Tuesday 22 April 2008

Background

The Proverbs are a wonderfully diverse anthology of thecollected wisdom sayings of the Hebrew people. With something tosay about almost every part of human life, they have more than awhiff of common sense about them despite coming from a culture verydifferent to our own. Gathered together over several centuriesafter the return from Babylonian exile in 538 BC, the Proverbs weretraditionally attributed to King Solomon.

The lessons are often deeply personal in their content, but theyare not just about individual piety - they are about how we livetogether as faithful people in community. They offer specificguidance about how to avoid harming ourselves and each other andhow to stay in a right relationship with God.

The verses for today are a caution to be humble in our ownindividual judgment and skills, remembering that the wisdom andperspective of God goes far beyond our own.

The phrase "In all your ways acknowledge him" includes the methodsand tactics of our disagreements with each other as much as thoserare times when Churches are without conflict. Relying exclusivelyon my own insight, being "wise in my own eyes", can make me veryhard to live with, even when I am certain my judgement isright.

Along these lines, I remember a T-shirt that used to be on sale inthe United States, with a very contemporary proverb, "God help mealways to seek the truth, but preserve me from spending too muchtime with those who have found it".

We must not to be afraid to claim what is right and true as we walktogether in faith, but we are to stay generous with each other andopen to the possibility that God may have something more to teachus.

To Ponder

Have you ever changed your mind about somethingimportant to do with faith or way of life? What was this change andhow did it happen?

Can we have conflict in a way that still pointsto God, even if it is not easily resolved?