THE WONDER OF WISDOM
A sermon preached by
Rev. Dr. Randle R. (Rick) Mixon
First Baptist Church, Palo Alto, CA
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Texts: Proverbs 8
Earlier this month, when I was corresponding with David Gregg about the service in which he would be preaching, he requested that we sing no Trinitarian hymns on that Sunday. I will confess that I was a little surprised by his request, though I honored it. We have plenty of hymns in our hymnbook that don’t treat or even mention the Trinity. Over that weekend I asked him about his request and discovered that he had little affection for the ancient theological construction of the Trinity. As a Baptist, whose faith claims are grounded in the Bible as sole authority for faith and practice, he was clear that there is no mention of the Trinity in the scripture (though, of course, all the figures – God, Christ and Spirit – are all prominently treated.) Then, as a student of Process Theology, I don’t think he finds the Trinity as a rational or useful way to talk about God.
It is true that learned councils have been held, excommunications thrown down and battles waged over this issue, but I have to say that, as a life-long Baptist, and as a matter of practical concern, I have not lost any sleep pondering the Trinity. It is true that we used to sing regularly the doxology – “praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.” “Holy, Holy, Holy – God in three persons, blessed trinity” has been a frequently-sung hymn in our worship services. I often use Trinitarian constructions in prayers and liturgy, but it is not a theological concept on which I would stake my faith.
As I have thought about it since my conversations with David, it seems to me that, more than anything else, the doctrine of the Trinity allows us to consider the many facets of God. How do we know the Holy? How do we speak of the God we worship and serve? The idea of Trinity draws us into acknowledging that, whatever we think we know of God, there is always more to be known. The notion of Trinity is a way of saying that there is mystery in the nature of God that is not for us to unravel.
One writer has said of this Sunday in the liturgical year when we celebrate the Trinity, “…preachers inevitably feel the need (not to mention the terrible burden) to explain. Men and women who normally would not be caught dead with a prop in the pulpit have been known to show up with an egg -- shell, white and yoke -- or an apple that is at one and the same time tree, fruit and seed. Embarrassment is palpable on all sides…Why? Because the annual recurrence of Trinity Sunday marks the persistent attempt to make sense of an abstraction that is probably a greater stumbling block and folly than the cross. On this particular day, and without anyone wanting such a thing to happen, the mystery of God’s own self - meant to be adored in light inaccessible - becomes a puzzle to be solved, an analogy to be fetched from afar, a formulation to be improved upon…the day becomes the celebration of an idea rather than what I think it was meant to be - a glimpse into God as a community of Persons” (Peter S. Hawkins, “Between the Lines” in The Christian Century, May 23, 2001, p. 16.)
I think the writer is on to something here – “God as a community of Persons,” God in relationship. In any deeply held human relationship we know there are many aspects to be considered. We cannot put those we love into a box and assume they will always think, feel, or behave as we expect them to. How often have you or I experienced disaster by attempting to fence in or control the other in an important relationship in our lives?
Brian Wren has written a fine hymn that I believe treats this Trinitarian dilemma well. We have sung before, “Bring many names, beautiful and good…Strong mother God, working night and day…Warm father God, hugging every child…Old, aching God, grey with endless care…glad of good surprises, wiser than despair…Young, growing God, eager, on the move, saying no to falsehood and unkindness, crying out for justice, giving all you have… Great, living God, never fully known, joyful darkness far beyond our seeing, closer yet than breathing, everlasting home: Hail and hosanna, great, living God!”
In Tuesday’s Bible study, we recalled the classic little book by J. B. Phillips that proclaimed Your God Is Too Small, as it guided Christians to consider that there is always more to God than we can ever put into any single box. We use language like Wren’s hymn because language is a major way in which we express ourselves. We grab onto images and metaphors to speak of that of which we cannot speak in any definitive way. These images are useful to us but should never be claimed as capturing the whole truth of God. The Trinity may be a useful way to think of God and the complexity of our relationship with the divine, but it is neither wholly explanatory nor a holy explanation.
This brings us to our text for today. As we do not usually spend a lot of time worrying about the theology of the Trinity, we do not often turn to the ancient book of Proverbs for a Sunday morning text. Thank you to Thelma and Melanie for reading the ancient word so beautifully. The lectionary only calls for reading the beginning and ending of the chapter, but it seemed a shame to chop up such a fine poem in that fashion, so we took the risk to read the whole thing. There is much more in this poem than we can unpack this morning, but let’s consider a few aspects of it.
One important aspect is the thorough introduction we are given to Lady Wisdom. It was interesting to me in preparing this sermon how many resources wanted to equate her with the Spirit, with the Christ or with God. I suppose this is one pitfall of Trinitarian thinking. We can only have three persons in the Godhead; there is no room for a fourth (or a fifth or more.) Like the Logos of John’s gospel, we are told she was with God from the beginning. Was she created by God or drawn from God somehow, or is she just another facet of God’s wondrously infinite being? "God sovereignly made me—the first, the basic— before he did anything else. I was brought into being a long time ago, well before Earth got its start…Before Mountains were sculpted and Hills took shape, I was already there, newborn… When he drew a boundary for Sea, posted a sign that said no trespassing, and then staked out Earth's Foundations, I was right there with him, making sure everything fit.” As John writes of the Logos, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being” (John 1:1-3.)
Take a minute to see if there is some way of seeing God, some image that is particularly meaningful to you. Don’t worry that it might not be traditional or orthodox. When you turn to God in prayer, when you ask God to show you the way, when you feel God’s presence in your own life, what does God look like, sound like, feel like? Sit with that image for a moment and savor its goodness for you.
Now take another moment to see if you can get in touch with Lady Wisdom. There she is, in all her glory, standing “…at the busiest intersection. Right in the city square, where the traffic is thickest…” and she picks you out of the crowd. “She shouts, ‘You—yes, you. I'm talking to you…’” Can you see her, hear her, feel her presence? Is she warm, intimidating, a wonder, a mixture of many things? What is her word for you?
It’s true there were lots of words in the passage we read this morning. It’s also true that Proverbs seems to hold a kind of karmic view of the universe, implying that there is a natural, God-ordained order to things, that there are inevitable rewards for righteousness and punishments for evil. Many of us may struggle to see the world functioning in such an orderly fashion. There are questions that you or I might have for Lady Wisdom if we could sit down to talk with her. But there are also aspects of this ancient word that one might embrace with relish.
Wisdom loves truth and hates evil. That sounds right to me. Surely we can affirm the wisdom of telling the truth. Of course, that means there is no room for half-truths and twisting the facts to fit one’s own agenda. It seems to require an open-mind and a willingness to risk challenging those who take liberties with the truth. I’m not so certain that those who govern are as well-acquainted with Wisdom as the text implies. It is surely an ideal worth lifting up, though – honest politicians and wise governors.
Then apparently Wisdom has “life-disciplines” that are more important than a “lucrative career” or the accumulation of wealth. Perhaps compassion for others and care for the whole of creation come before lining one’s own pockets. Such things as sanity, knowledge, discretion and fear of God are desirable; pride, arrogance, crooked talk are to be left behind. Good counsel, common sense, insight and virtue overcome every form of evil. And here’s Wisdom’s real reward, “You can find me on Righteous Road—that's where I walk—at the intersection of Justice Avenue, handing out life to those who love me, filling their arms with life—armloads of life!”
It’s the gift of life, in all its richness and abundance, that comes from following after God’s Wisdom. A co-creator with God, like a little child shouting and dancing with the wonder of it all, Wisdom was there from the beginning of life. “Day after day I was there, with my joyful applause, always enjoying [God’s] company, delighted with the world of things and creatures, happily celebrating the human family.” We are invited to join Wisdom in that very celebratory dance of delight. Yes, you and me. For such a purpose God created us as well.
"So my dear friends, listen carefully,” Wisdom says. “Those who embrace…my ways are most blessed. Mark a life of discipline and live wisely; don't squander your precious life. Blessed the man, blessed the woman, who listens to me, awake and ready for me each morning, alert and responsive as I start my day's work. When you find me, you find life, real life, to say nothing of God's good pleasure." May we hear the wonder of Wisdom and walk in her ways. Amen.
1-11 Do you hear Lady Wisdom calling? Can you hear Madame Insight raising her voice?
She's taken her stand at First and Main,
at the busiest intersection.
Right in the city square
where the traffic is thickest, she shouts,
"You—I'm talking to all of you,
everyone out here on the streets!
Listen, you idiots—learn good sense!
You blockheads—shape up!
Don't miss a word of this—I'm telling you how to live well,
I'm telling you how to live at your best.
My mouth chews and savors and relishes truth—
I can't stand the taste of evil!
You'll only hear true and right words from my mouth;
not one syllable will be twisted or skewed.
You'll recognize this as true—you with open minds;
truth-ready minds will see it at once.
Prefer my life-disciplines over chasing after money,
and God-knowledge over a lucrative career.
For Wisdom is better than all the trappings of wealth;
nothing you could wish for holds a candle to her.
12-21 "I am Lady Wisdom, and I live next to Sanity;
Knowledge and Discretion live just down the street.
The Fear-of-God means hating Evil,
whose ways I hate with a passion—
pride and arrogance and crooked talk.
Good counsel and common sense are my characteristics;
I am both Insight and the Virtue to live it out.
With my help, leaders rule,
and lawmakers legislate fairly;
With my help, governors govern,
along with all in legitimate authority.
I love those who love me;
those who look for me find me.
Wealth and Glory accompany me—
also substantial Honor and a Good Name.
My benefits are worth more than a big salary, even a very big salary;
the returns on me exceed any imaginable bonus.
You can find me on Righteous Road—that's where I walk—
at the intersection of Justice Avenue,
Handing out life to those who love me,
filling their arms with life—armloads of life!
22-31 "God sovereignly made me—the first, the basic—
before he did anything else.
I was brought into being a long time ago,
well before Earth got its start.
I arrived on the scene before Ocean,
yes, even before Springs and Rivers and Lakes.
Before Mountains were sculpted and Hills took shape,
I was already there, newborn;
Long before God stretched out Earth's Horizons,
and tended to the minute details of Soil and Weather,
And set Sky firmly in place,
I was there.
When he mapped and gave borders to wild Ocean,
built the vast vault of Heaven,
and installed the fountains that fed Ocean,
When he drew a boundary for Sea,
posted a sign that said no trespassing,
And then staked out Earth's Foundations,
I was right there with him, making sure everything fit.
Day after day I was there, with my joyful applause,
always enjoying his company,
Delighted with the world of things and creatures,
happily celebrating the human family.
32-36 "So, my dear friends, listen carefully;
those who embrace these my ways are most blessed.
Mark a life of discipline and live wisely;
don't squander your precious life.
Blessed the man, blessed the woman, who listens to me,
awake and ready for me each morning,
alert and responsive as I start my day's work.
When you find me, you find life, real life,
to say nothing of God's good pleasure.
But if you wrong me, you damage your very soul;
when you reject me, you're flirting with death."