she produces friends of God

Wsidom 7:22-30;8:1-; Luke 17:20-25

As we ponder the beauty of the reading from the book of wisdom there is one thing that jumps out in the midst of all the beautiful array of adjectives describing wisdom:holy, one, manifold, eloquent, undefiled, sure, sweet, loving that which is good, beneficent, gentile, kind, assured, pure and the list goes on and on.

All of these things are necessary attributes of wisdom, yet the one that stands shoulders above all the rest, the one attribute that will be the litmus test for for us is the reality that wisdom:"produces friends of God."

She makes us friends of God.

Where have we heard that before?

Ah Yes, we heard that on the lips of Jesus at the Supper before his crucifixion, on his knees washing the feet of the apostles he tells them, "I no longer call yo servant but friends."

WIsdom personified most perfectly stoops to our level washes our feet and invites us into the intimate friendship with God.

In this sweet embrace the Kingdom of God begins to take shape in our hearts and minds and lives.

In this embrace, the kingdom of God is within.

Thus, the outward signs of the kingdom are not to be perceived in the clouds or the sky but rather the outward signs are seen by what we do with our hands, or where we go with our feet, what we say with our lips, what look upon with our eyes, what we choose to listen to with our ears, what we hold on to with mind, what we desire in our hearts.

These are the outwards signs of the kingdom within.