Rev. Cary M. Richert

13^th Sunday after Pentecost (Series B)

September 3, 2006

Walking in Wisdom

Ephesians 5:15-20

A man got tired of looking at a big boulder in his front yard.  One day he decided to turn the ugly thing into a piece of art.  He took his hammer and chisel and went to work.  Day after day he chipped away at the huge boulder until it finally took shape.  When he finished, the man had carved a fine-looking elephant.  In utter amazement, a neighbor asked him, “How did you ever carve out such a remarkable likeness as that elephant?”  The man answered, “I just chipped away everything that didn’t look like an elephant!”

Today the apostle Paul, speaks to us about walking in wisdom.  In the earlier part of his epistle, Paul goes to great lengths to remind God’s people who they are and how they came to be who they are.  God saves us by His grace through faith alone in Jesus Christ, and not by our own foolish human efforts, [Ephesians 2:8-9].  We’re the product of God’s own chisel and hammer, as Paul writes:  we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, [Ephesians 2:10].

In Christ, God has chiseled away from us the sinfulness with which we were born ... as well as the sin we continue to live in.  His only-begotten Son, Jesus, was hammered to the cross for us.  There our Savior carried our guilt, endured our punishment, suffered God’s wrath against sin in our place ... so that we might be His own and live under Him in His kingdom forever and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence and blessedness, [Luther’s Explanation of the 2^nd Article of the Apostles’ Creed].

As a faithful response to God’s abundant, unmerited grace in making us a beautiful work of His art, Paul writes:  Be very careful, then, how you live‑‑not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil, [Ephesians 5:15-16].  We’re called to walk in wisdom as people redeemed by the blood of Christ.  Spiritual wisdom more-so than worldly wisdom.  Worldly wisdom constantly changes with the whims of our culture.  What seems right and best to a majority in our culture becomes the accepted wisdom of the day.  Not so with true wisdom from the Lord.  It never changes.  Because Christ Himself – the One who embodies pure wisdom – never changes.

And, we’re called to make the most of every opportunity.  Remember the movie, Dead Poets’ Society?  In it Robin Williams is a teacher at an exclusive private boys school.  Throughout the movie he attempts to teach the boys to live:  Carpe Diem  ... challenging them to “seize the day!”  To make the most of every opportunity in life to pursue their deepest hopes and dreams.  Common sense tells us to do the same.  But, true wisdom from the Lord enables us to make the most of opportunities God gives us, not to satisfy ourselves ... our personal hopes and dreams ... but to advance His kingdom, to accomplish something worthwhile for the Lord.

Why?  Because, as Paul says, the days in which we live are evil.  Immorality abounds.  Sin and wickedness are rampant.  The world in its sinful, self-centered  foolishness opposes God and His divine will.

Lest we become foolish and complacent in our own thinking, the evil of our times makes its home in our sinful flesh as well.  It seeks to weaken, even destroy, our faith and trust in God.  None of us is immune from the daily war that wages between our sinful flesh and our Baptism-cleansed souls.  We can all identify with Paul in his struggle, as he describes:  When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.  For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, [Romans 7:21‑23].  Even though his soul was redeemed and washed clean in Christ, Paul’s flesh was still a prisoner of sin.  It continually sought to exercise its own sinful will.

The idolatry of self-centeredness drives us ever inward to our own will.  A sin-stained will that seeks its own satisfaction ... its own advancement ... its own preservation.  For help, we’re admonished to look outside ourselves and to understand what the Lord’s will is, [Ephesians 5:17] ... His good and perfect will, as He reveals it to us in His Word ... which calls us to let our light shine before others, so that they may see our good works and give glory to our Father who is in heaven, [Matthew 5:16].  Our good works ... not the foolishness of unwise living!

Paul cites drunkenness and debauchery as illustrations of foolish and sinful actions that keep us from making the most of every opportunity to be Christ’s ambassadors through whom God makes His appeal to others, [2 Corinthians 5:20].  When we behave as unwise fools, we become poor, even useless ambassadors for our Lord Jesus.

Remember the front-yard elephant?  If you have things in your life that don’t reflect the love and compassion of Christ, with the help of God take up the hammer and chisel.  Start carving them away.  If you find hatred, prejudice, envy, bitterness, vengeance, chip it away. With the help of God’s Holy Spirit, remove anything that doesn’t reflect the true wisdom with which our Lord calls each of us to live.  Chip away the things that don’t reflect the righteousness and holiness that are yours through Holy Baptism.  Walking in wisdom is constantly being aware of how God can convey His love to others through our words and actions.

And be reassured that, you’re not alone on your journey of faith.  God’s Holy Spirit draws us into community, where we encourage, help and pray for one another.  Where we worship our Lord together in His house.  Where He  forgives us of our sinful, self-centered foolishness.  Where He teaches us His divine will and wisdom for our lives.  Where He gathers us around His table and feeds us His body and blood for the forgiveness of our sins ... for life and salvation.  Where, in faith, we speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, and sing and make music in our hearts to the Lord, [Ephesians 5:19].

The ancient astronomer, Galileo (1564-1642) once said: I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use, [as cited in Quotes and Idea Starters for Preaching and Teaching, E. Rowell, ed., Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1996, 176].  God has blessed us with earthly wisdom.  And He’s blessed us in Christ with spiritual wisdom.  As His gifts to us, the Lord certainly wouldn’t have us forgo the use of either ... but, rather to apply them both in seeking to live not as unwise but as wise, [Ephesians 5:17] and faithful children of the heavenly Father.