Year B Pentecost 16 – Proverbs 1:20-33; Psalm 19; James 3:1-12; Mark 8:27-38
Imagine standing outside Britomart at the end of Queen Street in downtown Auckland. You hear many voices calling out for your attention. There are electronic messages, sales solicitations, billboards, and signage, not to mention human voices. Wisdom is also calling out to you. Are you attuned to her voice?
Wisdom not only speaks in humanity’s streets, but she also calls out from the heavens. Although literal sounds in outer space are now captured by scientists, the passage points to symbolic messages. One such voice is that of the Sun. It rises and falls in testimony of God’s Son. Jesus was crucified until dead but then rose again.
We are often so busy listening to ourselves speak that we do not hear others. Too many carry on in collective monologue. There is so much power in words! We are encouraged to listen to them being spoken by others and hear Wisdom’s voice through them.
By far our gravest error is thinking we have heard Christ when in fact we have missed his message. Savouring human teachings and delighting in the tastes of human understanding of God’s words leads to tragedy. Listen to Christ’s Wisdom.
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