Wisdom Bread

Pentecost Proper 15

From “Sitting on the Rainbow”

Artwork by Elsa Ingulsrud

Scripture Reference: Prov. 9:1-6, 10

Preparation: Bring a loaf of bread to distribute among the children. You may package it in a bag labeled “Wisdom Bread.

Can anyone tell me what “wisdom” means? Can you make wisdom? Can you give someone else wisdom? (Allow children to respond.) Let me read some verses to you from the Bible book of Proverbs:

Wisdom has built her house, she has set up her seven pillars. . . .

She has sent out her maids to call from the highest places in the town,

“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”

To him who is without sense she says,

“Come and eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed.

Leave simpleness, and live, and walk in the way of insight” (Prov. 1, 3–6 NLT).

The Bible talks about wisdom as if it were a woman who wants to help foolish people. She calls to those who don’t have much sense to come into her house and eat “wisdom bread.”

I brought some bread with me this morning. And, as you can see, it’s called Wisdom Bread. Do you think that you’ll become wise if you eat this bread? Not really. We can pretend. And by eating this bread we can show how much we’d like to put wisdom into ourselves. Everyone who would like to be wise can have a piece of this Wisdom Bread. (Have a helper pass around the bread while you continue to talk and ask questions.)

The opposite of wisdom is foolishness, isn’t it? Do any of you ever do things that are foolish? I know I do. Can anyone think of something that would be foolish to do? (Listen to the children’s answers and respond to them, or give your own example.) It would be foolish to poke a tiger with a stick, wouldn’t it? The wise thing to do would be to keep your distance. It would be foolish to dive into the shallow end of a pool. You could bump your head on the bottom, or worse, you could break your neck. It would be foolish to start smoking cigarettes. Your lungs would fill up with gunk, and you might get cancer.

What do you think is the most foolish thing a person could possibly do? (Let children give ideas.) People do many foolish things. But the most foolish thing any of us could do is to turn our backs on God, to not believe in Jesus.

God loves the world so much that he sent his only son, Jesus, to save us from our sins and to bring us to heaven to be with him. It would be foolish to keep Jesus out of your life, wouldn’t it? The wise thing to do would be to keep Jesus in your heart and stay close to God for the rest of your life. I pray that we will all live lives of wisdom, whether we have this wonderful wisdom bread or not.

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, come into our hearts to stay. Bring your love and wisdom into our lives.