Wednesday Yr B Sunday between Jul 10-16

2 Samuel 6:16-23; Luke 7:31-35; Psalm 68:24-35

Luke 7: 33For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ 34The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners.” ‘ 35But wisdom is proved right by all her children.”

Wisdom is as Wisdom does

Marcie entered the laundry room where her mom was working.

“Hi, Mom. Did you find my white shirt in the dryer? I transferred my wash to the dryer this morning before school.”

“I folded it a bit ago. Are you going somewhere?”

“Yeah, a bunch of us are going to the Underground Café, tonight.” Marcie picked up a shirt to fold.

“Yes, here it is.” Her mom pointed to an orderly stack of clothes that were hers. The white shirt had been smoothed and folded. I think if you steam it a little, you won’t have to press it and it will be fine for church tomorrow.”

“It looks fine as it is. I don’t mind the wrinkled look.”

“Handsome is as handsome does.” Marcie’s mom folded another t-shirt and set in on her husband’s laundry stack.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Picking up a bath towel, she tri-folded it against her chest: then in half and added it to the linen stack.

“It means that what you are shows in what you do. If you want to be handsome or beautiful then you do the things that make you beautiful. Good hygiene, personal care of clothing, Everything you do or say reflects on who you are.”

“Aw, Mom, you’re just old fashioned. Nobody cares about those things. I see lots of kids wearing crumpled clothing. It’s the style.”

“Give me an example.”

“Okay, Martin. He’s always wearing crumpled clothes.”

Marcie’s confident smile faded when her mom asked. “So, when you think of Martin, you say, ‘He’s so handsome. I can’t think of anyone as handsome as he is.”

“Uh,…no, not exactly.”

“Maybe that was too much. You think ‘He is so handsome. He couldn’t possibly be more handsome than he looks at that moment.’”

“Uh…well…uh.”

“Cat got your tongue?” Her mom stopped folding and turned to her.

“Even by your standards, you know that Martin could be more handsome. Give me a name of someone you think is handsome?”

“Daniel Radcliff, Robert Pattinson. They don’t always look clean in the movies.”

“I’m not talking about their acting makeup. Have you seen them in interviews or at events looking as if they hadn’t had a bath or styled their hair or wore clothes that they slept in?”

“No.”

“That’s because they know their image matters and what they do will count for or against them. In the same way, what you do and say matters.”

“But I thought we weren’t supposed to worry about the outside or what we wear?”

“There is a difference between worrying about what you wear and taking care with your appearance.” Her mom smoothed a t-shirt before folding the sleeves in and then again in half to add to the stack of clean clothes.

“It’s not just looks, it’s everything you do and everything you say. People assess who you are by your actions.”

“People shouldn’t judge.”

“People will always judge and I am not concerned about their behavior as I am about yours. You are a representative of Christ. So, you are setting yourself as an example of God’s family. Your actions and the way you dress tell others about God, since they know you are a Christian. The question is: Are you telling people good things about God by your actions?”

“I guess I do sometimes, but sometimes I don’t.” Marcie acknowledged.

“The passage today in Luke talked about how people judged John the Baptist one way and Christ the opposite way. People will always judge others. But Christ said that in the end, doing the right thing will be vindicated.”

“So if I do what is right, then regardless how people judge me—whether they think I’m a goody-goody two shoes or not Christian enough—that God will be pleased and will prove in the end that it was right?”

“That’s what I mean. I want you to be aware that you are God’s child and whether you are hanging with sinners or saints, your behavior should represent Christ in a consistent way.”

Grabbing her pile of clothing, Marcie smiled briefly as she exited to her room. “I promise, Mom.”

Daily prayer: Dear God, you are pure and wise. Please forgive our failure to live up to your standards. Help us to walk in wisdom, strive for purity and love others as you have loved us. In Jesus name, Amen.

Memorize:  Luke 7:35 “But wisdom is proved right by all her children.”