‘Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord.’
Ephesians 5.19
God, who is wise:
we worship and adore you!
God, whose ways are so far above ours:
we worship and adore you!
God, whose Spirit flows through all things:
we worship and adore you!
Amen.
Hymn: STF 57 – Let all the world
Let all the world in every corner sing:
my God and King!
The heavens are not too high,
his praise may thither fly;
the earth is not too low,
his praises there may grow.
Let all the world in every corner sing:
my God and King!
Let all the world in every corner sing:
my God and King!
The Church with psalms must shout,
no door can keep them out;
but above all the heart
must bear the longest part.
Let all the world in every corner sing:
my God and King!
George Herbert (1593-1633)
Prayer (based around Psalm 111)
Praise the Lord!
I will give thanks to God with everything I have,
joining with all of creation in singing praise to God.
Great are God’s works,
glorious and majestic are his deeds,
his goodness is lasts for ever.
God of grace, God of love.
Great are God’s works,
he provides food for all,
he remembers his promises to me.
God of grace, God of love.
Great are God’s works,
he has shown his power over the nations,
he offers redemption for his people.
God of grace, God of love.
Great are God’s works,
steadfast, faithful and just are his ways,
all his laws are trustworthy.
God of grace, God of love.
I stand in awe of the great and mighty God,
with the company of angels in eternity.
Praise the Lord!
Amen
A prayer of confession
Lord, we confess that our priorities are wrong.
We want wealth, to surround ourselves with material things;
we want health, to have long life to enjoy them.
But what are wealth and health
without the wisdom to use them well?
We confess that we think first of the benefits to us,
and not of the ways we might use these gifts for others.
Father, we repent of this selfish lack of judgement.
Grant us wisdom above all things, we pray.
Give us discernment to know your will
and to walk in your ways, so that our lives,
long or short, filled with riches or the lack of them,
may be filled with loving intent for the well-being of others.
Amen.
Assurance of forgiveness
Father, we are foolish creatures fumbling our way through life.
We mostly mean well, but fail to do it;
our actions fall far short of our intentions.
Yet you forgive our frailty;
you, who are perfect, forgive our flawed human characters.
Thank you for the assurance of your forgiveness!
Amen.
Hymn: STF 65 – Sing of the Lord’s goodness
Sing of the Lord’s goodness, Father of all wisdom,
come to him and bless his name.
Mercy he has shown us, his love is for ever,
faithful to the end of days.
Come then, all you nations, sing of your Lord’s goodness,
melodies of praise and thanks to God.
Ring out the Lord’s glory, praise him with your music,
worship and bless his name.
Power he has wielded, honour is his garment,
risen from the snares of death.
His word he has spoken, one bread he has broken,
new life he now gives to all.
Courage in our darkness, comfort in our sorrow,
Spirit of our God most high;
solace for the weary, pardon for the sinner,
splendour of the living God.
Praise him with your singing, praise him with the trumpet,
praise God with the lute and harp;
praise him with the cymbals, praise him with your dancing,
praise God till the end of days.
Ernest Sands (b.1949)
Readings:
Ephesians 5.15-20
Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Matthew 7.24-27
The wise and foolish builders
‘Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.’
Hymn: The perfect wisdom of God
The perfect wisdom of our God
Revealed in all the universe:
All things created by His hand
And held together at His command.
He knows the mysteries of the seas,
The secrets of the stars are His;
He guides the planets on their way
And turns the earth through another day.
The matchless wisdom of His ways
That mark the path of righteousness;
His word a lamp unto my feet,
His Spirit teaching and guiding me.
And O the mystery of the cross,
That God should suffer for the lost,
So that the fool might shame the wise,
And all the glory might go to Christ!
O grant me wisdom from above,
To pray for peace and cling to love,
And teach me humbly to receive
The sun and rain of Your sovereignty.
Each strand of sorrow has a place
Within this tapestry of grace;
So through the trials I choose to say:
“Your perfect will in Your perfect way.”
Words from https://www.stuarttownend.co.uk/song/the-perfect-wisdom-of-our-god/ [1]
Reflection
No-one wants to look foolish.
There is a clip doing the rounds on social media of a middle-aged man in patterned trunks walking the length of the Olympic swimming pool in Paris and diving in to retrieve a swimming cap that had sunk to the bottom. He then has to negotiate the lane barriers to reach the side of the pool and pull himself out. All this in front of an audience of 15000 people (cheering him on, I assure you) and the perennial television cameras enabling a viral worldwide audience. Perhaps wisely, as he walked away from the pool he gave a little tug on his trunks – just to make sure they were fully up and respectable… All was well!
Humans want to be wise, not foolish. Being called a fool has connotations of being sub-human, of not being all we can or should be. The foolish man’s house is evidently wrong, as it does not stand through the storms that come. The wise man, however, offers security, assuredness and firm foundations. How much better to be wise than foolish.
It seems to me that in his words to the Ephesians Paul can exhort us as much as he likes to be careful how we live, and to live as wise not unwise people, but we will inevitably fail. Wisdom is not innate, and all of us declare our foolishness on occasion. I chose to wear a lovely top the other week for dinner out with friends. It has loose, flappy sleeves: this was great to keep me cool in hot weather, but the sleeves caught everything on the table – drinks, food, the card game. In making a mess I learned a lesson about what to wear on such occasions.
We all can be foolish, but long to be wise. Happily, Paul does give us some guidance to help with being wise: make the most of every opportunity, understand the Lord’s will, and be filled with a Spirit of thankfulness.
Make the most of every opportunity
Be wise whenever you can, ‘because the days are evil’. It is not hard to see the evil in our world, be it international conflicts or domestic abuse; multinational companies exploiting the environment or human trafficking; stabbings or poisonous posts on social media. In the face of evil we are called to be wise. This may mean confrontation, or it may mean keeping clear of a dangerous situation, but we are called to take every opportunity to show that it is God’s kingdom that is right and just, and God’s wisdom far surpasses that of humankind.
Understand the Lord’s will
How will we show God’s ways to be wise and true? By understanding what God’s will for us is. Sometimes this is blatantly obvious, but oftentimes God’s will appears opaque. When faced with difficult decisions or dilemmas it is always best to seek wise counsel, and there is none wiser than God. Understanding God’s will comes from reading the bible and praying regularly. In the process it becomes clearer what God would wish in any given situation.
Be filled with the Spirit, and give thanks
The Message Bible translates part of verse 18 as ‘Drink the Spirit of God, huge drafts of him’. I love this vision of flowing Spirit, bottomless drinks, life-quenching liquid. It is that, rather than alcohol, that will fill our souls and cause the outpouring of praise and thanks, the melodies for every occasion and the heart-felt songs to God. When filled with the Spirit, wisdom will flow.
How can we be wise?
Be filled with a Spirit of thankfulness, learn what God’s will for us is, and make the most of every opportunity to be wise in the face of all that is evil in our world.
For consideration:
The house on the rock by Joy Cowley[2]
You know, I have this feeling
that the wise man who built on the rock,
had previously built a house on the sand.
He’d learned that sand meant wasted effort
and solid rock was the way to go.
How much wiser that man was
than the one who built on the rock
simply because he didn’t know
the sand was there.
Mind you, for people like me,
that wisdom is hard won.
I built several houses on the sand
before the message got home.
Maybe that’s why I value rock so much.
At times, I’ve heard people say
that they don’t know why God
allows the pain of sin in this world.
Well, if I substitute sand for sin,
I think I have something close
to an answer.
Prayers of intercession
Heavenly Father, with heavy hearts, we pray for all those affected by violence around the globe. We remember particularly the innocent civilians caught up in Israel, Lebanon and Gaza; in Russia and Ukraine; and in the riots and looting across the UK. Please comfort the bereaved, aid the recovery of those in hospital and be with all those who bear witnessed. We pray for those whose safety and security have been violated. Let empathy and support be the focus of all action, not blame and retribution.
Lord, stand among us with your healing grace and strength.
We pray for our world as it faces the problems caused by climate change. As you confront us for who we are, so we have been confronted with our guilt in failing to care for creation. We pray for fairer sharing of resources, so that all human needs may be met. We pray for safety as our planet changes and we face the consequences.
Lord, stand among us with your healing grace and strength.
Lord God, as we gaze in awe at Olympic and other sporting events, and witness what the human body can achieve, we pray for those who will never reach those heights; for those who are battling serious illness or disability, for whom life is painful and exhausting. May they know that their efforts are also worth medals and that every painful step forward is golden.
Lord, stand among us with your healing grace and strength.
We pray for all those receiving or awaiting exam results, together with their friends and families. You know them and love them. In the waiting, give them peace. In the knowing, give them grace amongst peers, and the wisdom to know what steps to take next. May they always know your presence with them at every stage of life.
Lord, stand among us with your healing grace and strength.
For your Church, Father, we pray, and for us, your children; for the strength to bear witness in the midst of great upheavals and unpredictability; for the ability to meet the needs of our community and neighbourhoods in difficult days. We pray for all to whom we reach out with the offer of coffee and companionship, or food and other necessities of life. Come to our aid, Lord God, as we seek to aid others.
Lord, stand among us with your healing grace and strength.
Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come, thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Hymn: STF 55 – Immortal, invisible, God only wise
Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
in light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
most blessèd, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
almighty, victorious, thy great name we praise.
Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
nor wanting nor wasting, thou rulest in might;
thy justice like mountains high soaring above,
thy clouds which are fountains of goodness and love.
To all life thou givest, to both great and small,
in all life thou livest, the true life of all:
we blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree,
and wither and perish; but naught changeth thee.
Great Father of glory, great Father of light,
thine angels adore thee, all veiling their sight;
all praise we would render: O help us to see
‘tis only the splendour of light hideth thee.
Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
in light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
most blessèd, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
almighty, victorious, thy great name we praise.
Blessing:
May the God of wisdom surround you,
May the grace of Christ fill you,
And may the joy of the Spirit sing in your heart.
Amen[3]
[1] Stuart Townend & Keith Getty Copyright © 2011 Thankyou Music ( Adm. by CapitolCMGPublishing.com excl. UK & Europe, adm. by Integrity Music, part of the David C Cook family, songs@integritymusic.com) and Getty Music Publishing (BMI) (Adm by SongSolutions info@songsolutions.org)
[2] Joy Cowley, Psalms for the Road (Wellington, New Zealand: Catholic Supplies [NZ] Ltd, 2002), taken from Hannah Ward & Jennifer Wild, eds, Resources for Preaching and Worship Year A: Quotations, meditations, poetry, and prayers (Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004) p175
Acknowledgment: Prayers of confession & forgiveness from Roots on the Web
