Ordinary 9B-33B

Yes, it’s barely Monday morning, but Sunday is still on its way…and as the end of summer nears, so too does the end of the seemingly interminable series of bread sayings. Do you ever wonder about people in, say, Singapore or Taiwan or someplace where bread is a luxury, not an everyday item, and how they read these passages? What are we really saying when we say that Jesus is the bread of life, or that if you eat this bread you’ll live forever abiding in Jesus? And given that we’ve been discussing this for several weeks now, with still one more week to go (sort of)…what else is there to say about it? What approach have you taken? And how will you enter into this idea in prayer, in song, in art, in movement, in ritual, in words?

Perhaps, like Solomon, you’ll be praying for wisdom (or using some wisdom to avoid yet another week of bread!). Or maybe you’ve read those verses the lectionary leaves out and will instead be pondering the mysteries of sibling rivalry and a mother’s power.  What words might you use to call people to prayer for wisdom, or to confess how we use our worldly wisdom?

Perhaps a ponder of Paul’s admonition to spend time in singing and praying as a path toward wisdom is in order?

Or maybe you’re wondering just what it means to end a song of praise with “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom“…how does one “practice” this fear and so gain understanding and right-relationship with God and the whole creation?

Lots to think about this week…what catches your attention? What word or phrase or image pops to mind? How might you help a community encounter the living Word this week in liturgy? Leave your ideas–whether fully formed or thoroughly vague–in the comments, so we can create together!