In fact we can usually count on the neighbourhood whanau joining us for lunch during the holidays. 

However,  as far as its spiritual implications go, we know that Jesus fed the multitudes with bread, we believe he’s mysteriously present at the communion table, and we generally agree that Christians should donate to food banks or volunteer in soup kitchens.  What else is there to understand?
Nothing.
Because understanding is not the issue. 

Growing up, I was taught that being a Christian meant understanding and believing the right things.  To accept Jesus was to affirm a set of doctrines about who Jesus is and what he accomplished through his death and resurrection.  To enter into orthodox faith was to agree that certain theological thoughts about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the human condition, the Bible, and the Church, were true. 

But for me, many years ago now, I found that I was being so overwhelmed by words and doctrines that the Jesus I had come to love as a child was disappearing down the road and I was mourning that I wasn’t there beside him holding his hand any longer.
The blessing for me came in the shape of a lovely woman visiting from Vanuatu who looked into my heart, without any words, then said – go back to the faith of your childhood. 

We need to listen to Jesus, who tells us very carefully and continuously in the readings we’re lingering over at this time to Believe in me, Learn from me, or even Follow me.  We notice he doesn’t bother with Understand me.  He says something far more intimate and provocative when he calls himself our bread.  He says, I am the bread of life; come to me and never be hungry or thirsty again. 
What’s really at stake in this strange invitation is whether or not to move past religion … and into relationship.  Past thought … and into communion.  Past self-sufficiency and … into radical, whole-life dependence on a God we can taste, but never control.  Jesus invites the crowds to recognize the hungers beneath their hungers.  Of course they’re hungry for literal bread; they’re poor, food is scarce, and they need to feed themselves and their families.  There’s nothing wrong or ‘unspiritual’ about their physical hunger — remember, Jesus tends to their bodily needs first, without reservation or pre-conditions.  But he doesn’t stop there.  Instead, he asks the crowds to probe the deeper soul hungers that drive them restlessly into his presence — hungers that only the “bread of heaven” can satisfy.

What are those underlying hungers?  Answering for myself, here’s my list:  a hunger for meaning and purpose.  A longing for connection, communion, and love.  A desire to know and to be known, deeply and authentically.   A hunger for joy, and for engagement with the world in all its complexity, mystery and beauty.  And an ongoing need for healing, wholeness and fullness of life.

That’s my list right now.  What’s yours?

And so importantly at this time, what hunger would our Abuse Survivors (highlighted in the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care) want satisfied? A hunger to be heard? A hunger for justice, a hunger to be believed, a hunger for wrongs to be put right, a hunger for apology and words of regret, a hunger for wholeness and healing … mostly, I sense, a deep cry from these abused hearts of a hunger to see change: no more, no more, no more!

Of course, it’s one thing to name our hungers, but quite another to trust that Jesus will satisfy them; especially if you were one of over 200,000 men, women and children who believed they were in a place that would love, help, cure, educate and nurture them only to find that – whilst the love of Jesus may have been preached – the bread they received in the name of God was in fact as worthless as dust, a rod for their back. Their experience instead brought a sense of worthlessness, brokenness and, in some cases, death.

We as a country are in a time of mourning, or should be, for our failure to provide a safe, caring and nurturing environment for all those who have a right to expect and to receive such care.  It is a nationwide shame.  At least fifty children have been killed since Oranga Tamariki was created – and half of them had a record with the agency before they died. According to UNICEF, New Zealand has one of the worst rates of child abuse in the developed world. The level of abuse is the fifth-highest in the OECD, with an average of one child being killed every five weeks and 150,000 cases reported every year by Oranga Tamariki.   On average 50,000 women and children are referred to Women’s Refuge each year, and staff answer 71 crisis calls each day. And, as more than 67 per cent of family violence goes unreported, the figures do not show the full severity of the situation.  What can we do?

We can listen.  We can be active in our listening and be prepared to seek help when someone is in danger. We may not be able to help ourselves but we can bring it to the attention of someone who can.  The worst thing we can do is … nothing! 

There are many different kinds of abuse and many helplines are available. (There is a large list at the back of the church.) If you think someone is in immediate danger of being harmed or may harm themselves, call the Police.
We can support financially some of the (helpline and support) groups.  We can pray for them all.  Dear Family, it is right for us to mourn, to grieve with those who have lost so much.  And it is well and truly time for change.  Jesus came to change.  Will we be changed? We know that the words Jesus brings are the bread of life. But we must remember they are words we live by, not words we use to make others live the way we feel they should.  The bread of life Jesus brings fulfils all hunger, and so fed by the one who God sent, our belief overflows as love and becomes the Word in action – His will, His actions, not ours.  May we absorb this bread.  Then share it.
May its nourishment flood us through and through until we are changed and, like Jesus, become life-saving bread for the whole world.

Celebrating Family

by Barry Pollard

(Based on I Cor 12:12-31)

Paul’s letter to the Corinthians should give us all heart and hope today! Essentially it is saying that all of us together are ‘Christ’s body’, and each of us is a unique part of it. It didn’t exclude anyone of us. It didn’t try to identify us as any particular part. It simply says that all of us together are Christ’s body, and each of us is a part of it.

I know, those of you who listened attentively through the entire reading will want to draw our attention to the list of the parts specifically appointed for the church: apostles, prophets, teachers, miracle-workers, healers, helpers, leaders, and those who speak and interpret unknown languages. And, yes, I’ll grant that these parts are vital to the collective church; but you are still in the family even if you do not recognise that you have, or are using, any of these special gifts and talents.
We are all parts of the body of Christ, Paul says, because we have all been baptised into one body by one Spirit, and we all share that same Spirit. Different, but with many similarities. One great big family of God!

As we are celebrating families today, I’d like to share a little about my own. I have three biological brothers and a biological sister. We all acknowledge another unrelated ‘brother’, a kid who grew up with us in Tokoroa. As migrant families in the 1950s, all relatives were left behind when our parents crossed the globe for better prospects. Close family friends became our relations.
Our childhood was characterised by the notion of getting ahead in life, obviously a common theme among a population that was drawn together for that very reason. We grew up in a time and place when parents allowed children to get on. Many of our fathers were shift workers at Kinleith and so shooing the kids off to play, anywhere but home, was an imperative. And from a child’s perspective, what parents didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them. Our childhood was one of high adventure, a little danger and much about looking after yourself.

As we grew up it was expected that we would find after-school jobs. My eldest brother Ed started an after-school job at Spear’s Garage at the age of eleven, starting out sweeping and tidying the workshop, but also learning and developing what would become his lifelong passion: all things mechanical. Next brother Stu washed medicine bottles for the local chemist before getting a job as a school cleaner when he went to high school. Nepotism was alive and well in those days: Stu opened the door for me to become a cleaner when I got to high school a few years later.

You may notice no mention of the sister and youngest brother. They were the ‘littlies’ and were too young to be working and by time they were, the big boys were at university and the family owned a general store in Papakura. We all worked in it. Needless to say we all ended up with a pretty strong work ethic. And as adults, between us we have worked in engineering, law, education, banking, horticulture and building.

The shared experiences of growing up and the input of our parents were responsible for shaping us for life after childhood. And today we all look back with fondness and gratitude on that upbringing. Yet, despite having shared so much together, we are all unique. Our starts may have been similar but our current states of affair are not. Like many other families, I suspect, we have our struggles: health issues, alcohol, relationships and marriages.

Despite these issues, and incidents over the past seven decades, we haven’t fallen apart. The glue of family is still strong enough to draw us together as a group to support one another.
Our latest such gathering was travelling in a minivan to our old stamping grounds, in and around Tokoroa. We laughed a lot and cried a little as we remembered people, places and events that were special to us in that time and space.
At no time in my life have I ever felt apart from my siblings. I haven’t always approved of, or got involved with, what they were doing, who they were seeing, or how they were behaving, but they were always family. Nothing said, or left unsaid, upset our relationships. We were always there for each other if needed.

I can’t pretend to know your family stories. I don’t know if your story is one of joy or hurt. But I do know that whatever it was, or is, God’s plan for his family supersedes it. Paul explained, and we have come to know, that God’s grace is enough for us to be acceptable and whole. When he listed the parts of the church that he has appointed for its success, I see “the helper” as the bottom line. Not all of us have the gifts given to the apostles, prophets, teachers, etc. But any of us has it within us to help others. To help is to love. And Jesus said to love one another as he has loved us! To love is to turn our faces from looking inwards to looking outwards.

As a member of the family of God you are disposed to becoming more like Christ, day by day becoming better. Remember we have all been baptised into one body by one shared Spirit. Each of us is important. Each of us is unique. But when one suffers, we all suffer. When one rejoices, we all rejoice. We bear each other’s burdens and celebrate each other’s victories.
Living in the family of God, we have calls to action. We need to identify and reflect on our spiritual gifts: how can we better use them for the benefit of the church. We need to embrace the diversity within and across church communities, recognising the valuable contributions each person or church group brings to God’s table. We need to commit to supporting, encouraging and praying for fellow believers, especially the overlooked or struggling. We need to seek opportunities to work together in unity, looking for ways to use our diverse talents and perspectives to advance God’s kingdom.

So Brothers and Sisters, may we always walk in unity, love, and mutual respect, and be witnesses to the transformative power of Christ in our midst.

Practics:
During this combined service (St Francis Church and Tairua Elim Church) we discussed the hallmarks of good families and churches. In no particular order we came up with the following practical suggestions:

Giving time and attention to each other
Making and maintaining relationships
Connecting wherever possible
Being supportive of each other
Being comfortable to laugh and cry together
Being vulnerable with one another
Helping each other
Appreciating and utilising our diversity
Preparing us for the world
Tolerance, respect and forgiveness