Wisdom - A Bittersweet Bread

It is written in Proverbs:

Wisdom calls -from the beginning of time- “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.”

Wisdom teaches: the wise, when rebuked, will love you; give instruction to the wise, and they will become wiser still; teach righteousness and they will gain in learning.

Wisdom calls.  Wisdom teaches.  Wisdom imparts where to start: the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

Wisdom was a virtue in both the Hebrew and Greek world.  The scriptures are filled with the personification of Wisdom, of Spirit. Roughly 750 years lie between the writing of Proverbs and the letter to the Ephesians, yet, the message is shared.

Wisdom calls. Wisdom teaches.  Wisdom imparts where to start.

It is written in Ephesians:

Wisdom calls: be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil.

Wisdom teaches: Be filled with the Spirit – Wisdom- understand what the will of the Lord is;

Wisdom imparts where to start: as you sing songs among yourselves, making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God at all times and in everything.

As you know, we are in the midst of a lectionary cycle that talks about bread. For a number of weeks, we have been digesting Jesus’ teaching following the feeding of the 5000.  Jesus has called himself the Bread of Life.  Earlier, tempted in the wilderness to make bread from stone, Jesus quoted to the Tempter, God’s word from Deuteronomy (from the Law): One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. Here Jesus equates himself with the word of God; the Bread of Life which is not about physical bread.  Jesus goes on about being the true bread from heaven, and that his flesh and blood is food, for eternal life; those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Notice that in this verse Jesus speaks in the present tense.  Jesus is speaking of life, now, in the present; not just “eternal life,” as is often the take away from this passage. Yes, there is life in the next world, but, life begins during the earthly life of the believer.

Wisdom calls, inviting us to come and eat. Now --- for the present journey.

Paul, in writing to the Ephesians, is encouraging the readers and hearers, to give thanks to God at all times and in everything. This is not as easy as it sounds.  The people of the time are facing persecution for being followers of the Way.  Following Wisdom’s call, Wisdom’s teachings; come, eat, bread and wine – and walk in a way of insight—leads to death under Roman tyranny: crucifixion, stoning, imprisonment. Consider the BREAD that Wisdom invited these people to eat. It was for the now --- for their present journey. It was to encourage faith, to give them strength for today, and hope for tomorrow.

Wisdom is not talking about a loaf of bread.  Wisdom is speaking about the Word.

There is a rich tradition in scripture of prophets eating the Word, eating sacred and holy Word.

The prophet Jeremiah is an example.  His prophetic words, which were a judgement on the way people were living, led to him being persecuted, and the people showed great opposition to the words he preached. He lamented in a poem addressed to God: Your words were found and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart; for I am called by your name, O Lord God of hosts. It is the Word of God that encouraged Jeremiah’s faith, and gave him the strength to carry on preaching God’s word to the people. 

The prophet Ezekiel, in his commissioning, is called by Wisdom: hear what I say to you; do not be rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.   Ezekiel is given a written scroll.  It had writing on the front and on the back – lamentations and judgement; mourning and woe. Ezekiel ate the scroll, filled his belly with it, so that he could set off to speak to the house of Israel the words of the Lord. Ezekiel writes of the experience: I ate it, and in my mouth it was as sweet as honey.
John of Patmos, the author of Revelations, was told to take a scroll that was open in the hand of an angel and eat it. Take it, and eat; it will be bitter to your stomach, but sweet as honey in your mouth.  John was then to go and prophesy about peoples, nations, languages, and kings. The scroll tasted bitter because of the message to be delivered; yet, it tasted sweet because it was God’s word.

The story is told in Buddhism where a person is pursued by a tiger. In efforts to escape the person runs over the edge of a cliff, while falling the person manages to grab a vine that hangs from the rock. Above the tiger looks down waiting for the person to try to climb up; looking up from below there is another tiger licking its lips waiting for the person to fall farther.
Two mice suddenly appear, one light, one dark. The mice start gnawing through that vine.
As all this is going on, a bee flies near the person and a drop of honey-dew falls from the bee onto the person’s lips. The person cries, “Ah…how sweet it tastes!”

Bittersweet. This word comes to us from the Middle English of the late 13^th century. It is a word that describes something pleasant, that is tinged with sadness; a mixture of bitter and sweet tastes. It is a happy memory, mixed with grief of a departed loved one.  It is the harsh word of judgement, and sweetness of grace.  It is lamentation, pain, or suffering; wrapped up in a peace that surpasses understanding, or faith amidst chaos, joy despite the circumstances.

Wisdom calls.  Wisdom teaches.  Wisdom imparts where to start: 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.” This insight comes from eating the Word.  I am not suggesting you go home this evening and start eating the pages from your Bible, rather, hear, read, study, memorize, and meditate on the Word. We have been instructed to do these very things, many times through our Christian journey. I suspect for many of us, the words have gone in one ear and out the other.

As another school year approaches, I recall the number of times I was to write learning goals for the coming year. As each calendar year begins, I am to write goals for ministry for the coming year, and send them in to the Bishop’s office. Have you ever written goals to understand the will of God, as it says in Ephesians? Or written goals to acquire wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One, as mentioned in Proverbs? Perhaps it is time for us to reflect on settling such goals.  Where do you want to be in your understanding of God’s Word, a year from now, 5 years from now? When you are facing a crisis, what Wisdom, what Word, would you like to draw on?

That is the bread we are to eat now, so that we might have life, now.

There is a parable about a loaf of bread that fell off a delivery truck. When it hit the ground a crumb broke loose.  Three sparrows eyed the crumb and swooped down to grab it.  The sparrows argued over the crumb. Eventually one bird won the battle, by picking up the crumb, and flew away with the other birds in hot pursuit. The sparrows were so intent on the crumb, they failed to notice the rest of the loaf of bread still sitting on the ground where it had fallen.

I think this is how we eat the Word, how we answer Wisdom’s call to come and eat. We eat what is offered in this space – the Bread of Life. As we go home, and into the world, we nibble at crumbs – never thinking to hear, read, study, memorize, or meditate on the Word – to set goals for understanding the will of God, and knowledge of the Holy One.

Wisdom calls. 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. Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil. Wisdom teaches. Understand what the will of the Lord is. Wisdom imparts. As you sing songs among yourselves, make melody to the Lord in your hearts, give thanks to God at all times and in everything.

Eat of the Bread of Life; a bittersweet food provided for the present journey – may this bread be an encouragement of faith, strength for today, and hope for tomorrow.

Bread and Roses

On Tuesday, during Bible Study, I remembered a story about my brother.  When he would go to one of his friend’s houses- a house where the family had a difficult life; the mother would comment that when he was around she smelled roses.  Just to be clear, he was a 13 year old boy, and in my opinion smelled like dirty socks.

On Wednesday, while visiting, a wise 90+ year old commented on the state of the world, wondering what happened to individuals to make them nasty.  What kindness might have been offered them, to melt the nasty? An astute question and thought to ponder.

On Thursday, while out in the church garden whipper snipping, a young woman pulled out her earbuds when she passed to comment: “that smells so nice!” ---referring to the fresh smell of newly cut grass.

Each of these seemingly insignificant snippets, stood out because of the scripture readings being mulled over for this morning:

Elijah awoke to find an angel ordering him to eat a hearth cake – the smell of fire made bread – He ate twice, to be strengthen for his journey.

The Psalmist sings: Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

Paul writes to the Ephesians: Christ gave himself for us as an offering to God, a gift of pleasing fragrance.

Jesus teaches: I myself am the living bread come down from heaven.  If anyone eats this bread they shall live forever; the bread I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world.

Bread. Fragrance. Kindness. -- collide and dance together, providing a profound focus to centre our mission -as individuals, and as church, in the world. We take a few minutes, now, to ponder the dance.

We begin in Ephesians, where Paul clearly encourages the Ephesians to be a part of God’s mission in the world. One did this by being an imitator of God, following the way of love, as Christ loved them. Specifically, imitating God meant, being kind to one another, tender-hearted, alternately translated compassionate, and forgiving one another.  Paul concludes the thought by commenting that by living in this manner, Christ—Jesus—was an offering; and was a pleasing fragrance to God.

Deductively, then, living in a manner akin to the beginning portion of the reading from Ephesians, produces a foul smell; one not pleasing to God.  Those who sadden or grieve the Holy Spirit; those who are bitter; those who resort to passion and anger, use harsh words, slander others, and show malice (that is the desire and action to hurt others); create a foul smell.  Their actions stink!

Early on, in the Bible, Genesis records a story, that after the flood Noah offered a burnt offering in thanksgiving to God. The smoke from this offering wafted, as incense, to God. The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said: “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures.” What is interesting is that God is affected by smell. God of all creation, was moved to mercy by the smell of a simple burnt offering and a thankful heart, promising to never again curse the ground because of humans.  Once again, the foulness of human inclination, set aside, by a turn towards sweet smelling offerings.

There is a tradition within Roman Catholicism called the Odour of Sanctity.   The Odour of Sanctity refers to Saints who were said to smell like roses or other flowers when they died. Their bodies gave off a sweet floral smell.  It is suggested that the Saint’s residual stock of faith and kindness was released from their earthly body at the time of death, and this is what gave the pleasant fragrance.

In a similar way the Talmud suggests that when the Messiah comes, the Messiah will "smell and judge" – The Messiah with spiritual sensitivity – a discerning nose- will determine complex truths about the people and how it is they lived their lives.

Catholic theologian, Sr. Joan Roccasalvo, carries the Odour of Sanctity, to new depths, when she reflects on the intimacy of smell. When you breathe in, you can not un-smell a smell. When you experience God, you can not un-experience God. Saints, who lived their lives practicing kindness (along with other sweet-smelling offerings), are continually breathing in God, breathing out God; and are thus, in an intimate relationship with Christ, becoming more fragrant as the intimacy deepens.  

Her argument continues by noting that the Hebrew scriptures -like Hosea, The Song of Solomon…- speak in images of Israel as the bride and the Lord God as the bridegroom; these passages speak of seduction, betrothal, and covenant-marriage. The prophet Jeremiah specifically says: You have seduced me, O Lord, and I have allowed myself to be seduced; you were too strong for me, and you prevailed. Images drawn in the texts include references to fragrances of oil, perfumes, ripe fruit, burnt offerings, and incense. These smells were seductive, to Israel, to God.  Sr. Joan makes a conclusion, that God seduces via smell – via smell, God draws people in—

Curious in Jesus discourse on I am the bread of life, he says: no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them.

St. Paul extrapolates on this theme in the second letter to the Corinthians.  Paul writes:

We are the aroma of Christ, to God among those being saved.

Could it be that the way we live our lives, allows God to draw in – seduce- those around us into relationship with God?

Could it be that when we stop creating cesspools from the human garbage of anger, unforgiveness, and malice; and turn to ways of kindness, compassion, and forgiveness – being imitators of God… that this fragrant offering seduces others to come to God?

Perhaps, as the sermon has progressed, you have had a waft of the smell of freshly baking bread.

The sense of smell is powerful. Smell triggers vivid memories and emotions. So honoured, in Jewish tradition, are pleasant smells, that an blessing is made to God for them, much like one says grace before a meal. Blessed are you O Lord our God, who creates fragrant wood.  Blessed are you O Lord our God, who creates various kinds of fragrance.  Blessed are you O Lord our God, who brings forth bread from the earth.

The smell of freshly baking bread is intentional. The smell is to mesh with your emotions of what happens in this place.  Today this full-bodied warm smell is paired with Jesus stating: I am the bread of life.  

When bread is baking the smell can not be contained.  As the bread warms and rises, as it cooks and expands, its smell dissipates –seducing—drawing in those around. 

When Ben’s Bakery was in operation, only a few blocks away, there were many mornings we could smell fresh bread at the parsonage. Those were the mornings I wished to eat fresh bread. Who doesn’t get hungry at the smell of baking bread?

Jesus is the bread of life.  We are from the same dough… a little sour… and ready to grow.  As we live life we imitate Christ through practicing kindness, compassion, and forgiveness; this rises our dough.  This has us wafting a smell, like that of freshly baking bread.  In this way we give ourselves away as bread for the hungry.  In this, God seduces those around us --- draws them to Godself---

If anyone eats this bread they shall live forever; the bread Jesus will give is my flesh, for the life of the world.

On Thursday, God seduced, a young woman, in the smell of freshly cut grass, a smile, a sharing of a moment with another human being; a kindness and intimacy exchanged. May we be intimately kind.

On Wednesday, a reminder that there are those who are “nasty.” Sadly, they have not experienced kindness, and so have not had opportunity for God to seduce them. May we be that kindness.

On Tuesday, a reminder, that God, once upon a time, seduced an overwhelmed mother, reminding her that she was not alone; rather, than, dirty socks, she smelled kindness, compassion – she smelled an odour of sanctity; holy roses. May we be the smell of kindness, compassion.