Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Word of the Lord which engages us this morning comes from our Old Testament lesson (Proverbs 9: 1-6). ����������������

Someone once said, "you don't have to be listed in Who's Who to know what's what." Those words sound quite insightful. But there are some things we very much need to learn to know what's what and what's right and Who's right (Knippel, 2003). ����������������

The Book of Proverbs, like the totality of God's Word, instructs us to know what's what and what's right and Who's right. This is a fitting text for a Sunday School Opening Day. The book instructs us in wisdom and does this in large measure by giving us proverbs to consider: "He who heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray." (10: 17); "A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his tongue." (11: 12) "He who seeks good finds goodwill, but evil comes to him who searches for it" (11: 27). These words sound very wise to me, and I need to hear more words like these and how to possess and do such wisdom. I hope you feel the same. (Knippel, 2003) ����������������

This week I saw a news article about Steamboat Geyser in Yellowstone. We're all familiar with Old Faithful, the geyser that predictably erupts about once per hour. But Steamboat Geyser is the big one, the highest spouting geyser in the world. When it erupts, it dwarfs Old Faithful, shooting hot water into the air 300 feet and producing dense steam for hours. But that is WHEN it erupts. Steamboat, you see, is totally unpredictable. Geologists admit that they do not understand its inner workings at all. Once Steamboat went 50 years without erupting. Another time it had two major eruptions within 4 days of each other. This year it has had two major eruptions just weeks apart. It had been quiet for nearly 20 years until the year 2000. Now for the past 3 years it is active again. And no one understands why. It is not possible for scientists as yet to drill down and observe its inner workings without disturbing its natural processes. Geologists stand at the boardwalk and wait for an eruption with no better idea of when it will happen than the tourists who are just wandering by. The mysteries are hidden. ����������������

In an even deeper way, the mysteries of God lay hidden. We humans on our own could never drill down into the God's wisdom and know what's what. But praise be to God that He has chosen to reveal Himself and His Wisdom here in our text and throughout God's Word. ����������������

Wisdom extends an invitation. In this reading, the writer portrays wisdom as a person. He speaks of Wisdom as a gracious and generous lady who lives in a fine home with seven pillars. Lady Wisdom is presented as having prepared a fine meal featuring excellent meat and delicious wine. Through her maids, calling out from the highest point in the city, she invites everyone to come to the banquet. Lady Wisdom's invitation is the invitation to gain wisdom. Verses 5-6 indicate that acquiring wisdom is identified with eating Wisdom's food and drinking Wisdom's wine, sounding wonderfully similar to our Lord Jesus' words in our Gospel lesson "Who ever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day." ����������������

Wisdom's invitation is extended to all who are simple and lack judgment. Unfortunately, we Americans often don't think of ourselves as simple and lacking in judgment. We, myself included, have opinions about nearly everything and often think that our opinions are wonderful and wise regardless of the information or knowledge we truly have. We very often think, even say "If only more people would think like me, the world would be a lot better off." We're even tempted to think "God if you only thought like me and ran my life the way I want it run, I would be a lot better off." But if we are truly, brutally honest with ourselves when we review our life, we'll often see that when we follow our own paths, our own sinful motives, we find innumerable ways to louse up our lives.

When the Internet was first created, few actually foresaw the creation of computer viruses and worms. The Internet creators apparently thought everyone in the world with a computer would act decently toward their fellow computer operators. They failed to understand that humans are motivated by sin and folly and will seek out ways hurt and destroy the property of others. Hardly a week goes by that some new virus or worm is not wreaking havoc on computer systems somewhere. In the same way that computer viruses can shut down computers, the sinful messages and folly of this world can wreak havoc on us and our spiritual lives. Messages that tell us we can be our own spiritual boss and run our own spiritual lives wreak destruction on us. Messages that tell us we can earn God's favor with our behavior or can approach Him on our own merits are viruses that can destroy our spiritual lives.

But when we look and see God's wisdom and His ways of leading us, our lives are blessed. Jesus said (Luke 11: 28) "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it." His Word and His Way is our one and only spiritual virus protection. Only his Word tells us what messages to truly download in our lives. (Internet analogy comes from Rev. Gary Schaper, Concordia Journal, July 2000)

But what is this Wisdom that our text is speaking of? If God's mysteries are too much for us to find on our own, how do we attain His Wisdom? � Our text speaks of Wisdom inviting us to her meal, but what is this wisdom? Verse 10 of Proverbs 9 gives us an important insight. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."

As many of you know, I was a faculty member at St. John's College in Kansas when it closed its doors in 1986. When it closed each faculty member was told they could request one memento of the college to take with them. When I made my request to President Helge, he swallowed hard and said he would have to get back to me. You see, I requested this, the college's official plaque, one of only two in existence. This one hung on the main podium/pulpit in the school's chapel. In its center is the school's motto, which comes from Proverbs 9: 10 (Also Proverbs 1: 7 and Psalm 111: 10), from the Greek Septuagint "arche sophias, phobos kuriou" "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." This core thought runs throughout the book of Proverbs, reminding us again and again that earthly forms of wisdom are only fleeting folly. Only when we are awed by the Lord and his wonders and love are we truly on the road to finding wisdom.

1 Corinthians 1:21ff "For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe� pagans look for (earthly) wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to pagans, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and pagans, Christ (is) the power of God and the wisdom of God." Jesus is pivotal for the acquisition of wisdom. Far too often we think we know it all and that everything we do is right. We consider ourselves wise when we are actually foolish. As a result we live dangerously and hurt others and ourselves. We can become smug and self-righteous and cut ourselves off from God. But when we, by God's Holy Spirit, realize again and again our need, when we realize again and again how awe-inspiring, how the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, we turn again to the only true source of wisdom we have, the God-Man Jesus Christ. We learn (John 1: 1, 14) that He is the wisdom of God literally personified (Theologians have long marveled at the rich interconnections between Proverbs 8-9 and John 1). He beckons us to come to him, invites us to share in his sumptuous meal, both here and in eternity (modified from Knippel, 2003). Earthly knowledge can be helpful in attaining earthly goods and wealth and respect, and used rightly those can be a blessing from God and can help us make the most of every opportunity God gives us (Ephesians 5: 15). But to be truly wise, you don't need to be listed in Who's Who. You just need to know What's What. Regardless of your age, you simply need to begin with the Wisdom that is Jesus and His Word. John 14: 2 Jesus said "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life." He is the One Way to a right relationship with God. By his life, death and resurrection, he has freed us from the folly of our guilt and sin. He is the One Truth, who imparts the previously hidden wisdom of God. He is the Life, the giver of eternal life to those who feed on Him (modified from Knippel, 2003).

And the peace of God, which passes all (human) understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4: 7)

The structure and several of the identified paragraphs of this sermon are modified from suggestions made by Rev. Dr. Charles Knippel in the Concordia Pulpit Resource, September, 2003)