Wisdom

Notes of Meeting on 18 September 2018

Baruch 4 v 1-14
¹ She (Wisdom) is the book of God's commandments, the Law that stands for ever; those who keep her shall live, those who desert her shall die.

² Turn back, Jacob, seize her, in her radiance make your way to light:
³ do not yield your glory to another, your privilege to a people not your own.
⁴ Israel, blessed are we: what pleases God has been revealed to us!
⁵ Take courage, my people, memorial of Israel!
⁶ You were sold to the nations, but not for extermination. You provoked God; and so were delivered to your enemies,
⁷ since you had angered your Creator by offering sacrifices to demons, and not to God.
⁸ You had forgotten the eternal God who reared you. You had also grieved Jerusalem who nursed you,
⁹ for when she saw God's anger falling on you, she said: Listen, you neighbours of Zion: God has sent me great sorrow.
¹⁰ I have seen my sons and daughters taken into captivity, which the Eternal brought down on them.
¹¹ I had reared them joyfully; in tears, in sorrow, I watched them go away.
¹² Do not, any of you, exult over me, a widow, deserted by so many; I am bereaved because of the sins of my children, who turned away from the Law of God,
¹³ who did not want to know his precepts and would not follow the ways of his commandments or tread the paths of discipline as his justice directed.
¹⁴ Come here, neighbours of Zion! Remember my sons' and daughters' captivity, which the Eternal brought down on them.

Psalm 121

¹ I lift up my eyes to the mountains –
    where does my help come from?
² My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.

³ He will not let your foot slip –
    he who watches over you will not slumber;
⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The Lord watches over you –
    the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
⁶ the sun will not harm you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

⁷ The Lord will keep you from all harm –
    he will watch over your life;
⁸ the Lord will watch over your coming and going
    both now and for evermore.

Lord grant is the wisdom of seeking your will in our lives, help us to follow you and remain faithful to you. Help us keep to your ways and repent of the times we follow our own paths that take us away from you.
Thank you that you remain faithful and always call us back to you.

 

Jesus is the wisdom of God

Notes of meeting on 23 February 2016

We adore you O Christ and we praise you because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

I Corinthians 2 v 6 - 10
⁶ But still, to those who have reached maturity, we do talk of a wisdom, not, it is true, a philosophy of this age or of the rulers of this age, who will not last long now.
⁷ It is of the mysterious wisdom of God that we talk, the wisdom that was hidden, which God predestined to be for our glory before the ages began.
⁸ None of the rulers of the age recognised it; for if they had recognised it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory;
⁹ but it is as scripture says: What no eye has seen and no ear has heard, what the mind of man cannot visualise; all that God has prepared for those who love him;
¹⁰ to us, though, God has given revelation through the Spirit, for the Spirit explores the depths of everything, even the depths of God.


Jesus you are the face of the Father’s mercy.  As we reflect on each step you took to the cross, console, inspire and give us courage to carry our crosses and reach out in mercy to others carrying their crosses.  Let us never be trapped in the tomb of self-absorption, for only by being engaged in the world can we transcend voids of mercy with reconciliation, understanding, forgiveness and healing. Amen