“The Need for Wisdom” by the Rev. Dr. Tara W. Bulger

Proverbs 8:1-11

Does not wisdom call,
and does not understanding raise her voice?
On the heights, beside the way,
at the crossroads she takes her stand;
beside the gates in front of the town,
at the entrance of the portals she cries out:
“To you, O people, I call,
and my cry is to all that live.
O simple ones, learn prudence;
acquire intelligence, you who lack it.
Hear, for I will speak noble things,
and from my lips will come what is right;
for my mouth will utter truth;
wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
All the words of my mouth are righteous;
there is nothing twisted or crooked in them.
They are all straight to one who understands
and right to those who find knowledge.
Take my instruction instead of silver,
and knowledge rather than choice gold;
for wisdom is better than jewels,
and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.

This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Each year, to honor and guide our graduating high school seniors, we put together a booklet of best advice from members of the congregation. This advice is meant to help the new graduate as they transition to college. From this past year, some of the advice included in the booklet included:

From Ashley Connor—Now that you have graduated from high school, you have many choices to make. No one is there to tell you to get up and to go to church or class. These are now your choice; however, it is important you never forget God is always with you. No matter what you may be going through today, you can always count on God to help you find your way.

From Danny Bryant—Work hard. Learn something new every day – especially about yourself. Play hard. Make new friends. New friends will take you further than your grade point average. Laugh every day – especially about yourself. Give grace; you’ll need it in return. And above all, know that God has big plans for you. Open your mind, prayerfully listen, be patient, and trust God will reveal his plans for you.

From Leigh Brown—Always be open to learning and expanding your horizons. Making a friend reminds me of Jesus’ commandments to love God first so that we can love our neighbor as we love ourselves. And finally, to pray each day to be mindful of the needs of others and be given the strength to do something about it.

From Caitlin Thomas—The spirit of God is within you; He will not mislead you. When you are faced with a decision (and there are LOTS in college and even more afterward) and you’re unsure what to do, take the next best step. Put one foot in front of the other and allow God to be a lamp unto your feet.

From Pat Graves—Before GPS, the compass aided travelers for centuries. The compass not only pointed in the right direction, magnetic north, it also prevented one from choosing the wrong direction. Your parents, church, and community have given you a compass, a MORAL COMPASS, to give you the ability to judge right from wrong and to act accordingly. And, as you grow older, you will find that your parents have become a lot smarter.

This Is Wisdom

This advice is really wisdom, isn’t it? The definition of the word wisdom is the capacity to judge rightly in matters relating to life and conduct. This is such good wisdom shared by these church members for our high school graduates.

Christian Wisdom

In our Christian theological tradition, wisdom is part of the divine character of God but it is also the idea that God seeks to impart God’s wisdom to creation. That God wants God’s wisdom to be known. We see this in our passage from Proverbs today for it begins with wisdom, out in the streets, calling to all who will hear. Wisdom calls out and raises her voice, not in the holy places—not in the sanctuary—but in the road, in the town, wisdom cries out trying to speak so all will listen. Wisdom wants to be known by all—God wants to so guide all humanity that they will make good decisions, they will choose the best paths for lives of meaning and wholeness.

Wisdom Wants To Be Known

God’s desire for humanity is not that God’s purposes should be hidden, but that it is there for all to see. In fact, wisdom is experienced in the lives we live. It is our church members experience of being college students themselves that helps them to give good wisdom to our students. We gain wisdom by a life lived and reflected upon. God wants us to grow in experience and wisdom. Wisdom is available to all, but you have to answer wisdom’s invitation and listen to what she will say.

Wisdom Requires Listening

That seems to be the problem for wisdom in this passage—-and for us today. God wants to speak wisdom into our lives—to speak wisdom to us through our very experiences with God—but we have to first listen. We have to listen to what God is saying to us through our lives. We have to take the time to pause in prayer and reflection to glean any wisdom at all. And the problem is that listening requires a stillness we often do not have.

Wisdom Requires Stillness

The passage from proverbs has Wisdom standing in the middle of a busy city crying out to be heard. Wisdom, we are told, is important—more valuable that gold or jewels. But no one is listening. No one is stopping. No one is reflecting on their experiences and the wisdom gained from them. No one is listening.

And I think the problem is much the same today. Wisdom wants to speak to us. But we often aren’t listening. We often aren’t still. But that wisdom is valuable—-it can help us judge from right and wrong in our own lives. It can bring us closer to God.

Wisdom Requires Reflection

So, I too, wrote some advice for the booklet we gave to our seniors. My wisdom wasn’t nearly as rich as what I’ve shared with you today. But I learned something in the act of writing it. I had never sat down and reflected on my first year of college, on the years of education that came after. As I reflected and I prayed I was surprised to discover I did have some wisdom to share—I had just never taken the time to put it into words. Wisdom was there—because God speaks to God’s people—but I’d just never taken the time to reflect and listen.

May we all grow wiser each day. May we learn the ways of God. May we listen. Amen.