Clarifying Peace
  • The Facts
  • Calling Mother
  • Spiritual Direction
  • Blog
  • poetry, story telling, and prayers
  • Essays and Papers
  • Contact

wisdom works

8/23/2012

0 Comments

 
Wisdom has built her house, she has hewn her seven pillars. She has slaughtered her animals, she has mixed her wine, she has also set her table. She has sent out her servant girls, she calls from the highest places in town, "You that are simple, turn in here!" To those without sense she says, "Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. Lay aside immaturity, and live, and walk in the way of insight." Proverbs 9: 1 - 6

I love this passage. In it we are told of the work that Wisdom is has done: built her house, hewn her pillars, slaughtered her animals, mixed her wine, and finally Wisdom boldly calls out her invitation to come and eat at her table and be changed. 

Wisdom is often found in the practice of the the spiritual arts which are highly reflective -- Lectio Divina, centering prayer, contemplative reading, perhaps drawing, singing, dancing.  Over time, they make a significant difference in our lives. When we come to Wisdom's house, we will learn to work as she has worked through the ages and in that work we will lay aside our immaturity. 

So, walk in the way of insight, learn, listen, do the next thing the simple thing that may be something you have avoided for a long time, don't only sit in silence.
0 Comments

believing in Jesus/the work of god

8/6/2012

0 Comments

 
The Gospel reading at church this week was from John 6:24 - 35. It includes these sentences: "What must we do to perform the works of God?" Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent." So they said to him, "What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing?" Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.' 
Then Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." They said to him, "Sir, give us this bead always." Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."

Our Old Testament reading included verses from Exodus 16, which told of the Israelites coming upon the "fine, flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground." 

In both stories, the first one that Jesus told and the older one of Moses and Aaron, the people of God appear to me to be humbled. 

Bread from heaven is pretty nice, yet to gather it one must stoop, or sweep it up in one's arms while down on one's knees. God's provision, God's gift appeared after the layer of dew lifted on the surface of the wilderness. 

In John's story, Jesus requires the people following him to move beyond the old, familiar symbol of manna from heaven, to believing that Jesus himself is the bread of life, given to satisfy their hunger and quench their thirst. 

Jesus took their request for the bread of God and gave it back to them, repackaged. Responding to Jesus' instruction to come to him and believe in him requires great humility and imagination.
0 Comments
    Picture

    Archives

    September 2022
    May 2022
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    April 2020
    October 2016
    August 2015
    October 2014
    September 2014
    May 2014
    March 2014
    December 2013
    September 2013
    July 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010

    Categories

    All
    A Beautiful Dress That Fit
    After We Die
    Artesian Well Spring
    Barker Dam
    Be
    Bearing The Responsibility Of Others
    Beautiful
    Body
    Butterfly Girl
    Calm
    Clean Daily
    Confession Of Sin
    Courage And Cowardice
    Couturier
    Dark Horse
    Darkness And Light
    Darkness Cannot Overcome Light
    Dock Gently
    Dog
    Enough And Enough
    Epiphany Work
    Game Of Conversation
    Generous Gifts
    Happy
    Healing Prayer
    Heart
    Held In Balance
    Holy Living
    Hydrofracturing
    Inner Work
    In Time
    I Will Not Carry
    Joshua Tree National Park
    Loss And Discernment
    Love
    Magi
    Making Peace
    Mavis Staples
    Name It
    Not Alone
    Nothing Is Lost
    O Come Let Us Adore Him
    Opportuntity To Persevere
    Orion Magazine
    Peaceful And Lucky
    Peonage
    Praying About Changes
    Rebirth
    Receiving The Gifts Of God
    Rest
    Seeds
    Seen
    Singing
    Sitting In Silence
    Sleeper Awake
    Slow Down
    Song
    Speaking And Listening
    Steingraber
    Strength
    Sunlight
    Telling Your Story
    The Help
    The Iron Thing They Carried
    Thought In The Form Of An Experience
    To Start Healing The Child In Me
    Transcendent Moments
    Transformation
    Trust
    Unconditional Love
    Unspoken Mantras
    Waiting
    Walking On Water
    Words

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.