Proper 15 B: Wisdom

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Bible readings:1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14, Ephesians 5:15-20 Theme: Wisdom Story: Choosing Wisdom This story can be found in Betsy Devine and Joel E. Cohen's book, Absolute Zero Gravity, Simon & Schuster or at http://www.bible.org/illus.asp?topic_id=1689 Kid's Activity: Based on Ephesians 5:18b Take a large clear glass of lemonade and drop some sultanas in it. Together watch the sultanas repeatedly sink and then rise again. Discuss how the Holy Spirit is all around us,(like the lemonade around the sultanas) but we are not always aware of the Spirit’s presence. God's Spirit can lift us again and again giving us strength, courage, hope, faith etc – whatever we need to be Christians in this world. Film Clip:Stigmata Just after the scene in which Frankie discovers the third sign of the stigmata, there is a scene where the priest bumps into her in a market place. Over a coffee, the priest tells Frankie that he was an organic chemist. She asks him why he became a priest. He replies that there were "too many holes" and that the science he learnt could not explain everything. He goes on to say that the explanation he needed could only be found in God. Listening Song:Deep Calling Deep By Margaret Becker on her Grace album or on WOW 1996 (pictured) Discussion questions to get people thinking after the OT reading: What is wisdom? Can we be as wise as Solomon? How does wisdom work in the 21st century? Story: The Holy Spirit Story No 307 in 750 Engaging Illustrations for Preachers, Teachers and Writers edited by Craig Brian Larson and Leadership Journal, Baker Books, 2002. Story:Stopping at the Lights Found in 1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching edited by Michael P Green, Baker Books, 2000, page 428, story no 1562 (pictured) Response Activity: Ask people to get in to groups and together write an acrostic prayer using the word "wisdom". It would be useful to have A3 or A4 sheets already brightly printed with the word. At the end of the activity display all the prayers and allow people some quiet reflective time to walk around and pray/read all the prayers.