Christmastide
December 31, 2020
Scripture Reading:
Wisdom of Solomon 10:15-21
A holy people and blameless race
wisdom delivered from a nation of oppressors.
She entered the soul of a servant of the Lord,
and withstood dread kings with wonders and signs.
She gave to holy people the reward of their labors;
she guided them along a marvelous way,
and became a shelter to them by day,
and a starry flame through the night.
She brought them over the Red Sea,
and led them through deep waters;
but she drowned their enemies,
and cast them up from the depths of the sea.
Therefore the righteous plundered the ungodly;
they sang hymns, O Lord, to your holy name,
and praised with one accord your defending hand;
for wisdom opened the mouths of those who were mute,
and made the tongues of infants speak clearly.
One of the positive results of the phenomenon of misinformation flooding our land is that most of us are spending more time fact-checking and realizing how words matter. Part of the problem is that we have morphed into a society of thirty-second sound bites that result in words being bent to deliver a message and contain a whole host of ingrained ideas and images. I first experienced this concerning faith several years ago in a theology class. I said I considered myself a fundamentalist as I strive to follow Jesus’ commandments to love God and love our neighbor as we love ourselves. I was assured that was not the meaning of Fundamentalist, with a capital “F.” That word describes a five-step plan for salvation that arose sometime in the 19th century. We now have the same problem with the word evangelical. All Christ-followers are called to be evangelists, sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. With a capital “E,” the word Evangelical now describes a group that integrates their faith with a particular political blend of thought.
The Wisdom of Solomon quote above is recognizing and celebrating God’s provision of wisdom to Moses and the Israelites as God led them out of bondage in Egypt. Jesus, too, advises us to seek wisdom as we share the good news of his leadership and love for all people, ‘See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. –Matthew 10:16
Prayer: Lord, grant us the wisdom to discern your will in our lives as we share the significance of your Incarnation with others. Amen.
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.