Does not wisdom call?

Proverbs 8: 22-36, OT page 591 The Lord created me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of long ago. Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth. When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water. Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth – when he had not yet made earth and fields, or the world’s first bits of soil. When he established the heavens, I was there, when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, then I was beside him, like a master worker; and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the human race. And now, my children, listen to me: happy are those who keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it. Happy is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord; but those who miss me injure themselves; all who hate me love death. Sermon The second and first scripture lessons for today are just two parts of the same chapter – chapter 8 of Proverbs – on this Trinity Sunday. And this chapter of Proverbs is appropriate for Trinity Sunday. This “wisdom” who “raises her voice” has been assumed by Christian theologians to be the third person of the Trinity or God the Holy Spirit, accompanying the first person of the Trinity, God the Creator through the great acts of creating the world and human kind that are described here in chapter 8. Today on Trinity Sunday we deliberately remember that when we refer to God we refer to three: God the Father, or Creator, God the Holy Spirit, or Wisdom, and God the Son, or Christ our Savior. But of course, the Trinity is still hard to understand – so today we look for wisdom to wrap our heads around a difficult concept, and thinking of the first line of our first scripture lesson and the title of this sermon, “Does not wisdom call?” Wisdom does call, but so does confusion and I often find myself confused by the Trinity. That’s not the only thing that I’m confused by however. I’m also confused by algebra. I remember too well the feeling of sitting in 9th grade algebra, thinking about how I was just fine with numbers until they got mixed together with the alphabet. 2 times B equals 72. I was excited when confronted by this problem at first because when I saw 72 I thought my teacher had already provided me the answer, but then I realized it was up to me to define B. I didn’t know how to do it – I started getting frustrated, then worried, and next thing I knew my teacher was done explaining but I was so confused and I had given in to my confusion so I didn’t raise my hand or even ask the person sitting next to me for help – I just sat there. That is a dangerous place. The teenager who doesn’t ask questions for fear that he won’t understand is not any different from the adult who fears he won’t understand the Trinity and so just gives up. Or the adult who is too intimidated to learn something new like painting or exercising at the YMCA – confusion only holds power over those who can’t see a way out of it but wisdom says that there is always a way out. Does not wisdom call? Of course it does, and wisdom was there telling me to get some help but confusion was calling just as loud telling me that I’d never be able to understand even if I had some help. Guidance is there for times such as this in verse 4 - “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.” Certainly I lacked it, but I could have acquired it if only I listened to wisdom rather than confusion. Does not wisdom call? It does, but in addition to confusion, ignorance also calls – and some are willing to sit in ignorance, angry at what they don’t understand and constantly trying to make what is complicated simple. You know these people. They stand around providing advice but are rarely seen doing any work. There is a terrific forum for many of them in our local newspaper. There in “Sound Off”, this column where anyone who would like to call in to the paper and voice their opinion can see their thoughts in print regardless of the merits of their thoughts, you can find all kinds of opinions. But just last Sunday I read a really good one, “I would just say to Mr. Ron Hart and all the rest of the people that have the answers to all the problems in this country, why are you sitting at home being a Monday morning quarterback when you could be in Washington solving all our problems?” I don’t know who called in to make this comment, but I think there is wisdom in this caller’s suspicion. We all watch the news, and while you and I know that everything on TV or in the newspaper isn’t the truth, sooner or later things start to sink in, and the opinions of talking heads who make their money by the 24 hour news cycle working to raise your suspicion while demonizing their political opponents can start to take hold. And that’s a problem because while Ron Hart, Bill O’Riley, or Jon Stewart sound very confident and self-assured pointing fingers and claiming to have so many of the answers, they aren’t in Washington, nor are they making steps to implement any sort of plan of their own. Does not wisdom call? Of course it does – but so does ignorance and ignorance will fill you up with something that feels like confidence, will send you out into the world with something that seems like purpose and the desire for change, but despite all the talk that we fall victim to on the 24 hour news cycles I don’t see much improving because of the talking heads besides television ratings because ignorance has a voice and it makes a lot of noise but it doesn’t have any substance. There in verse 13 we find: “The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate. I have good advice and sound wisdom; I have right insight, I have strength. By me kings reign, and rulers decree what is just; by me rulers rule, and nobles, all who govern rightly.” Does not wisdom call – of course it does – but I wish more people would listen, and I know it’s hard to listen, because in addition to confusion and ignorance, fear has also been let loose on the world and fear is a powerful force. Fear is good at making rational, upright people do wrong, for fear drives us to think that there is a difference between doing what is right and keeping our families safe; that sometimes it is better, not to wait for the just solution but to just do something. While there are many to be afraid of in this world, should fear become our guide and should the wisdom of our minds take a back seat to the terror of our hearts than there is no enemy so fearsome as ourselves. Wisdom desires safety, but a gun in the hands of a wise man and a gun in the hands of a man who is afraid are two very different things. Wisdom desires justice, but fear will try to hurry justice along desiring action. And wisdom is thoughtful while fear is shortsighted, for people who are afraid will give away anything to survive. Out of the fear of losing their job they’ll accept an unjust wage, out of the fear of losing a boyfriend or a girlfriend they’ll give themselves away, and out of the fear of being a disappointment they will disappoint themselves for not having the courage to be true. Does not wisdom cry out? I should say that she does, and she cries out saying, “For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord; but those who miss me injure themselves; all who hate me love death.” Now confusion is an option, but when I gave into confusion, settled in to it, my grade suffered and I only made it out of Algebra because my Dad sat down with me and pulled me out of it. Many choose ignorance over wisdom as well, but ignorance gives birth to partisan politics and senseless arguments while solutions remain out of reach. And fear continues to control the hearts of many, but fear leads to death and only those who find wisdom find life and favor from the Lord. From the beginning of time wisdom has been calling out - when there were no depths she was brought forth. Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, like a master worker wisdom was there rejoicing in the inhabited world and delighting in the human race. But while wisdom calls out to you, will you listen? Will you seek clarity rather than grow used to confusion? Will you accept complexity, search out real solutions, or grow complacent in simplicity and ignorance? And when there is fear, will you give in to it or will you remain faithful, trusting that by wisdom you will prevail? Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect wisdom. Amen.