Monday: AM Psalm 25; PM Psalm 9, 15; Ecclus. 4:20-5:7; Rev. 7:1-8; Luke 9:51-62
Last night, we went out to dinner as a family to an Asian restaurant near our house. Everyone came away satisfied. We mostly ate family style, each sharing our dishes with the others - except my spicy fried eggplant dish, which was largely avoided because it was (a) really spicy and (b) eggplant. As we wrapped up our meal, the server brought us fortune cookies. Our messages inside the tiny cookies ranged from "love kindness as kindness loves you", to "one bright Saturday, a solution to a problem will appear"...aphorisms to very generic, safe projections of what could happen. Each was discarded. It was not worth carrying forward.
In our Hebrew scripture, we get to read some of the Wisdom of Sirach - also called Ecclesiasticus. This is an ancient Jewish wisdom book written by Yeshua ben Eleazar ben Sira - a sage and teacher in Jerusalem. These pieces of ancient insight are worth pondering slowly, for they are written for people in the 3rd century BCE (before Common Era), and yet the words still resonate in the 21st century. Many of the tidbits of wisdom offered in today's excerpt are negative guidance:
"Do not be ashamed to confess your sins, and do not try to stop the current of a river.
"Do not subject yourself to a fool, or show partiality to a ruler.
"Fight to the death for truth, and the Lord God will fight for you...
"Do not let your hand be stretched out to receive and closed when it is time to give." (4:26-28, 31)
I really appreciate the reminder to not be ashamed when we have a sin or violation - big or small - and then to confess in a timely manner. I know this is easier said than done, and this model for ethical conduct is to promote harmony in community and within one's self.
I commend today's wisdom literature to you to study and reflect on where God is shaping you in mind, body, and community life. Look for a verse each day this week that grabs you. While the vehicle of this wisdom literature may not be packaged as cutely as a fortune cookie, the Hebrew law and the ethos enacted present deep and relatable wisdom that lasts.
Join me in wandering and growing in faith through Ecclesiasticus this week!
With God’s help,
Katherine+
Connections in Your Life
Reflect on the Wisdom of Sirach – in the ways obedience to God brings order and wholeness...even though the Lord is not often mentioned in the text.
How can these words of wisdom enrich your own actions and prayer life this week? Is there anything that feels welcoming to you? Journal about what you notice. And keep praying!