-1- Sermon (05/26/13, Proverbs 8: 1-4, 22-31): In the opening scene of the movie Tap, the main Character, Max Washington, played by Gregory Hines, is

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1 -1- Sermon (05/26/13, Proverbs 8: 1-4, 22-31): In the opening scene of the movie Tap, the main Character, Max Washington, played by Gregory Hines, is lying on a bed in his prison cell. He is wringing his hands and you can see tears of fear running down his cheeks. As his thoughts swirl, he remembers the voice of his father speaking words of comfort to him when he was just a young boy. I m scared, we hear the young Max Washington confessing as he anxiously waits for his turn to go out on stage to tap dance. Oh, don t be scared Said his father in tones most comforting. It will be alright just listen for the rhythm like I taught you just listen for the rhythm and everything will be alright. Just listen for the rhythm repeated the young Max. Just listen for the rhythm. Now, as an adult in a prison cell, Max again heeds his father s advice. His ears quickly pick up on a steady drip of water in his cell, hitting the top of a metal surface. His panicked breathing soon gives way to a breathy mimicking of the rhythmic beats of the dripping water. Bada, bada bump bada, bada bump bada, bada bump The hand wringing stops, he sits up in his bed, his feet begin to instinctively move. He picks up one tap shoe lying on the floor. He puts it on, laces it up, and, again, he pauses. Bada, bada bump bada, bada bump. He whispers. He reaches down to put on the other tap shoe and then moves to the front of his cell. He begins a tap routine using the rhythm the dripping water has taught him. The other cell occupants begin to shout their dismay. Give us a break, Washington! We re trying to sleep here! Eventually one voice yells, Nah, let him dance let him dance. Oh don t be afraid, Max, said the father to his son. Don t be afraid. Just listen for the rhythm and it will be alright Does not wisdom call.on the heights, writes the author of Proverbs. Beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand; beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries out: To you, O people, I call, and my cry is to all that live. In the early days, when the tabernacle of the Lord rested at the center

2 -2- of the life and faith of the Hebrew people, it was believed that it was upon the Ark of the Covenant that God sat and made his home. The Holy of Holies was the place in the Tabernacle where the Ark rested and where God ruled his chosen people. Only the designated High Priest, chosen by lot, would dare enter it. To come face to face with God was a dangerous and foreboding proposition. It is a similar kind of thing we often think when we enter such holy places like this, a church sanctuary this is the place where God surely resides; this is the place where one must be careful with what one says and does for, surely, God is here, God is paying extra close attention. It s impossible to hide from God in a place like this. Of course, it s understandable why we would think such things for it is in sanctuaries where we are surrounded by so many signs, symbols, and reminders of God - a baptismal font sitting front and center, a communion table with chalice, plate, pitcher, and bread upon it. A pulpit from which our Holy of Holies, God s Word, is read. Pews equipped with Bibles and song books. There are so many things, so many reminders in a place like this that bring to the forefront the inescapable conclusion that we are surely in God s presence. Be respectful, walk cautiously, be attentive, be ready to consider things that are so much bigger than the self. How much easier, however, it is to push God from our thoughts in the many other venues we live the aisles of Target as we try to figure out where in the world they moved the housewares department to, the desks where we work and work and work, the yard where the lawn needs to be mowed again, the embarrassment of riches we experience as we stand in the cereal aisle of Price Chopper, the classroom where both teacher and student reside, the latest research and development project that will make the technology of that gadget we just pulled out of a box obsolete. In these places, there aren t quite so many stark reminders of God s presence so it s easy to forget. Yet, Proverbs works hard to call us back to that place where we are reminded that God is not limited to just these four walls. In fact, not once in this text do we find it mentioning the places we would normally first

3 -3- think to look for God the Temple, the Holy of Holies, the Tabernacle, a Sanctuary the places where priestly garments are worn and Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of power and might is sung. Even the heavens, the great by and by, as we say, is only given a cursory glance. Does not wisdom call, and does not understanding raise her voice? On the heights, beside the way, at the crossroads beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals. The text then moves on to tell us that she has been with God before the act of creation itself before earth s time began, before springs abounded with water, before mountains and hills. Who and what is this wisdom, might be the question these verses provoke? What we do know is that the transliteration of the Greek word for Wisdom in the Septuagint is Sophia, which is a feminine noun. Many have suggested that this female counterpart of God is the Spirit, especially as the text makes such a great effort to connect us with the act of creation described in the early verses of Genesis. Wisdom even describes herself as the one who worked side by side with the Creator like a Master Worker teasing order out of chaos - transforming mess into something that makes sense, provoking harmony out of conflict, shaping distress into beauty. It is this Wisdom, God s Master Worker that hollers to us not just at the crossroads of pulpits, baptismal fonts, and communion tables, as important as these things are, but also at the crossroads where life is daily lived. God s Spirit, God s Wisdom was not just present at creation s inception but it is still here, among us, at every turn, in every minute of every day - teasing order out of chaos; offering us her hand at the crossroads where the Holy of Holies and the mundane meet. Wisdom hollers to us above the heavy traffic of life s tragedies to remind us that all is never lost. The Master Worker is working still, hand in hand with the Creator, whose love has been revealed in the life, death, and resurrection of the only Son. Yes, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are, of course, in this place but they are not just in this place. In fact, in some ways this is the training ground where we learn to listen for the rhythm of the Holy so that when we are out there, in the mess, the dripping waters might beckon us back to baptismal waters and to the place where anxiety

4 -4- and fear are forced to take a backseat to the Spirit s assurances. And, oh, how desperately we need such assurances! How desperately we need this training of ear and feet! The startling images of a tornado ripping apart a community in Oklahoma this past week, reminds us that chaos; fear-inducing, hand wringing, tear evoking chaos is never far from us. Yet, there is one who has the power to wring melody and rhythm even from the mess. Oh, don t be scared Says Wisdom s Spirit. It will be alright just listen for the rhythm like I taught you just listen for the rhythm. Bada bada bump. Bada bada bump. Can you hear it on the heights and beside the way? Bada bada bump. Bada bada bump. Can you hear it at the crossroads, at the front gates? Bada bada bump. Bada bada bump. I was there at the beginning and am here still. Says the Spirit. I am beside the Creator, like a master worker, rejoicing in God s inhabited world and delighting in the human race. I m thinking that those words sound a little like well, a little like a song don t you think? Bada bada bump. To God alone be all the glory! Amen.

5 General Prayers: -5- Leader: The Lord be with you. People: And also with you. Let us pray. Spirit of the living God, who greets us here amidst table, font, community, prayer, and song, we seek your wisdom. Spirit of the living God, who also greets us in the market place, in the classroom, in the office, on the street, in our homes, in hospitals and Doctor s rooms, in our busyness and in our stillness, we ask you to help us seek you there as well. Creator Spirit, hovering always over the mess we make of things, the regrets that weigh us done, the sin that blocks us from your presence, the discord that distracts we ask for ears that hear and feet able to dance. Teach us to hear your voice, to recognize the rhythm of your grace, to know that you are in, with, under, and above all things evoking the songs of new life. Loving God, we remember this day with sadness the discord and toll of our human history that pits neighbor against neighbor resulting in the harsh reality of war. We pray that someday we will evolve into the human beings you know we can be. Even so, this day we grieve the loss of those who have been caught in the crossfire of our conflicts for lives lost, for families that grieve, for memories that hurt, for sacrifices which exact such a heavy toll. Bless our nation, O Lord, bless our world, bless us all with the Wisdom of your Spirit, calling us even in the battle field, to a new and better way. Loving God, we thank you this day for Larry for his kind heart, for the grace with which he has always responded to your call, for the difference that he has and continues to make in our lives and the lives of so many. Surround, we ask, with your care, with your love, and with good health. Loving God, we pray for those who are ill, lost, afraid, frail, and in pain. For soldiers widows, children who have lost parents,

6 All: -6- and parents who have lost children. We pray for the anxious, the weary, the sorrowful, and the lonely. We especially offer now these petitions we boldly pray either in silence or aloud. We ask this in Jesus name who taught us to pray Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.