WIsdom's House...

 A reflection on Proverbs 9:1-6 for proper 15B by the Rev. Crystal Karr

 
Wisdom has built her house,
she has hewn her seven pillars.
She has slaughtered her animals, she has mixed her wine,
she has also set her table.
She has sent out her servant-girls, she calls
from the highest places in the town,
“You that are simple, turn in here!”
To those without sense she says,
“Come, eat of my bread
and drink of the wine I have mixed.
Lay aside immaturity, and live,
and walk in the way of insight.”

Proverbs 8 and 9 are some of my favorite scriptures. They are all about Lady Wisdom, Sophia, the one who calls us to follow and lead a life ripe with the love and grace of God. In this scripture she sends out her servants, sending them out to invite all to her home, to feast with Sophia on bread and wine and to walk with her, to follow her. She does not invite the high and mighty, the respectable, the powerful. No, she invites the simpletons, those who struggle, those who are laughed at to come and eat her bread, drink her wine, to embark on a new life.

Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Eating the bread, drinking the wine, and finding new life. Jesus, like Sophia, invites all to feast at his table. From the very beginning, God's invitation to new life, to grace and love, has extended to those the world typically leaves behind, devalues, and casts out. Eating and drinking are basic to our human experience. Eating and drinking are essential for us to live. Basic and essential is the grace poured out for us. It is the air we breathe, it is the food we eat, it is the liquids we drink. We are swimming in God's grace often without even realizing it.

Today, Sophia, has invited us to feast with her, to ingest wisdom and grace, to embark on a new adventure rooted in God's love. Let us be like her servant girls, not simply keeping it to ourselves but inviting others to this joyous party!