Learning to Lean

Learning to Lean – We continue our trip through the Bible with today’s focus on Wisdom literature and passages from Song of Songs, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes. Our church has had an intergenerational Sunday school through the month of June, and sitting at a table with people of various generations who can share their views of God and God’s people is not dissimilar from examining the voice of youth in Song of Songs, then Proverbs as the voice of an adult of middle age, and Ecclesiastes as the voice of wisdom of age. Song of Songs is a love poem of passion between two people, and it gives the potential and hope of life, longings for a perfect world. Middle age comes with its joys but also its challenges of living, caring for children and older adults as well as making it through every day. Proverbs, like middle age, offers pieces of wisdom but ultimately urges trust in God. Some of Ecclesiastes is cynical, but it also assures that God has long ago approved of who we are – we don’t need to go through so much to make ourselves somebody else because God has approved, and we can live out of gratitude, continuing to learn and lean on God.