The Inheritance of Wisdom

The Inheritance of God Worship Series: THE INHERITANCE OF WISDOM
Trinity Sunday - June 16, 2019

Planning for this Series

How can this historic statement of faith provide further definition and clarity of what the Christian church believes about the nature of our Triune God during the seasons of Trinity Sunday/Pentecost/ Kingdomtide? More importantly, how might this Trinitarian legacy be passed on to our children and youth?

There could be no more appropriate time to demonstrate the concepts of inheritance, relationship, creative speaking, and listening than during this high holy day, Trinity Sunday, celebrated alongside Father’s Day and beyond. For that reason, this series seeks to punctuate the ways in which God, Father (Creator), God, Son (Savior), God, Spirit (Sophia) are dancing together over, among, within, around us in perfect rhythm and divine harmony. This is the POWER of ONE-IN-THREE, THREE-IN-ONE. Not only are we recipients of this POWER, but we are also called to be a reincarnation of this inheritance and to pass it on! What better way, place, or time for the church to demonstrate the richness of this rite of passage than Father’s Day! Here are two ideas for your consideration:

An in-depth study series of the Nicene Creed shared by several generations within your faith community could result in a contemporary translation of the creed through the medium of the spoken word, composed by children, youth, and/or young adults. What is the outcome of this experience? In the prologue of John’s Gospel, the writer substitutes Logos for Word. In the third century, Logos functioned as that which offered logic or reason. However, John is referring to the Greek meaning of Logos, the mind of Christ: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:3).

Perhaps a more contemporary written description of the character of God from the creative hearts and minds of millennials, next-gens, and others might serve to build bridges among multiple generations in your congregation. A stunning example of this art form is aptly demonstrated in “Next Generation Resources” of The Africana Worship Series Book for Year C, (Discipleship Resources, p. 96, www.discipleshipresources.org). The litany is titled “Trinity Sunday: Custom-Made by God’s Own Hand.” Written by Sharletta Green, the litany is a paraphrase of Proverb 8:1-4, 22-31

A second outcome might be an action or embodiment of how we perceive God.

“The Word became flesh and made his home among us” (John 1:14a).

“No one has ever seen God. God the only Son, who is at the Father’s side, has made God known” (John 1:18).

Jesus Christ, the Logos, becomes flesh!

“What came into being in him was life and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it (John 1:3b-5).

What a metaphor! How might this concept live in the celebration of worship? Consider various forms of liturgical movement:

• Dancers (multi-generations, genders) leading the Processional with the Light of Christ, the Bible, the cross, emblematic of the dance of the Trinity (perichorisis)
• Scripture choreographed, while the voice of the reader is heard, not seen.
• Procession of the Communion elements

What other artistic ways can your congregation experience, embody, live into the legacy extended to us through the power and presence of our Triune God?

THE INHERITANCE of WISDOM

PROVERBS 8:1-4, 22-31

The Gifts of Wisdom

¹Does not wisdom call, and does not understanding raise her voice?

² On the heights, beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand;

³ beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries out:

⁴ “To you, O people, I call, and my cry is to all that live.

Wisdom’s Part in Creation

²² The Lord created me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of long ago.

²³ Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth.

²⁴ When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water. ²⁵ Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth—

²⁶ when he had not yet made earth and fields, or the world’s first bits of soil.

²⁷ When he established the heavens, I was there, when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,

²⁸ when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep,

²⁹ when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command,

when he marked out the foundations of the earth, ³⁰ then I was beside him, like a master worker;

and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always,³¹ rejoicing in his inhabited world

and delighting in the human race.

JOHN 16:12-15

¹² “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. ¹³ When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. ¹⁴ He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. ¹⁵ All that the Father has is mine. For this reason, I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

Abbreviations

AWS – Africana Worship Series, Year C
SOZ – Songs of Zion
TFWS - The Faith We Sing
UMH - The United Methodist Hymnal
URW - Upper Room Worshipbook
W&S - Worship & Song, Music Edition

LITURGICAL RESOURCES

Music:

UMH 61, 62, 64, 65, 66, 71, 75, 77, 85, 88, 89, 92, 97, 100, 113, 114, 117, 119, 121, 123, 141, 148, 151, 152, 203, 267, 325, 365, 385, 400, 422, 427, 428, 430, 433, 434, 441, 450, 475, 480, 492, 494, 505, 519, 539, 576, 592, 613, 632, 645, 651, 680

Canticle:

UMH 112

Prayers:

UMH 76, 429, 639,

TFWS: 2008, 2009, 2022, 2023, 2046, 2047, 2050, 2191, 2196, 2191, 2255, 2258, 2268, 2276

SOZ: 139, 226