Wisdom for Life: Proverbs

You may have come across these modern updates of familiar sayings:
Close but no Wi-Fi,
Never judge an app by its icon,
and the tweet is mightier than the sword

Clever sayings however are nothing new and the ancient world had their share like: Liars when they speak the truth are not believed, from Aristotle and
He who will not economize will have to agonize, from Confucius.

The Bible also has its share of sayings and some of them are curious like Ecclesiastes 9
Better a living dog than a dead lion
and others outright surprising like Proverbs 31
Let beer be for those who are perishing, wine for those who are in anguish!

But the ancient world went one better than our modern one. Whereas we have self-help books that offer something more than a sentence or two of advice they had Wisdom literature. Unlike our modern works, manufactured by the publishing industry to do more help to the author’s and publisher’s bottom line, these wisdom works generally had no official author and were collections gathered over the course of centuries that offered true lasting insight into the human condition.

The Bible has several books within the Wisdom literature tradition of the ancient world, Job, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes and for the month of November we are going to explore the insights of Proverbs’ wisdom for life. Specifically, its call to cultivate
a cheerful heart,
a listening ear,
and a committed will.

I invite you to read through the whole book so that, together, all of us can “make our ways straight through the way of wisdom.” Peace, Tom Evans


Wisdom for Life: Finding Peace

8:45am, November 5, 2017
Rev. L. Craig Foster

MORNINGSONG
Proverbs 3:1-8
Proverbs 3:19-35

All Saints' Day; Communion

Wisdom for Life: Finding Peace

All Saints' Day; Communion

Do You Hear Me? Well, Listen!

8:45am, November 12, 2017
Mrs. Virginia H. Shuler

MORNINGSONG
Proverbs 19:20

Do You Hear Me? Well, Listen!

Wisdom for Life: A Cheerful Heart

11:00am, November 12, 2017
Dr. Thomas E. Evans

SANCTUARY
Proverbs 17:22

Baptism of Lila Kreswell Calicutt

Wisdom for Life: A Cheerful Heart

Baptism of Lila Kreswell Calicutt

Wisdom for Life: A Powerful Tongue

8:45am, November 19, 2017
Rev. Joanne R. Hull

MORNINGSONG
Proverbs 18:21
James 3:1-12

Wisdom for Life: A Powerful Tongue

Wisdom for Life: A Faith that Fuels our Vision

11:00am, November 19, 2017
Dr. J. Lewis Johnson

SANCTUARY
Proverbs 29:2&3, 7&8, 13&14, 17-19

Baptism of James Bennett Masters

Wisdom for Life: A Faith that Fuels our Vision

Baptism of James Bennett Masters

Wisdom for Work

8:45am, November 26, 2017
Rev. L. Craig Foster

MORNINGSONG
Matthew 20:1-16
Proverbs 16:3-11

Wisdom for Work

Wisdom for Life: A Committed Will

11:00am, November 26, 2017
Dr. Thomas E. Evans

SANCTUARY
Proverbs 16:3

Wisdom for Life: A Committed Will