Climb the Highest Mountain

Anton DeWet

Ecclesiastes 3:9-13 – Wisdom of Solomon 10:15-17

Another year has begun. What a challenge. What an adventure. What an opportunity.

It nearly feels as though one can wipe the slate clean when a new year begins; it’s a new page and we have the color palate and brush in our hands. Now to begin with our masterpiece, painting with fervor and joy and enthusiasm. New colors to experiment with; new imagination to flow forth; new techniques to master.

Most societies and tribes have their own unique stories in which the gathered wisdom of their combined experiences are recorded. These stories are heavily laden with ideas on how to live life in the most meaningful way.

In this was the ancient Israelites had their stories and we call it our Old Testament. Stories gathered over the ages created by people called prophets or storytellers or elders, depending in which tradition and culture you were raised in.

Within the Old Testament there are different groupings of these stories. There is the Torah, the first 5 books, which contain the laws by which people would organize their society.

There are the prophets, which is a collection of books dealing specifically with a new form of leadership which influenced the lives of this society for a period in time.

And today we read from two different books belonging to that group called the Wisdom Literature. Wisdom literature was more about the ethical training of a person in contrast to the other books where there was more a focus on the national life of the people.

These books are about making the right practical choices in one’s life.

Just look at the practical wisdom given in this reading from Ecclesiastes;
“I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful
and to do good as long as they live;
also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all
his toil¬—this is God’s gift to us all.”

This is plain, practical advice on living our lives. The author says that in considering everything one can about God or the divine, in the end what matters is that that we take joy in our lives, do our work, enjoy the fruit of our labors.

In the Song of Solomon we read how that author speaks of God as Wisdom personified;

“she gave to holy people the reward of their labors;
she guided them along a marvelous way,
and became a shelter to them by day,
and a starry flame through the night.”

There is nothing fancy about this statement. Its understandable and clear. Living a decent, balanced life you will be rewarded by the rewards of your labor and find your way through life.

Too often we feel we are unfulfilled. Too often we tell ourselves “if only I had done this…achieved that…, then I would have felt my life was so much more worthy.

We discount what we have achieved and we downgrade the ordinary as being unworthy. Our commercial world convinces us through the unending bombardment of commercials in the media that if only you take this pill, you will find relief and a better life. If only you buy this brand of clothing you will impress others. If only you…and so we are brainwashed to believe that we are a people who are lacking something to make our lives whole and meaningful. And we listen to these messages and we medicate ourselves; we buy junk that adds no value to our experience; we chase our own shadows around and never find peace of mind and we loose our sense of appreciation for the lives we have lived so far.

The result is the foundation for a live of discontent. “If only I had…if only I hadn’t…if only…”
How about looking at ourselves from the point of view of celebrating our achievements, even if the only thing we can say is that we survived? How about looking at our lives and acknowledging and accepting the lives we have as gift—gift from the point of view of belonging to a family, a relationship, a community, a congregation or a country where we are valued.

How about considering the flowers of the fields and studying their beauty and giving thanks for the wonder of their colors and their fragrance. The grand wonder of the skies with its brilliant stars and galaxies must surely move us to amazement. O for the beauty of our experience! The gift of breath. The sound of music that tickles our deepest sense of pleasure. Poetry, good food, laughter, good movies.

The Wisdom literature was also often a kind of protest against the ruling powers’ excesses and a reminder that in the midst of it all there was still common sense and good choices to made. Life continues despite…and that can be despite our sense of frustration with the power mongers of the world; the unfairness of the distribution of wealth that leaves our world distorted and ailing; even our own challenges of illness, setbacks in our personal lives, and tragedy.

According to the Wisdom literature we can be assured that God, as expressed as Wisdom, breaks into our lives despite our worst experiences. And if we are willing to heed its call this Wisdom will lead us forward in life.

But this is no excuse to accept the status quo, in my view, especially if we are longing for new adventures in life or if we simply wish to make the best of our lives.

If you decide to go mountain climbing the experienced mountaineer will always opt to climb the highest mountain within their reach and capacity.

If I am looking for a thrilling experience I am surely not going to climb a small hill am I? I will go for the highest I imagine I can manage.

It’s the same with our own lives. No matter how much or how little there is left of our years, we can still set goals. We can still dream dreams. When you are young and feel invincible, those goals are set quite high. As you age your energy and health might limit the goals you set. Yet, 2010 is ripe with possibility.

Let’s set our sights on that mountain and invite Wisdom to accompany us and to support us as we battle our way forward enjoying the “fruits of our labor” all the way to the summit.

Let’s ask Wisdom “for the reward of our labors as she guides us along a marvelous way, and becomes a shelter to us by day, and a starry flame through the night…” just as she did for Israel.

And let’s support each other by the way we express our faith together. Let’s rally to the aid of those who call out for help on this journey. Let’s commit ourselves to being a team, united by Wisdom as she continually encourages us and coaches us up this mountainside, especially as we as a congregation find our way forward in these times.

God is good and so are you. We give thanks for the past. The future is in our hands. Now, let’s get going and get on task. Our communion service is an opportunity to add sustenance to our spirits as we seek out our calling and plan our goals for 2010. We will need strength for this climb. May God be with us. Amen.