Divine Wisdom: Trusting God Over Human Expertise

A paraphrase from the book of Acts to remind us of an important principle this morning as we begin our worship. So welcome here in Dominion Chalmers Sanctuary and watching on our live stream at home or wherever you are and maybe even we're up into cottage time now because the weather's starting to to make that very possible. So welcome indeed to all. We are reminded as we start this morning of this notion of the sovereignty of God and I want us to hold on to that idea today as we move through our worship because we're going to speak to that both in terms of our of our reading and a short reflection and a time of of communion and of worship. As well, but to get us started with our music, I'm turning it over to our faithful team to lead us in that way. [00:14:10]

Holy God, many words of Scripture call us to do this. Defend our faith with humility and gentleness. Sometimes it's easier to yell and insult. Seems to be popular these days. Holy God, many words of Scripture call on us to not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse. But sometimes it's really tempting. Thank you. [00:27:18]

And it's about his own kind of understanding and movement on this question of being an expert, and what's the relationship between expertise and wisdom. So Isabel is going to share for us that reading. [00:29:47]

I'm wondering what you think of when anybody these days stands up in media or at a lecture or something and says, trust me on this one, I'm an expert. I'm an expert in this subject. How does that make you feel? I've got to tell you, I'm a... lot more suspicious now of folks, skeptical even, of folks who stand up and call themselves experts. [00:33:04]

Lately, I got to tell you, this question of expertise is a bit problematic for me when I listen to the, well, just the garbage, the absolute garbage, the lies that are being spewed out in our media these days by experts, particularly our preachers. And I think that's very important. We have professors in our universities who are claiming to be experts spreading absolute lies about Israel. [00:35:44]

So it was a place of learning and kind of urban, sort of urban sentimentality. If you like. And again, so Jews, Greeks, you know, sort of pagans, all intermingling, sorting things well, sometimes sorting things through other times, not so much. And here's Paul in the middle of all this, preaching a very dramatic idea that that all of you folks out there who call yourself experts really don't understand what true wisdom actually is indeed Paul comes forward to to invoke the idea that all of us who who are really not particularly experts on anything actually in terms of God's wisdom may indeed be closer to that that kernel of truth than than the said experts but it's interesting in invoking this Paul reads from the prophet Isaiah and he draws extensively so this theme this undercurrent of challenging the experts of the time is absolutely important it's a we that runs right through our entire Bible both the Hebrew Bible and into the Christian Testament as well Jesus of course had some very harsh things to say about the experts of his time he said in fact to the Pharisees and the high priests he said you're no expert you're frauds you're hypocrites you've abandoned true Judaism and you have become your own systems of power so Jesus made a direct reference to it Paul took that reference understood it in his transformation and draws from Isaiah who also spoke to this and I want to read just a little bit more from Isaiah 29 because in terms of what our text says Paul says he's quoting and saying I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart it so Paul's drawing from his expertise if you like as in terms of understanding the Hebrew Bible and he he he paraphrases and he paraphrases these verses from Isaiah 29 because those people draw near with their mouths and honor me with their lips while their hearts are far from me so this is prophet Isaiah speaking words of God through God speaking through Isaiah to those who claim to be so righteous and to be so righteous and to be so righteous and to be so righteous and to be so righteous and pious but in their hearts they are far from God and their worship of me is a human commandment learned by rote I love that this is from the prophet Isaiah their worship for me is human commandment learned by rote do you kind of isn't that really such a challenge for all of us knowing to just discerning when it when scripture and our prayer life and in our own faith formation the difference between when we're when we're drawing on our own sense of commandment that we just sort of have as a kind of reflexive action versus what God's wisdom truly is trying to say to us so prophet Isaiah says God says through the prophet Isaiah so I will again do a [00:37:14]

So the point Paul's making is we have to step into this with the humility of knowing that God's wisdom is not for us to control and manipulate and take advantage of. And that God's wisdom is beyond the experts. We can spend... We can spend our lifetime studying and exploring and wondering and faith formation and dialogue with others and reading and reading and reading and reading. [00:43:31]

And step that into your communion this morning. Because we should always step into communion from a place of humility and a place of awe and a place of just standing in this incredible experience that is life itself. And perhaps accepting that we don't fully understand God's hand through all of this. [00:45:01]

On this Sabbath day, we share in the blessed sacrament of Holy Communion. And with communion, we are united with Christians around the world. We welcome all to Christ's table, just as he welcomed all. For if there is a place for Christ in your heart, there is a place for you. There is a place at our communion. [00:46:26]

Help us here again, Christ's call, to be faithful disciples, showing concern for the hungry and mistreated at home and in distant lands. God of abundance, with two small coins, the widow of Jerusalem offered to you her love, her worship, and all she had. Teach us, the joy of giving freely which counts nothing as ours but right by right but willingly shares and so finds you sharing with us god of compassion it is your will that we love and work and pray for those who are in need of bread and of shelter of healing and of wholeness hear the prayers we make for those of our world those of our community and those of our family who are in need and so i invite everyone to lift up before you in the silence of your own prayers those now [00:51:47]

in praying these words from reinhold niebuhr we claim in our communion the call to find peace and serenity god give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed courage to change the things which should be changed and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other living one day at a time enjoying one moment at a time accepting hardship as a pathway to peace taking as Jesus did this sinful world as it is not as I would have it trusting that you will make all things right if I surrender to your will so that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with you forever in the next and we offer this prayer in this sure and certain bond that unites us in the name of Jesus Christ we sing together when we gather in his name the Lord's Prayer you [00:55:30]