Homilies
All her paths are peace...
Holy Spirit take my words and speak to each of us according to our needs.
You may have heard the old saying: “Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.”
It’s a simple joke, but it opens the door to something serious: wisdom is not the same as knowledge. Knowledge can give us facts; wisdom shows us how to live.
The reading from Proverbs this morning talks about wisdom as a person, it conjures for me a picture in my mind of the Lady Justice, found outside courthouses; holding a set of scales and a sword. There is a balance to discerning wisdom.
We live in an age overflowing with knowledge. We have information at our fingertips, instant updates, endless opinions. But wisdom is rarer. Wisdom is the right ordering of our knowledge towards the good. It is the ability to see the bigger picture, to know what really matters, and to act in ways that bring life rather than harm. Wisdom is the application of knowledge in ways that promote good. Cleverness may impress, but wisdom blesses. Cleverness can divide, but wisdom reconciles. Cleverness seeks advantage or gain, but wisdom seeks peace.
In Scripture, wisdom is more than human common sense. God’s wisdom is eternal. Proverbs 8 describes Wisdom as being present with God at creation, delighting in His works. And St Paul tells us that Christ Himself is “the wisdom of God.”
So when we speak of wisdom, we are not talking about some abstract idea, we are talking about God’s own character, revealed in Jesus, showing us how to live in truth, mercy, and justice. And is our job to discern how to apply that wisdom in our lives.
St James writes: “The wisdom from above is pure, peaceable, gentle, full of mercy and good fruits.”
That’s the kind of wisdom we need; in our homes, in our communities, and in our public life. Wisdom in our lives means choosing mercy instead of judgment, peace instead of hostility, courage instead of silence.
The book of Proverbs promises us: “Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.” (Proverbs 3:17)
That doesn’t mean that if we walk in wisdom, life will be free of hardship. It means that God’s wisdom anchors us. Even in the storms of life, even in times of conflict, His wisdom directs us towards wholeness; peace with God and peace with one another.
There’s another saying you may have heard, this time not from the Bible but echoing its truth. It is often attributed to Edmund Burke and it says “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
Wisdom is not passive. It requires us to act. Proverbs 31 commands us to: “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
To remain silent in the face of evil and wrongdoing is to walk away from wisdom.
So what does that mean for us today?
Across the UK, in recent years, months and even weeks we’ve seen riots, flags raised, protests growing, and communities feeling fearful. Symbols that could, at one time, bring about a sense of pride and unity are being used in ways that divide, intimidate and exclude. Suspicion and anger are rife. People are apportioning blame on others and misinformation is shared out of context to provoke reaction.
Wisdom calls us to a different way. Not to retreat into silence, nor to mirror back the anger we see, but to walk in the ways of peace. To stand up for those who feel unsafe. To build bridges where others build walls. To remind people that identity and belonging need not be a weapon, but can be part of our shared life together.
If we stand by and do nothing, we abandon wisdom. But if we walk with Christ, His wisdom flows through us, and His peace can be sown in even the most divided places.
I know I’ve used it before in my sermons, but Martin Niemoller’s poem speaks volumes about what happens when wisdom is ignored. He wrote:
First they came for the Communists And I did not speak out Because I was not a Communist Then they came for the Socialists And I did not speak out Because I was not a Socialist Then they came for the trade unionists And I did not speak out Because I was not a trade unionist Then they came for the Jews And I did not speak out Because I was not a Jew Then they came for me And there was no one left To speak out for me
So let us hear again the promise of Proverbs: “Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.”
May we be a people who live wisely, who resist evil and wrongdoing not with more of the same, but with good; who refuse silence in the face of wrong; and who bear witness to peace and the application of wisdom in our divided world.
Let us pray.
God of wisdom and peace, we thank You for the gift of Your Son, who is our wisdom. In a time of tension and division, guide our hearts and minds to walk in Your ways of pleasantness and peace. Give courage to those who speak for justice, compassion to those who serve the vulnerable, and wisdom to all who lead our communities. Make us instruments of Your peace, that our homes, our streets, and our nation may be places where Your love is known. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.