A chorus of wisdom
Proverbs 8: 1-4, 22-31
New Ark United Church of Christ, Newark, DE
June 12, 2022
Whenever people make some kind of life transition, whether it’s from school to work, or school to more school, coming out, living as our true self, finding our own place to live, living with our beloved, marriage or parenthood, retirement, there will always be other people who want to share their wisdom with us. Commencement and valedictory addresses are a prime example, and in them they will quote the wisdom of others before them. All of us want to pass on what we have learned, what we know. If meaning making and storytelling are intrinsic to human beings, I think so is educating and sharing wisdom.
We all know about benefiting from the wisdom of others, and yet each of us is the expert on our lived experience. No knows us better than hopefully we know ourselves. But then the Bible says that we should not lean on our own understanding but trust God with all our heart and God will clear a path for us. How do we know what is wise and what is unwise?
It hardly seems wise to tie health care to employment, when only 57% of full-time jobs come with a health care benefit. And yet we do.
It hardly seems wise to for the U.S. to spend almost $35,000 a year to incarcerate a human being, with corporations reaping the profits, when there are some who could attend college or put a down payment on a house. And yet we do.
It hardly seems wise to remove four children from their homeless mother, place the children in foster care, have the state pay $3500 a month for the care of those children, and then require the mother to find a suitable home on her own. And yet we do.
It hardly seems wise to continue to drive our cars at the same rate, with increasing speed, as gas prices soar, and with the certain knowledge that we are living through a climate crisis. And yet we do.
It hardly seems wise to charge more for rent than a monthly mortgage payment and yet criminalize the unhoused. And yet we do.
It hardly seems wise to allow people to buy a gun without a permit, to allow gun ownership without basic laws and protections to reduce gun violence and make public space safe for everyone. And yet we do.
The process by which we know, how we figure out what is wise and what is unwise is called discernment. But when it comes to wisdom, discernment is more than keen insight and good judgment, more than being clever or shrewd. Discerning what is wise also requires a spiritual dimension, listening, understanding, attentiveness to people, their emotions, their values, their sense of purpose. In church language, discernment is defined as paying attention to what God is doing in human lives and in the world so that we can work with God’s purpose rather than against it, to journey on the path God has cleared for us, to move toward wholeness not just for ourselves but for all of creation.
The entire Bible could be said to be a collective history of human beings trying to discern God’s purpose, what it means to discern that purpose, and then how to live that purpose in community. In the Christian tradition, when we talk about discernment, we say things like “the movement of the Holy Spirit” and “sacred listening” and we call discernment a spiritual practice. In the history of the Church, discernment was deferred to religious authority figures and mystics, to those perceived as being closer to God. Often that power was and is abused, and human lives become collateral, the trajectory of whole peoples dehumanized and traumatized. With the Reformation and the Enlightenment, tools of discernment, like scripture, prayer, and reason, became a double-edged sword, accessible to everyone, as well as listening to one’s heart and life experiences.
Presently, as religion and its authority are declining, spirituality and the needs it fills are on the rise. Where once many of my colleagues used to scoff at the “spiritual but not religious” crowd, now they number themselves among them. One does not need to believe in God to be justice-minded or spiritual or to engage in spiritual practices like meditation and mindfulness. Mindful breathing and mental calmness benefit both physical and mental health as well as aid in the discernment of collective wisdom.
Discerning collective wisdom takes time. It’s not only about arriving at a group decision but about perceiving God as active, what is good and holy and true, not only for ourselves but all whom our choices and actions affect.
Often we can rush to a decision because of the discomfort we feel about a situation, the frustration and pain of a problem, especially if it is systemic. It can also be difficult to trust a group process and whether someone is truly listening to wisdom or to their ego, their fears, their desire to control and covet power. In the 12-step tradition there is the practice of the 3 A’s: awareness, acceptance, and action. First we become aware of a problem or situation or character flaw. We then accept the reality of what we are aware of. But because of the discomfort that arises from such awareness, we often skip over acceptance and move right to action, sometimes acting recklessly or at the other end of the spectrum, choosing to not act at all.
I think this is why in the book of Proverbs, wisdom isn’t quiet. Wisdom is loud. And her pronouns are she/they. She raises her voice, calling out at the crossroads, where everything intersects, in public places, where she can’t be overlooked. They are speaking out against hate, greed, and racism. She’s marching for our lives. They are protesting the nearly 250 pieces of anti-queer legislation that have been introduced in the last five months. She’s bringing insurrectionists to justice. They are calling us out on sin and evil. She’s denouncing the Big Lie. They are calling their senators and representatives. She’s donating to local elections. They are creating courageous space for people to tell and live their truth. She’s crying out from the very earth itself.
I think we are living through a critical period of discernment, a significant time when we get to answer the essential question “By what authority shall we live?” Who and what are our sources of wisdom? I am beginning to think that each of us is a source of wisdom, an expert on our lived experience, but in conversation with other voices, in community with one another. I think wisdom is a chorus, but not always a harmonious one. Wisdom must have room for dissonance, for minor keys, for sharp notes. Listening, even to what sounds harsh, is a spiritual practice, because sometimes Wisdom is harsh. Wisdom must also have long periods of silence, sometimes uncomfortable, awkward silence. Wisdom must know how and when to wait and then when to act, to make some noise, and how to be heard.
The author of Proverbs tells us she’s always been here; before anything came into being, Wisdom was the Artisan of all in whom God delighted, playing in the world and delighting in humankind. The chorus of wisdom has always been with us. Maybe now we’re ready to really listen to what they’ve been trying to tell us for so very long.
Benediction – a Franciscan benediction
May God bless you with Discomfort …
at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships,
so that you may live deep within your heart.
May God bless you with Anger …
at Injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,
so that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace.
May God bless you with Tears …
to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war,
so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them
and to turn their pain into joy.
And may God bless you with enough Foolishness …
to believe that you can make a difference in this world,
so that you can do
what others claim cannot be done.
New Ark United Church of Christ, Newark, DE
June 12, 2022
 |
| Photo of a wooden model of a human body on a small wooden stand, the body facing right, the head facing away from the camera, placed among stacks of books, some books upright, giving the appearance of a hallway for the wooden figure. |
Whenever people make some kind of life transition, whether it’s from school to work, or school to more school, coming out, living as our true self, finding our own place to live, living with our beloved, marriage or parenthood, retirement, there will always be other people who want to share their wisdom with us. Commencement and valedictory addresses are a prime example, and in them they will quote the wisdom of others before them. All of us want to pass on what we have learned, what we know. If meaning making and storytelling are intrinsic to human beings, I think so is educating and sharing wisdom.
We all know about benefiting from the wisdom of others, and yet each of us is the expert on our lived experience. No knows us better than hopefully we know ourselves. But then the Bible says that we should not lean on our own understanding but trust God with all our heart and God will clear a path for us. How do we know what is wise and what is unwise?
It hardly seems wise to tie health care to employment, when only 57% of full-time jobs come with a health care benefit. And yet we do.
It hardly seems wise to for the U.S. to spend almost $35,000 a year to incarcerate a human being, with corporations reaping the profits, when there are some who could attend college or put a down payment on a house. And yet we do.
It hardly seems wise to remove four children from their homeless mother, place the children in foster care, have the state pay $3500 a month for the care of those children, and then require the mother to find a suitable home on her own. And yet we do.
It hardly seems wise to continue to drive our cars at the same rate, with increasing speed, as gas prices soar, and with the certain knowledge that we are living through a climate crisis. And yet we do.
It hardly seems wise to charge more for rent than a monthly mortgage payment and yet criminalize the unhoused. And yet we do.
 |
| NPR poster, pink background, with median apartment asking rents from Redfin: Austin, TX: $2707; Seattle, WA: $3097; Cincinnati, OH: $1713; Los Angeles, CA: $3400; Washington, DC: $2681; Boston, MA: $3970; Miami, FL: $3157; Nashville, TN: $2141; Pittsburgh, PA: $1937; New York, NY: $4008 |
It hardly seems wise to allow people to buy a gun without a permit, to allow gun ownership without basic laws and protections to reduce gun violence and make public space safe for everyone. And yet we do.
 |
| Watercolor painting of a young child wearing an Eastern conical rice hat and blue tunic, sitting in profile on a rock with knees to chest and hands clasped around the ankles. To the left of the figure are these words: "This, my dear, is the greatest challenge to being alive: To witness the injustice of this world, and not allow it to consume our light." |
The process by which we know, how we figure out what is wise and what is unwise is called discernment. But when it comes to wisdom, discernment is more than keen insight and good judgment, more than being clever or shrewd. Discerning what is wise also requires a spiritual dimension, listening, understanding, attentiveness to people, their emotions, their values, their sense of purpose. In church language, discernment is defined as paying attention to what God is doing in human lives and in the world so that we can work with God’s purpose rather than against it, to journey on the path God has cleared for us, to move toward wholeness not just for ourselves but for all of creation.
The entire Bible could be said to be a collective history of human beings trying to discern God’s purpose, what it means to discern that purpose, and then how to live that purpose in community. In the Christian tradition, when we talk about discernment, we say things like “the movement of the Holy Spirit” and “sacred listening” and we call discernment a spiritual practice. In the history of the Church, discernment was deferred to religious authority figures and mystics, to those perceived as being closer to God. Often that power was and is abused, and human lives become collateral, the trajectory of whole peoples dehumanized and traumatized. With the Reformation and the Enlightenment, tools of discernment, like scripture, prayer, and reason, became a double-edged sword, accessible to everyone, as well as listening to one’s heart and life experiences.
Presently, as religion and its authority are declining, spirituality and the needs it fills are on the rise. Where once many of my colleagues used to scoff at the “spiritual but not religious” crowd, now they number themselves among them. One does not need to believe in God to be justice-minded or spiritual or to engage in spiritual practices like meditation and mindfulness. Mindful breathing and mental calmness benefit both physical and mental health as well as aid in the discernment of collective wisdom.
 |
| Poem by Nikita Gill entitled "A Reminder from Small Beings" "The bird building her home on your windowsill has had every nest destroyed before. The spider that is delicately weaving a silken masterpiece has had every single thread broken before. And despite it all, they try again." |
Discerning collective wisdom takes time. It’s not only about arriving at a group decision but about perceiving God as active, what is good and holy and true, not only for ourselves but all whom our choices and actions affect.
Often we can rush to a decision because of the discomfort we feel about a situation, the frustration and pain of a problem, especially if it is systemic. It can also be difficult to trust a group process and whether someone is truly listening to wisdom or to their ego, their fears, their desire to control and covet power. In the 12-step tradition there is the practice of the 3 A’s: awareness, acceptance, and action. First we become aware of a problem or situation or character flaw. We then accept the reality of what we are aware of. But because of the discomfort that arises from such awareness, we often skip over acceptance and move right to action, sometimes acting recklessly or at the other end of the spectrum, choosing to not act at all.
I think this is why in the book of Proverbs, wisdom isn’t quiet. Wisdom is loud. And her pronouns are she/they. She raises her voice, calling out at the crossroads, where everything intersects, in public places, where she can’t be overlooked. They are speaking out against hate, greed, and racism. She’s marching for our lives. They are protesting the nearly 250 pieces of anti-queer legislation that have been introduced in the last five months. She’s bringing insurrectionists to justice. They are calling us out on sin and evil. She’s denouncing the Big Lie. They are calling their senators and representatives. She’s donating to local elections. They are creating courageous space for people to tell and live their truth. She’s crying out from the very earth itself.
 |
| Photo of a black wall with streaks of bright pink paint like graffiti, with a small black poster placed over the graffiti that reads "So where are the strong? And who are the trusted? And where is the harmony, sweet harmony?" |
I think we are living through a critical period of discernment, a significant time when we get to answer the essential question “By what authority shall we live?” Who and what are our sources of wisdom? I am beginning to think that each of us is a source of wisdom, an expert on our lived experience, but in conversation with other voices, in community with one another. I think wisdom is a chorus, but not always a harmonious one. Wisdom must have room for dissonance, for minor keys, for sharp notes. Listening, even to what sounds harsh, is a spiritual practice, because sometimes Wisdom is harsh. Wisdom must also have long periods of silence, sometimes uncomfortable, awkward silence. Wisdom must know how and when to wait and then when to act, to make some noise, and how to be heard.
The author of Proverbs tells us she’s always been here; before anything came into being, Wisdom was the Artisan of all in whom God delighted, playing in the world and delighting in humankind. The chorus of wisdom has always been with us. Maybe now we’re ready to really listen to what they’ve been trying to tell us for so very long.
Benediction – a Franciscan benediction
May God bless you with Discomfort …
at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships,
so that you may live deep within your heart.
May God bless you with Anger …
at Injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,
so that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace.
May God bless you with Tears …
to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war,
so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them
and to turn their pain into joy.
And may God bless you with enough Foolishness …
to believe that you can make a difference in this world,
so that you can do
what others claim cannot be done.
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