August: Wisdom

Resolution: I choose to seek the mind of Christ and discern the appropriate response.

August is close to the middle of the long period of ordinary time between Pentecost and Advent. We have come down off of the highs of Easter and Ascension and are in the lull before the year begins again. This is not unlike our lives: we have varying seasons of height and celebration and lowness and solemnness. Between those is the everyday “normalness” of life. Ordinary time is that season of everyday “normalness.” In the midst of this long chapter of the calendar it is good that we take time to think about being wise, to choose to seek the mind of Christ and discern the appropriate response. Since most of our lives are lived in the ordinary time and because we best learn the mind of Christ and discern responses when not in the throes of either exhilaration or sorrow, we may best learn wisdom in the “down season.”           

Our resolution captures well and succinctly the virtue of wisdom. Sometimes wisdom is thought of as simply a virtue of thinking, reasoning, understanding, or special insight. While that is partly true it is not the full account. The intellectual aspect is only half of being wise; the wise person also acts on the path of wisdom. And for the Christian, the path always begins with God and leads to God, which is most clearly revealed in Jesus Christ, the perfect image of God (Col. 1:15; Heb. 1:3). Of course, how this works out in the specifics of daily life will differ from person to person, but wisdom is always first and foremost shaped by Christ and acted out in ways that are appropriate. In addition to being shaped by Christ through the Scriptures, one of the ways we can learn wisdom is from the advice, counsel, and lived-experience of godly people.

August: Liturgy

Leader: Almighty Father, by wisdom You founded the earth, and by understanding You established the heavens.

People: Father, give us wisdom, discernment, and the grace to act on Your behalf in culture.

Leader: Lord Jesus, Philippians encourages us to have Your same mindset – a mindset that did nothing for selfish ambition or vain conceit.

People: Jesus, give us wisdom, discernment, and the grace to act on Your behalf in culture.

Leader:  Holy Spirit, we are reminded of the promise in James, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

People: Spirit, give us wisdom, discernment, and the grace to act on Your behalf in culture.