St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church, Owings Mills MD
August 18, 2024
Year B, Proper 15: The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost
1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14
Psalm 111
Ephesians 5:15-20
John 6:51-58
Cultivating Wisdom
So, for the past few weeks, we’ve been hearing some of the highlights – and some of the lowlights - of King David’s life and reign.
And now today, we heard about the succession from David to his son Solomon.
Being king was a big job, of course, and Solomon was rightly concerned that he wasn’t up to it, that he wouldn’t be able to rule as effectively as his father David.
And, since Solomon very correctly realized that he depended on God, the young king devoted himself to prayer and sacrifice.
And, as we heard today, God appeared to Solomon in a dream, offering him anything he wished.
I’m not sure how I would respond to that very generous divine offer, but, to his credit, Solomon asks for good discernment – the ability to administer justice – the ability to do God’s will.
Solomon asks for wisdom.
God is so pleased by this request that not only does God give Solomon wisdom, but God also throws in riches and honor and long life – all the stuff that we might have been tempted to ask for.
Wisdom.
We don’t hear too much about wisdom these days.
Unfortunately, wisdom has a sort of old-fashioned ring to it, kind of like honor, or integrity, or duty.
Although we don’t hear too much about wisdom these days, it’s an important term in the Bible – it’s an important concept for both Jews and Christians.
Wisdom is a little hard to pin down – it has several different meanings and expressions throughout Scripture – but, most of all, wisdom is a deep understanding of God’s will.
In Solomon’s dream, it sounds like the king just received wisdom, kind of like how the mythical genie grants three wishes.
But that’s not the case.
Solomon was already wise – he was already wise enough to know what he needed most.
Even in his sleep, Solomon was already wise enough to know that he needed to know God’s will so he could be the most faithful and effective ruler possible.
Rather than being instantaneously given, it must have taken time for God to cultivate this wisdom in Solomon.
And for wisdom to take root and grow, it must have required Solomon to pray and to sacrifice, to pay attention to God at work around him.
For wisdom to take root and grow, it must have required Solomon to be open to God’s will.
Cultivating wisdom.
Last week at our Wednesday service, we celebrated the feast day of one of my spiritual heroes, Jonathan Myrick Daniels.
Daniels was born in Keene, New Hampshire in 1939.
As a young man, he considered a call to the priesthood but that seemed to fade away. He ended up attending the Virginia Military Institute, where he was valedictorian of the Class of 1961.
He then went on to Harvard to study English Literature, and while attending an Easter service at the Church of the Advent in Boston he heard God’s call again and began the process of becoming an Episcopal priest.
In 1965, while Daniels was attending seminary, preparing for ordained ministry, Martin Luther King, Jr. called on clergy and students in the North to come to Alabama and join in the march from Selma to Montgomery.
When Daniels was discerning if he should answer Dr. King’s call, he reflected on the familiar words of the Magnificat – the Song of Mary.
Mary sings about God:
“He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble and meek. He hath filled the hungry with good things.”
Mary’s Song would continue to echo in his heart in the weeks to come.
Jonathan Myrick Daniels had planned to just stay for the weekend, but the story goes that he and a friend missed their bus back and decided to stay in Alabama for the rest of the semester.
While in Selma, he worked to desegregate a local Episcopal church – very uncomfortable and disappointing work.
After heading back to seminary to take and pass his exams, Daniels returned to Alabama and, along with members of SNCC – the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee – he picketed whites-only stores.
Daniels and others were finally arrested and held in a small and primitive jail in Haynesville, Alabama.
On August 20, 1965 - after being held for six days - Daniels and three other people – a Roman Catholic priest and two young Black women activists – were finally released.
While they were waiting for a ride, they walked over to a nearby general store to get a cold drink.
An armed man, an unpaid special sheriff’s deputy, was standing at the door and as the group approached, he aimed his shotgun and fired.
Jonathan Daniels made the split-second decision to push one of the young women – her name is Ruby Sales – out of harm’s way - taking the full blast of the shotgun, sacrificing his life to save hers.
The martyrdom of Jonathan Daniels received national attention and helped to push the Episcopal Church to be more outspoken on matters of race and racism.
The man who murdered Daniels claimed he acted in self-defense and was acquitted of manslaughter charges.
And Ruby Sales? She’s still with us - and has spent her life, her life saved by Jonathan Daniels, devoted to civil rights and social justice.
I’m sure you can see why Jonathan Myrick Daniels is one of my heroes. And, if you hadn’t heard of him before, I hope he’s now one of your heroes, too.
Over the past few days, as I’ve reflected once again on his courageous work and extraordinary sacrifice, I’ve been thinking about the wisdom that God cultivated in his heart.
And for wisdom to take root and grow, it must have required Jonathan Daniels to pray and to sacrifice, to pay attention to God at work around him.
For wisdom to take root and grow, it must have required him to be open to God’s will.
I mean, most seminarians, if they answered Dr. King’s call at all, it was just a quick trip – a long weekend - that provided a lifetime of memories and stories, I’m sure.
I mean, just like today, lots of people knew and sang the words of Mary’s Song – praising God’s work of casting down the mighty and lifting up the lowly – but how many heard those ancient words speaking – really speaking to them – in 1965?
And, it must have been the long and slow cultivation of wisdom – a deep understanding of God’s will – that enabled Jonathan Daniels to follow the example of Jesus, giving away his life to save others.
At its best, the church can be a school of wisdom.
Hearing God’s Word, receiving Jesus the Bread of Life, being inspired by the examples of others, all of this gives God the tools to cultivate wisdom within us.
In our own time, may we discern God’s will.
And, like Jonathan Myrick Daniels, in our days and moments of decision, may we do God’s will.
Amen.
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