Let us pray to God who calls us to serve him: Most holy God, we joyfully worship you in gladness and song – our response to your gracious activity in our lives. You gather us together through the power and wisdom of your Holy Spirit and transform us into a community graced and held together by Jesus Christ, our Lord. May you be glorified in and through all we do and say. Amen. (Moira B. Laidlaw)
Sunday Reflection upon Lady Wisdom
When we contemplate wisdom, our minds often gravitate toward the philosophical teachings of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. However, in the Biblical wisdom literature, wisdom transcends mere philosophy; it embodies divine wisdom through which God created the world. Proverbs personifies wisdom (Lady Wisdom) as God’s way of reaching out to us. With its divine nature, this wisdom does not favor the smartest, strongest, or most powerful. It beckons the simple, embracing all to bestow wisdom upon them. This call of wisdom is indeed the call of God, which embraces all, regardless of their worldly status or knowledge. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians (1:26-30) that Jesus became the wisdom of God for us. God displays wisdom through that which the world deems weak (consider a ‘crucified Messiah’).
As the wisdom of God, Jesus says, ‘Follow me.’ Lady Wisdom tells us in Proverbs 9:2: ‘Come, eat my bread and drink the wine I have mixed.’ The Lord has prepared a table before us, and on the first Sunday of each month, we prepare the ‘Lord’s Table,’ eat the bread, and drink the wine. We partake of the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has become God’s wisdom for us. Wisdom beckons us to follow Christ. You could say the Holy Spirit she beckons us to follow Christ because ‘spirit’ in Hebrew is grammatically feminine. Holy Wisdom (‘sophia’) comes to us from the Holy Spirit, she who leads us in the way of Christ, providing us with constant guidance and reassurance.
The book of Ephesians encourages us to “lead a life worthy of the calling God has called us.” This calling is not an attitude of spiritual superiority but an attitude of humility, gentleness, patience, and, above all, love. This love, expressed through humility and gentleness, leads to unity. This unity is not uniformity. Instead, the diverse gifts and talents each one of us brings, all rooted in love and humility, strengthen the unity of Christ’s Church, making each of us valued and integral.
We are all in ministry together to build up the body of Christ until we come to maturity. With Christ as our head, we grow in love, a transformative force that shapes us into a new humanity that bears witness to the love of God revealed in Christ. With its transformative power, this love unites us as “One” and serves as our inspiration and hope, filling us with a sense of purpose and optimism.
God, you have given us your Son Jesus Christ as the bread and drink of life. Give him to us today as our daily bread, so that with him we pass from death to life. May his life flow within us and among us, so that we may become Christ’s body in the world. We ask this through Christ our Lord eternally dwells with you and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever more. Amen.
(Claretian Publications, alt.)
Galax First United
Methodist Church
306 West Center Street
Galax, VA 24333
(Get Directions)
Phone: 276-236-9937
Email: fumcgalax1@gmail.com
Sunday Services:
10:30 am
