Today’s service is led by the Revd Angela Rigby
Welcome
Hello and welcome to our worship service. My name is Rev Angela Rigby, and I am the minister serving churches in Sevenoaks and Tonbridge. It’s August. Are you making hay whilst the sun shines? Or perhaps saying “it never rains, but it pours?” Looking for the promised silver lining in the clouds? As I am recording these words in May, I will let you decide which of these proverbs are applicable for today. Whatever the weather, whatever is happening in your life at the moment, I pray you feel God’s presence with you.
Call to Worship
Praise the Lord. I will praise God with all my heart.
Great are God’s works; we delight in them and are amazed.
God’s deeds are glorious and everlasting.
We remember them with thankfulness.
God is gracious and compassionate.
God provides food for those who fear God
The works of God are faithful and just.
All God’s teachings are trustworthy.
God has redeemed God’s people.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow God’s teachings have good understanding. To God belongs eternal praise.
Hymn Come, Now is the Time to Worship
Brian Doerkson © 1988 Vineyard Songs (UK/Eire) OneLicence # A-734713. Performed by an online choir of Franklin Methodist Church.
Come now is the time to worship!
Come now is the time to give your heart!
Come just as you are to worship!
Come just as you are before your God, come!
One day every tongue will confess You are God.
One day every knee will bow.
Still the greatest treasure remains
for those who gladly choose You now.
Come now is the time to worship!
Come now is the time to give your heart!
Come just as you are to worship!
Come just as you are before your God, come!
(repeat)
Opening Prayer
God, You are love. You are goodness.
You are justice. You are wisdom.
You are the way we should live together on this earth.
You are at the beginning of creation and at its end.
You hold everything and everyone in Your holy presence.
To You belongs eternal praise.
We love you, and we thank you.
Confession
God, we confess that although we know You are wise,
we do not always seek Your wisdom.
Although we know You are love, goodness, and justice,
we do not always seek Your ways of living together
and sharing this planet.
Although we know You created this wonderful world,
we do not always look after the land as You asked humanity to do.
We seek our own ways.
We follow short cuts.
We demand our ways over Yours.
God, we are sorry.
Help us to seek your wisdom, to structure our communities
around your life giving ways of living together.
For the sake of this world You dearly love. Amen
Declaration of Forgiveness
Who is like our God?
God pardons sin and forgives our transgressions.
God does not stay angry forever,
but delights to show us mercy.
God, again, has compassion on us.
Prayer for Illumination
God, may we hear from you today, as Your words are life-giving and true. May we be open to hearing your Words – in the prayers, in the songs, in the Bible readings, and even in the silence. Speak to our hearts, we pray. Amen
Reading Proverbs 9 : 1-18
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.’
Whoever corrects a scoffer wins abuse;
whoever rebukes the wicked gets hurt.
A scoffer who is rebuked will only hate you;
the wise, when rebuked, will love you.
Give instruction to the wise, and they will become wiser still;
teach the righteous and they will gain in learning.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
For by me your days will be multiplied,
and years will be added to your life.
If you are wise, you are wise for yourself;
if you scoff, you alone will bear it.
The foolish woman is loud;
she is ignorant and knows nothing.
She sits at the door of her house,
on a seat at the high places of the town,
calling to those who pass by,
who are going straight on their way,
‘You who are simple, turn in here!’
And to those without sense she says,
‘Stolen water is sweet,
and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.’
But they do not know that the dead are there,
that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.
Hymn There’s a Spirit in the Air
Brian Wren © 1979 Hope Publishing Co. OneLicence # A-734713. Sung by Gareth Moore from the Isle of Man Methodist Church
There’s a spirit in the air,
Telling Christians everywhere:
“Praise the love that Christ revealed,
Living, working in our world!”
Lose your shyness, find your tongue,
Tell the world what God has done:
God in Christ has come to stay.
Live tomorrow’s life today!
When believers break the bread,
When a hungry child is fed,
Praise the love that Christ revealed,
Living, working in our world.
Still the Spirit gives us light,
Seeing wrong and setting right:
God in Christ has come to stay.
Live tomorrow’s life today!
When a stranger’s not alone,
Where the homeless find a home,
Praise the love that Christ revealed,
Living, working in our world.
May the Spirit fill our praise,
Guide our thoughts and change our ways.
God in Christ has come to stay.
Live tomorrow’s life today!
There’s a Spirit in the air,
Calling people everywhere:
Praise the love that Christ revealed,
Living, working in our world.
Reading St John 6 : 51-60
I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.’ The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ So Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live for ever.’ He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum. When many of his disciples heard it, they said, ‘This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?’
Sermon
Today’s sermon can be summed up with the question – will you accept Christ’s audacious invitation to the foolish banquet of heaven?
The Proverbs reading was intentionally longer than it was supposed to be, as was the Gospel reading, be it only by two verses. The problem with following the Lectionary is the Lectionary skips over some really important chunks of the Bible. Also, in the case of this week, the lectionary can gloss over the more challenging parts of scripture. We weren’t supposed to read about the woman named Folly this week. We were only supposed to read about the woman named Wisdom. But to talk about Wisdom without mentioning Folly is to ignore the first 9 chapters of the book of Proverbs.
Before the proverbs that we know and love actually start in Proverbs 10, we have 9 chapters dedicated to two women – Wisdom and Folly. There are a lot of good articles by feminist theologians challenging the idea of reducing the range of womankind to two stereotypes. Wisdom does all the socially acceptable things – prepares the home and the banquet, sends people out to bring in guests, and encourages her guests to partake of the banquet she has prepared. In contrast, the woman Folly is loud and has the audacity to invite the guests herself. Folly encourages indulgence in secrecy and is actually compared to a prostitute or an adulteress. And the argument the writer of Proverbs makes is – you are either on Team Wisdom or on Team Folly. The young men who are the target audience of Proverbs are encouraged to stay away from Folly as she leads to death, and instead urged to pursue Wisdom as she leads to life.
Sure – given those choices – full life or certain death – who wouldn’t choose Wisdom?
As a woman reading Proverbs, I wonder, how do I teach this text? Do I teach the stereotypes, saying “Friends, be the woman (or choose the woman) who leads to wisdom and not the one who lures people away?” Do I question the validity of the stereotypes and talk about how they highlight the author’s own prejudices of women – with women only being either divinely good or totally evil? Do I talk about how Proverbs as a teaching tool for young men perpetuated these harmful stereotypes about women? Admittedly, that last one wouldn’t be a popular sermon, and I might not be invited again to lead worship. Also, if I’m not careful, I could find myself stereotyping men. Or do I ignore the genders of Wisdom and Folly altogether and treat them as metaphorical concepts and try not to worry too much about the ending of Proverbs with its advice on finding a good wife?
Instead of two women, let me tell you about three of the women I have met over the years. As I briefly introduce them to you, ask yourself – would you be wise if you accepted their invitations if they were inviting you to a banquet?
Woman one was a middle-class woman who worked for the NHS. She baked great cakes, and she loved to invite people over for dinner. She was involved in many community projects and was well-loved by many. A devout Christian and confident communicator, she led a Bible study group.
Woman two was a prostitute. I met her when I visited a church community project run by a local church alongside Tearfund. She welcomed me and my friend into her home, and she introduced me to her children and to her neighbours. She was not a Christian, but valued kindness and hospitality.
Woman three was a single mum on benefits. She had hardly any food in her cupboards. Whatever food she did have went straight to her growing children. Having left an abusive relationship, she struggled to get child support from her ex. She enjoyed chatting over a cup of tea and was one of the most encouraging Christians I had ever met.
On the face of it, Proverbs would encourage us to befriend the first woman and discourage interaction with the other two. I find that very problematic. All three women are created and loved by God. All three women have life circumstances that have shaped where they are in their lives. All three women need God’s wisdom and have great wisdom to offer anyone who would listen.
There are many other women I could have mentioned, but I mentioned these three as examples to demonstrate that human beings are complicated. The problem I find with Proverbs chapters 1-9 is that I am unable to reduce women to two categories – women to embrace and women to reject.
At this point, I turn to Jesus, and I am heartened by his teaching in our gospel reading today. Whilst Proverbs encourages us to make a choice between two women, Jesus takes us back to the main focus – God and God’s kingdom. Without mentioning Wisdom or Folly, Jesus’ words seem to echo the invitation of Wisdom that we find in Proverbs. Rather than the contrast of stereotypes, Jesus’ focus is on the invitation to the banquet that he is hosting.
“I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live for ever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” v 51
In Jesus, we see someone who is bold enough to go out and invite people himself, as well as sending out his disciples to invite people. We see Jesus inviting prostitutes, tax collectors, and other folks who probably would have been associated more with Folly’s guest list, but equally we see Jesus converse with scribes and Pharisees – the people who would have sought to accept Wisdom’s invitation. When I look at some of the things Jesus said and did, I can see glimpses of both Wisdom and Folly. I wonder, does Jesus somehow embody both Wisdom and Folly, with one crucial understanding – Jesus leads to life?
What then are we to make of the fact that those well-versed in scripture, who probably learned life’s lessons from Proverbs, struggled to accept Jesus’ invitation to his banquet? Even those who would call themselves Jesus’ disciples found this invitation difficult to understand and accept.
The key to unlocking the proverbs and their application is found in Proverbs 9 verse 10: “Fear of the LORD (letting God be God) is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One (a relationship with God) results in good judgement.”
And the good news is we can do this without stereotyping people, whatever their gender.
And when we put God first and let God be God, we see the invitation of Christ in a different light. The cost isn’t ours to pay. The food and drink for the banquet is provided by Christ.
For Jesus himself, though, the banquet is very costly.
Sharing food and drink with prostitutes, tax collectors and other religiously unrespectable people cost Jesus his reputation.
Standing in the religiously respectable places and being audacious enough to invite people to his banquet by saying things like:
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)
And “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” (John 7 : 37-38)
This boldness cost him his standing within the respectable religious community.
Yet still he cries out to everyone – come and find life!
Jesus knows what the ultimate cost of the banquet will be for him, as he says to the people, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them.” John 6 v54-56
And to anyone paying attention, it would seem a foolish thing to do – for God to surrender God’s self to the torture devices of empire and so-called reputable society. Is it wise for Jesus to continue to go down this road of rejection, pain and suffering?
Proverbs reminds us – fear the LORD, let God be God.
Jesus does something none of us can do. He embodies both Wisdom and Folly. He holds both of our stereotypes and everyone in between, taking all our sin and shame, highlighting all our beauty and generosity. He calls us to an existence beyond stereotypes, to a brave space where we are seen and where we can see him. Where we “remain in him and he in us.”
We may spend a lifetime trying to understand it in our heads, but maybe some of the things that look foolish on first glance are actually some of the wisest things Christ is calling us to? Are we focussed on God? Are we seeking life? And importantly – will you accept Christ’s audacious invitation to the seemingly foolish banquet of heaven?
Let us pray.
Loving God, with your wisely foolish ways,
help us to be audacious in our welcoming of each other.
Make us a people who seek You and Your kin-dom first.
Help us to be discerning without being judgemental.
May we all accept Christ’s invitation to the heavenly banquet. Amen
Hymn The King of Love My Shepherd Is
H. W. Baker (1868) Public Domain
The King of love my shepherd is,
Whose goodness faileth never.
I nothing lack if I am his,
And he is mine forever.
Where streams of living water flow,
My ransomed soul he leadeth;
And where the verdant pastures grow,
With food celestial feedeth.
Perverse and foolish, oft I strayed,
But yet in love he sought me;
And on his shoulder gently laid,
And home, rejoicing, brought me.
In death’s dark vale I fear no ill,
With thee, dear Lord, beside me;
Thy rod and staff my comfort still,
Thy cross before to guide me.
Thou spreadst a table in my sight;
Thy unction grace bestoweth;
And oh, what transport of delight
From thy pure chalice floweth!
And so through all the length of days,
Thy goodness faileth never;
Good Shepherd, may I sing thy praise
Within thy house forever.
Offertory Prayer
God, we thank You for Your love for us and for this world You made. Thank You for inviting us to be Your people sharing Your love. In response to Your love, we give in different ways – volunteering, donations to charities and to church, sharing our time and talents. We offer all of these offerings to You, to further Your Kin-dom community. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Prayers of Intercession
O Most High, you give us bread when we are hungry,
you quench the thirst in our souls.
We pray today for all who are hungry and for all who thirst for you.
Bless those who feed the hungry in night shelter and foodbank,
and bring to judgement those who allow our people to hunger and thirst.
Bless those who help quench the thirst of those seeking you,
and bring to judgement all who stand in your way.
Risen Lord Jesus,
we pray for women who have evil choices forced upon them,
where whichever way they turn harm is done to themselves.
We pray for those who staff women’s refuges,
making places of safety for the most vulnerable and abused.
We pray for women trafficked into the UK to be bought and sold,
whose bodies are valued more than their humanity.
We pray too for the men who control them,
that in the piercing light of your judgement,
they repent and face justice.
Most Holy Spirit,
the awesome fear of you is the beginning of wisdom.
Knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
Help us to be in awe of you, to cast aside familiar contempt,
and to learn again of your power and justice, that we may find life.
Eternal Trinity,
bless those for whom we now pray….
and bless us as we long for life, thirst for justice
and hunger for the world to come as we pray
Our Father….
Hymn Blessed Assurance
Fanny Crosby (1873) Public Domain Sung by the choir and people of First Plymouth Church, Lincoln Nebraska.
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of his Spirit, washed in His blood.
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Saviour all the day long.
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Saviour all the day long.
Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight.
Angels descending bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Saviour all the day long.
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Saviour all the day long.
Perfect submission, all is at rest.
I in my Saviour am happy and bless’d,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with his goodness, lost in his love.
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Saviour all the day long.
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Saviour all the day long.
Blessing
Having been fed from the wise words of God,
let us go into this world, created and loved by God,
as people redeemed and called by Christ,
to serve, to embody hope, and to love.
And may the blessing of God be with us now and evermore. Amen