Sermon for September 24th, 2017 - Revision history

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← Older revision		Revision as of 12:40, 24 September 2017
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	That's the beauty and the mystery and the paradox of wisdom. We can spend a lifetime trying to find wisdom, but ultimately wisdom finds us in the most unexpected ways. We can dissect and take apart the component pieces of wisdom, analyze all the words and their meanings, but never quite capture or nail down the essence of what exactly wisdom is.		That's the beauty and the mystery and the paradox of wisdom. We can spend a lifetime trying to find wisdom, but ultimately wisdom finds us in the most unexpected ways. We can dissect and take apart the component pieces of wisdom, analyze all the words and their meanings, but never quite capture or nail down the essence of what exactly wisdom is.

−	We can only follow along her path, listen to her voice as she calls to us, saying "Walk this way." We can cultivate an openness and receptivity to the world God created, and to the things it teaches us, so that in those unexpected moments--in the aftermath of a tragedy; in the joy of a newborn child; in a crowded airport, or in a moment of quiet solitude--in those moments when wisdom comes to us, we may recognize her, embrace her...and give thanks.	+	We can only follow along her path, listen to her voice as she calls to us, saying "Walk this way." We can cultivate an openness and receptivity to the world God created, and to the things it teaches us, so that in those unexpected moments--in the aftermath of a tragedy; in the joy of a newborn child; in a crowded airport, or in a moment of quiet solitude--in those moments when wisdom comes to us, we may recognize her, embrace her...and give thanks to God.

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 [[File:SophiaGrace.png|200px|thumb|left]] I was seeking wisdom 6,000 miles away on the other side of the world, in a 64,000 square foot church that was well over a thousand years old.  And wisdom--Sophia--arrived in my world on April 27th, 2017, at 8.8 pounds and 21.5 inches and a whole lot closer to home.
-Proverbs tells us over and over again to seek wisdom...but it doesn't often say how or where to look.  In my experience, we often find wisdom in unexpected ways, not in the times or places where we have been seeking most diligently.  In the aftermath of a tragedy; in the joy of a newborn child; in a crowded airport, or in a quiet moment alone.    Perhaps seeking wisdom has more to do with cultivating openness and receptivity to those moments when they come, than it does trying to force them, or create them ourselves.
+That's the beauty and the mystery and the paradox of wisdom.  We can spend a lifetime trying to find wisdom, but ultimately wisdom finds us in the most unexpected ways. We can dissect and take apart the component pieces of wisdom, analyze all the words and their meanings, but never quite capture or nail down the essence of what exactly wisdom is.
-We lay the groundwork when we study, when we increase our knowledge and understanding of the world God created.
+We can only follow along her path, listen to her voice as she calls to us, saying "Walk this way."  We can cultivate an openness and receptivity to the world God created, and to the things it teaches us, so that in those unexpected moments--in the aftermath of a tragedy; in the joy of a newborn child; in a crowded airport, or in a moment of quiet solitude--in those moments when wisdom comes to us, we may recognize her, embrace her...and give thanks.

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 .  The first is דָּ֫עַת (da'at) or KNOWLEDGE.  "By his knowledge the deeps broke open."  While the Latin word "data" is completely unrelated to the Hebrew, they are similar enough concepts.  Wisdom requires first and foremost a thorough analysis of the information at hand, of the available facts, of all the data.  In our world today, some of the biggest lapses in wisdom come when well-intentioned people jump to conclusions about a situation or form an opinion without taking the time to research the facts.  How many of us have passed on an inflammatory email or shared a clever facebook post only to find out later that the facts simply were not verifiable...as much as we may have wanted them to be?  Laziness in this regard leads to foolishness, but seeking knowledge lays the groundwork for wisdom.
-. The second word is תָּבוּן (tabonah) or UNDERSTANDING.  "By understanding he established the heavens."  Having the right information is essential, but it's not enough.  We have to understand the information in its context.  We have to consider where our information comes from, what it means, and how it fits into a larger context. This is, in my opinion, where a lot of Christian churches go wrong--they'll take a lone bible verse and run with it, basing entire theologies and doctrines on that verse without considering what comes before it and after it in the scriptures, without considering the people who wrote it and what they were trying to accomplish, and how their situation was similar or different from our own.  In a larger sense, we find ourselves today in a world where we have at our fingertips more information, more data on any subject than we could ever possibly sift through in an entire lifetime...but so little understanding of what we're looking at.  I believe that one of the keys to understanding is community--being connected to a diverse group of people who don't always see things the same way, but who are still committed to listening to each other, supporting each other, and working to build understanding together.
+. The second word is תָּבוּן (taboon) or UNDERSTANDING.  "By understanding he established the heavens."  Having the right information is essential, but it's not enough.  We have to understand the information in its context.  We have to consider where our information comes from, what it means, and how it fits into a larger context. This is, in my opinion, where a lot of Christian churches go wrong--they'll take a lone bible verse and run with it, basing entire theologies and doctrines on that verse without considering what comes before it and after it in the scriptures, without considering the people who wrote it and what they were trying to accomplish, and how their situation was similar or different from our own.  In a larger sense, we find ourselves today in a world where we have at our fingertips more information, more data on any subject than we could ever possibly sift through in an entire lifetime...but so little understanding of what we're looking at.  I believe that one of the keys to understanding is community--being connected to a diverse group of people who don't always see things the same way, but who are still committed to listening to each other, supporting each other, and working to build understanding together.
 . The third word, תּוּשִׁיָּה (tushiyah) is what the NRSV translates as "sound wisdom" but as I mentioned earlier, this is a completely different word than חָכְמָה (hochmah), the usual Hebrew word for wisdom.  This word only occurs 11 times in the Bible, mostly in Job and Proverbs, so it seems to be a technical term connected to wisdom literature.  Scholars and translators don't really know exactly what this word means, but that hasn't stopped all of them from guessing. There are about as many different guesses as there are translations of the Bible.  Besides "sound wisdom" other translations include discretion, common sense, discernment, success, deliverance, foresight, competence, judgment, and thoughtfulness.  But perhaps my favorite guess comes from the New American Standard translation of the Bible, which translates תּוּשִׁיָּה (tushiyah) as INSIGHT.  This makes a lot of sense to me in the context of the wisdom process.  Insight is the lightbulb moment, the "aha" moment when knowledge and understanding combine to yield a spark of inspiration, something new, something you couldn't see before.  It's not hindsight; it's not foresight.  Insight is seeing and realizing what's needed or what's going on right now, right IN this moment. That's Insight.

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 You may have noticed that between Proverbs, James, the Book of Job...I spend a lot of time talking about Wisdom.  It's not because I consider myself wise.  In fact, it's probably the opposite.  I'm fascinated by wisdom literature out of a profound desire to be wise, and a profound realization of just how far I am from that goal.
-So in my pursuit of "all things wisdom," last April when I traveled to the country of Turkey with James H. and Michael S., one of the things I was really excited about was visiting Hagia Sophia.  It is one of the oldest and most beautiful churches in the world, was the first Cathedral built by the Roman Empire, and for over 1,000 years was the largest church in the world. What does any of this have do with Wisdom?  Hagia Sophia is Greek for "Holy Wisdom."  So the foremost church of the ancient world was dedicated not to Peter, Paul, or Mary...but to Wisdom.  And it was definitely on my bucket list.
+[[File:Hagiasophia1.png|200px|thumb|left]] So in my pursuit of "all things wisdom," last April when I traveled to the country of Turkey with James H. and Michael S., one of the things I was really excited about was visiting Hagia Sophia.  It is one of the oldest and most beautiful churches in the world, was the first Cathedral built by the Roman Empire, and for over 1,000 years was the largest church in the world. What does any of this have do with Wisdom?  Hagia Sophia is Greek for "Holy Wisdom."  So the foremost church of the ancient world was dedicated not to Peter, Paul, or Mary...but to Wisdom.  And it was definitely on my bucket list.
 The morning of our visit to Istanbul, where Hagia Sophia is located, just as our plane was touching down at the Istanbul airport, I got a text message from my younger brother, Joe.  The newest member of the Locke family, his daughter and my niece, had just arrived in the world.  I immediately texted him back and said, "Congratulations...what's her name?" Everyone in my family had been waiting for this moment for several months, since my brother and his wife had decided not to tell anyone until she arrived.  But, no answer came from my brother.  I don't blame him, he had plenty going on.
-But all that morning, as James and Michael and I wandered through the architectural marvels of Hagia Sophia, the church of Holy Wisdom, I was distracted--thinking about my brother and his wife, about my brand new niece, and wondering what her name was?
+[[File:Hagiasophia2.png|200px|thumb|left]] But all that morning, as James and Michael and I wandered through the architectural marvels of Hagia Sophia, the church of Holy Wisdom, I was distracted--thinking about my brother and his wife, about my brand new niece, and wondering what her name was?
 And I didn't find out...for the rest of the trip.  In fact, it wasn't until I arrived back in El Paso, and my own kids met me at the airport and said, "Dad, did you see the pictures of Joe and Lindsy's new baby? (I hadn't).  They showed me the pictures--a beautiful baby girl.  I said (exasperated) what's her NAME?  And their answer stopped me dead in my tracks:  "Her name is Sophia."  Sophia Grace Locke.

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 And I didn't find out...for the rest of the trip.  In fact, it wasn't until I arrived back in El Paso, and my own kids met me at the airport and said, "Dad, did you see the pictures of Joe and Lindsy's new baby? (I hadn't).  They showed me the pictures--a beautiful baby girl.  I said (exasperated) what's her NAME?  And their answer stopped me dead in my tracks:  "Her name is Sophia."  Sophia Grace Locke.
-I was seeking wisdom 6,000 miles away on the other side of the world, in a 64,000 square foot church that was well over a thousand years old.  And wisdom--Sophia--arrived in my world on April 27th, 2017, at 8.8 pounds and 21.5 inches and a whole lot closer to home.
+[[File:SophiaGrace.png|200px|thumb|left]] I was seeking wisdom 6,000 miles away on the other side of the world, in a 64,000 square foot church that was well over a thousand years old.  And wisdom--Sophia--arrived in my world on April 27th, 2017, at 8.8 pounds and 21.5 inches and a whole lot closer to home.
 Proverbs tells us over and over again to seek wisdom...but it doesn't often say how or where to look.  In my experience, we often find wisdom in unexpected ways, not in the times or places where we have been seeking most diligently.  In the aftermath of a tragedy; in the joy of a newborn child; in a crowded airport, or in a quiet moment alone.    Perhaps seeking wisdom has more to do with cultivating openness and receptivity to those moments when they come, than it does trying to force them, or create them ourselves.
 We lay the groundwork when we study, when we increase our knowledge and understanding of the world God created.

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:29, 23 September 2017
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	I was seeking wisdom 6,000 miles away on the other side of the world, in a 64,000 square foot church that was well over a thousand years old. And wisdom--Sophia--arrived in my world on April 27th, 2017, at 8.8 pounds and 21.5 inches and a whole lot closer to home.		I was seeking wisdom 6,000 miles away on the other side of the world, in a 64,000 square foot church that was well over a thousand years old. And wisdom--Sophia--arrived in my world on April 27th, 2017, at 8.8 pounds and 21.5 inches and a whole lot closer to home.
		+
		+	Proverbs tells us over and over again to seek wisdom...but it doesn't often say how or where to look. In my experience, we often find wisdom in unexpected ways, not in the times or places where we have been seeking most diligently. In the aftermath of a tragedy; in the joy of a newborn child; in a crowded airport, or in a quiet moment alone. Perhaps seeking wisdom has more to do with cultivating openness and receptivity to those moments when they come, than it does trying to force them, or create them ourselves.
		+
		+	We lay the groundwork when we study, when we increase our knowledge and understanding of the world God created.

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:35, 23 September 2017
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	And I didn't find out...for the rest of the trip. In fact, it wasn't until I arrived back in El Paso, and my own kids met me at the airport and said, "Dad, did you see the pictures of Joe and Lindsy's new baby? (I hadn't). They showed me the pictures--a beautiful baby girl. I said (exasperated) what's her NAME? And their answer stopped me dead in my tracks: "Her name is Sophia." Sophia Grace Locke.		And I didn't find out...for the rest of the trip. In fact, it wasn't until I arrived back in El Paso, and my own kids met me at the airport and said, "Dad, did you see the pictures of Joe and Lindsy's new baby? (I hadn't). They showed me the pictures--a beautiful baby girl. I said (exasperated) what's her NAME? And their answer stopped me dead in my tracks: "Her name is Sophia." Sophia Grace Locke.
		+
		+	I was seeking wisdom 6,000 miles away on the other side of the world, in a 64,000 square foot church that was well over a thousand years old. And wisdom--Sophia--arrived in my world on April 27th, 2017, at 8.8 pounds and 21.5 inches and a whole lot closer to home.

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:16, 23 September 2017
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	So in my pursuit of "all things wisdom," last April when I traveled to the country of Turkey with James H. and Michael S., one of the things I was really excited about was visiting Hagia Sophia. It is one of the oldest and most beautiful churches in the world, was the first Cathedral built by the Roman Empire, and for over 1,000 years was the largest church in the world. What does any of this have do with Wisdom? Hagia Sophia is Greek for "Holy Wisdom." So the foremost church of the ancient world was dedicated not to Peter, Paul, or Mary...but to Wisdom. And it was definitely on my bucket list.		So in my pursuit of "all things wisdom," last April when I traveled to the country of Turkey with James H. and Michael S., one of the things I was really excited about was visiting Hagia Sophia. It is one of the oldest and most beautiful churches in the world, was the first Cathedral built by the Roman Empire, and for over 1,000 years was the largest church in the world. What does any of this have do with Wisdom? Hagia Sophia is Greek for "Holy Wisdom." So the foremost church of the ancient world was dedicated not to Peter, Paul, or Mary...but to Wisdom. And it was definitely on my bucket list.

−	The morning of our visit to Istanbul, where Hagia Sophia is located, just as our plane was touching down at the Istanbul airport, I got a text message from my younger brother, Joe. The newest member of the Locke family, his daughter and my niece, had just arrived in the world. I immediately texted him back and said, "Congratulations...what's her name?" Everyone in my family had been waiting for this moment for several months, since my brother and his wife had decided not to tell anyone until she arrived.	+	The morning of our visit to Istanbul, where Hagia Sophia is located, just as our plane was touching down at the Istanbul airport, I got a text message from my younger brother, Joe. The newest member of the Locke family, his daughter and my niece, had just arrived in the world. I immediately texted him back and said, "Congratulations...what's her name?" Everyone in my family had been waiting for this moment for several months, since my brother and his wife had decided not to tell anyone until she arrived. But, no answer came from my brother. I don't blame him, he had plenty going on.
		+
		+	But all that morning, as James and Michael and I wandered through the architectural marvels of Hagia Sophia, the church of Holy Wisdom, I was distracted--thinking about my brother and his wife, about my brand new niece, and wondering what her name was?
		+
		+	And I didn't find out...for the rest of the trip. In fact, it wasn't until I arrived back in El Paso, and my own kids met me at the airport and said, "Dad, did you see the pictures of Joe and Lindsy's new baby? (I hadn't). They showed me the pictures--a beautiful baby girl. I said (exasperated) what's her NAME? And their answer stopped me dead in my tracks: "Her name is Sophia." Sophia Grace Locke.

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:06, 23 September 2017
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	In graduate school, students are required to have a solid command over vast quantities of information or knowledge. They are expected to understand how all the pieces fit together in context. And they are especially expected to produce articles, papers, and dissertations that bring some new, unique insight to the field they are studying. But one of my favorite professors in graduate school would always write in giant red ink on the bottom of each paper he graded the words, "SO WHAT?" In other words, what's the point, what's the purpose--what are you going to DO with this insight to make the world a better place?		In graduate school, students are required to have a solid command over vast quantities of information or knowledge. They are expected to understand how all the pieces fit together in context. And they are especially expected to produce articles, papers, and dissertations that bring some new, unique insight to the field they are studying. But one of my favorite professors in graduate school would always write in giant red ink on the bottom of each paper he graded the words, "SO WHAT?" In other words, what's the point, what's the purpose--what are you going to DO with this insight to make the world a better place?

−	Knowledge. Understanding. Insight. Purpose. These are the building blocks of wisdom, ~~which~~ Proverbs ~~calls more precious than silver~~, ~~more costly than gold~~.	+	Knowledge. Understanding. Insight. Purpose. These are the building blocks of wisdom.
		+
		+	Alright. I'm going to switch gears for a moment, and close out this series with a story.
		+
		+	You may have noticed that between Proverbs, James, the Book of Job...I spend a lot of time talking about Wisdom. It's not because I consider myself wise. In fact, it's probably the opposite. I'm fascinated by wisdom literature out of a profound desire to be wise, and a profound realization of just how far I am from that goal.
		+
		+	So in my pursuit of "all things wisdom," last April when I traveled to the country of Turkey with James H. and Michael S., one of the things I was really excited about was visiting Hagia Sophia. It is one of the oldest and most beautiful churches in the world, was the first Cathedral built by the Roman Empire, and for over 1,000 years was the largest church in the world. What does any of this have do with Wisdom? Hagia Sophia is Greek for "Holy Wisdom." So the foremost church of the ancient world was dedicated not to Peter, Paul, or Mary...but to Wisdom. And it was definitely on my bucket list.
		+
		+	The morning of our visit to Istanbul, where Hagia Sophia is located, just as our plane was touching down at the Istanbul airport, I got a text message from my younger brother, Joe. The newest member of the Locke family, his daughter and my niece, had just arrived in the world. I immediately texted him back and said, "Congratulations...what's her name?" Everyone in my family had been waiting for this moment for several months, since my brother and his wife had decided not to tell anyone until she arrived.

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 ==Proverbs 3:19-35==
 and they will be life for your soul
       and adornment for your neck.
@@ Line 60: / Line 67: @@
 .  The first is דָּ֫עַת (da'at) or KNOWLEDGE.  "By his knowledge the deeps broke open."  While the Latin word "data" is completely unrelated to the Hebrew, they are similar enough concepts.  Wisdom requires first and foremost a thorough analysis of the information at hand, of the available facts, of all the data.  In our world today, some of the biggest lapses in wisdom come when well-intentioned people jump to conclusions about a situation or form an opinion without taking the time to research the facts.  How many of us have passed on an inflammatory email or shared a clever facebook post only to find out later that the facts simply were not verifiable...as much as we may have wanted them to be?  Laziness in this regard leads to foolishness, but seeking knowledge lays the groundwork for wisdom.
-. The second word is תָּבוּן (tabonah) or UNDERSTANDING.  "By understanding he established the heavens."  Having the right information is essential, but it's not enough.  We have to understand the information in its context.  We have to consider where our information comes from, what it means, and how it fits into a larger context. This is, in my opinion, where a lot of Christian churches go wrong--they'll take a lone bible verse and run with it, basing entire theologies and doctrines on that verse without considering what comes before it and after it in the scriptures, without considering the people who wrote it and what they were trying to accomplish, and how their situation was similar or different from our own.  In a larger sense, we find ourselves today in a world where we have at our fingertips more information, more data on any subject than we could ever possibly sift through in an entire lifetime...but so little understanding of what we're looking at.  I believe that community is the answer to this dilemma--sharing information with each other, listening to each other and seeking out a diversity of perspectives.  Understanding is hard work.  It's easy to know something.
+. The second word is תָּבוּן (tabonah) or UNDERSTANDING.  "By understanding he established the heavens."  Having the right information is essential, but it's not enough.  We have to understand the information in its context.  We have to consider where our information comes from, what it means, and how it fits into a larger context. This is, in my opinion, where a lot of Christian churches go wrong--they'll take a lone bible verse and run with it, basing entire theologies and doctrines on that verse without considering what comes before it and after it in the scriptures, without considering the people who wrote it and what they were trying to accomplish, and how their situation was similar or different from our own.  In a larger sense, we find ourselves today in a world where we have at our fingertips more information, more data on any subject than we could ever possibly sift through in an entire lifetime...but so little understanding of what we're looking at.  I believe that one of the keys to understanding is community--being connected to a diverse group of people who don't always see things the same way, but who are still committed to listening to each other, supporting each other, and working to build understanding together.
-. תּוּשִׁיָּה (tushiyah) technical term connected to wisdom literature, 11 times, mostly Job & Proverbs - success, deliverance, INSIGHT
+In graduate school, students are required to have a solid command over vast quantities of information or knowledge.  They are expected to understand how all the pieces fit together in context.  And they are especially expected to produce articles, papers, and dissertations that bring some new, unique insight to the field they are studying. But one of my favorite professors in graduate school would always write in giant red ink on the bottom of each paper he graded the words, "SO WHAT?" In other words, what's the point, what's the purpose--what are you going to DO with this insight to make the world a better place?
-. מְזִמָּה (m'zimmah) discretion, discernment, plan, PURPOSE
+Knowledge.  Understanding.  Insight.  Purpose.  These are the building blocks of wisdom, which Proverbs calls more precious than silver, more costly than gold.