Gideon Tsang asked us to consider how we seek wisdom, how it finds us in our seeking, and how it reveals the deeper motivations behind our actions. In this season, how will our response in generosity to the Kingdom naturally flow from grateful hearts as we receive the truth of who we are; beloved children covered in God's extravagant love?
Text
Proverbs 3: 13-18
James 1: 2-4
"If your inner life is rich,
the outer work will never be puny."
-Meister Eckhart
“When you get your,'Who am I?', question right, all of your,'What should I do?' questions tend to take care of themselves”
-Richard Rohr
“Look, I have increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge.” Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind. For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.”
-King Solomon
“People may spend their whole lives climbing the ladder of success only to find, once they reach the top, that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall.”
-Thomas Merton
“If I had a message to my contemporaries it is surely this: Be anything you like, be madmen, drunks, and bastards of every shape and form, but at all costs avoid one thing: success… If you are too obsessed with success, you will forget to live. If you have learned only how to be a success, your life has probably been wasted.”
-Thomas Merton
Reflection
In the middle of whatever pressures you're facing, whatever challenges and tests are present in your life, have you considered the ways in which wisdom is trying to meet you?
What do you value most deeply? Have you considered, as Gideon offers, "the value behind the value."
As you are met with the Father's extravagant love, exactly where and as you are (as did the brothers in the Parable of the Prodigal Son), can you truly receive it as a gift? What then will you be called to give in response?
Worship Set
Justice Will Roll Down
Magnificat (Mary's Song)
Great Rejoicing
Holy Holy Holy
Trinity Song
Sweet Comfort