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Thought
for the Week Sunday 16 August – 10th Sunday after Trinity
On 21st July, 40 years ago,
Neil Armstrong landed on the moon and said, “That’s one small step for a man,
one giant leap for mankind.” Forty
years later we still watch footage of that event with amazement. Those who were able to watch the sky on
Wednesday night would have had an awesome reminder of the wonder and
complexity of the galaxy. We saw the
meteor shower called Perseid which flows out of the constellation of Perseus.
[1.] Before he could walk on the moon Neil
Armstrong had to learn to walk as a child. When a baby learns to walk the
family gaze on in awe and wonder. The
child concentrates totally on putting one foot in front of the other. As soon as the child is distracted, he or
she falters and usually falls. It’s a
reminder of the concentration and energy involved in acquiring a new skill.
The wise parent knows that once a child can walk they are capable of getting
into far more danger than when they could only crawl….. Our readings today are about wisdom. In the book of Proverbs, Madam Wisdom has
prepared a meal. She knows that those
who are wise are prepared to come along. Madam Wisdom invites people who are not
yet wise to put their folly on one side, come along and eat the food of
wisdom. But what is wisdom? According to the psalmist “the fear of the
Lord is the beginning of wisdom”. [Psalm 110.10] Fear in this sense means a holy respect
for God, a willingness to walk closely with Him. Today’s psalm reminds us that those who
fear the Lord lack nothing – we search not for material gain but only for
that which will bring us closer to God. Jesus didn’t mention wisdom specifically,
but by implication. He reminded his
listeners once again that he is the bread of life, and that those who are
wise eat his flesh and drink his blood – and they will live forever. This was a tough message for his
followers. Jesus wasn’t fussy about
the company he kept and this offended the strict Jews. They liked some of the things he did – like
healing, but weren’t too keen on his insistence that the only way to
salvation was by following his example.
Jesus reminded them that their ancestors ate manna in the wilderness
but still failed to believe and trust in God who had fed and saved them. The followers weren’t too happy with that
reminder either! Did Jesus really want his followers to
become cannibals and literally eat his flesh and literally drink his
blood? I don’t think so. Jesus was making a wake up call – if you want
to be close to the God you claim as your own, if you are as wise as you think
you are, then start living like me – his Son. In the Eucharist we do indeed eat the body
and drink the blood of Christ, remembering that he gave his life for each one
of us – an encouragement to live our lives as God wants us to. Paul writing from prison to the Christian
church at Ephesus, encouraged them to live as wise people. Paul assured them that they could feed and
drink on Jesus by singing and praising God at all times, singing aloud and in
their hearts. Commenting on Paul’s words, Tom Wright,
the Bishop of Durham says: “If you don’t want your garden to grow weeds, one
of the best ways is to keep it well stocked with strong, sturdy flowers and
shrubs. If you don’t want your mind
and heart to go wandering off into the realms of darkness, one of the best
ways is to keep them well stocked with wise and thankful themes, so that
words of comfort, guidance and good judgement come bubbling up unbidden from
the memory and subconscious.” [2] We may not, like Neil Armstrong, walk on
the moon but, as children of God, we have to learn to walk in his ways,
keeping our eyes firmly fixed on Jesus.
There are two practical ways of achieving this. Firstly we, can sing hymns and songs of
praise at any time of night and day.
Secondly, we can pray the Lord’s Prayer every day. When we pray “give us this day our daily
bread” let’s remember that our daily bread is not only physical bread but
spiritual bread as well. Amen. 1. Perseus - the
Greek hero who killed Medusa because anyone who looked on Medusa was turned
to stone. 2. Tom Wright - Paul
for Everyone, the Prison Letters, pages 62,63 Amen. Revd June Hutchinson: Assistant Curate,
Anglican Chaplaincy of Midi-Pyrénées & Aude To return to main Thought for the Week page, click X at top right to close this window. |