Author: The Rev. Edwin Chinery

“Who is wise and understanding among you?” asks James. And how are answers to this question lived out in the church, we wonder.

In 2004 I was working as Coordinator of the HIV Services Department in UMDNJ’s Federally Qualified Health Center in New Brunswick New Jersey. The staff consisted, in addition to myself, of two physicians, three Registered Nurses, three Clinical Case Managers and a handful of support staff. And it’s interesting that I started this job at a time when Ryan White funding – the funding that puts dollars directly into the hands of those who need it in local communities – it was a time when The Ryan White CARE Act was undergoing a great deal of change, due in large part to advancements in pharmaceutical therapies and a federal administration that de-prioritized health care for the neediest.

Wisdom is, decidedly, not knowledge. Knowledge may be power in worldly terms, but it’s not wisdom. And today’s gospel lesson highlights that truth in Jesus’ inimitable style. You see, we’re in the midst of one of those discussions that appear with some frequency in John’s gospel – think of Nicodemus and the question of being re-born, or the Woman at the Well and the notion of living water, or any number of encounters with the disciples…

In today’s world, in terms of religion and meaning, it’s probably safe to say that two basic questions stand out: “How does God view the world?” (The basic theological question); and “How does God ask you to view the world?” (The basic ethical question). The significance these questions bear varies, of course, according to individuals and circumstances. Right out of the gate, it appears…

Despite the suggestion that the tension between Jesus and his family or hometown may have been an on-going sub-plot of Mark’s story, Jesus rises above this first depiction of that tension, and provides himself an alternative. He gives himself a new name. By referring to himself as a “prophet”…

Ultimately, a parable may leave multiple impressions over time. Why? Perhaps because Jesus is asking his hearers not only to listen, but to think as well. And that’s a combination that is not only a challenge, it’s an art – some would say a lost art. Lost because it involves too much effort.

Karl Rahner was a German Jesuit, a brilliant man, a deep thinker and a very familiar name in Christian theology – some would say his work fairly dominated Christian Theological thought in the 20th century. And yet it’s said he claimed that if the doctrine of the Trinity were to quietly disappear out of Christian theology, never to be mentioned again, most of Christendom would never even notice its absence. That sounds like a pretty provocative statement, but, let’s face it…

O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

“Hope.” There’s that word again; it must be important. I’m thinking in fact that hope is at the very foundation of what it means to be in relationship with God. We can’t prove God exists, so we have faith in God — faith that includes doubt. Faith plus doubt equals hope. And when I think of hope, believe it or not, I actually often think of the Hebrew Bible. The story of salvation in Jewish Scripture is incredibly rich and vibrant with bright colorful imagery and poetry with drama and intensity. The stories themselves not only reflect God’s movement through vast oceanic expanses of feeling that undergird the behavior of individuals, tribes, and nations; these stories reach into our very core places.