Does not wisdom call? Does not understanding raise her voice? 2On the heights beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand; 3beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud: 4“To you, O men, I call, and my cry is to the children of man. 27 When he established the heavens, I was there; when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, 28when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, 29when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, 30then I was beside him, like a master workman, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, 31rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the children of man." (Proverbs 8:1-8; 27-31)

"Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio? Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you." Paul Simon, "Mrs. Robinson"

Apparently, Mr. Simon sensed a restlessness in the American Spirit back in the time he wrote Mrs. Robinson. We were, and are, a searching people, seeking meaning and purpose in many ways. Baseball, the great American pastime, is where Simon wistfully reflected on "days gone by." In truth, had he written it now, DiMaggio might not even be known, but it still has a better ring to it than Pete Rose. "Where have you gone, Pete Rose? Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you," just seems to miss the mark. (And it's doubtful that a Bronx native like Simon would write about anyone other than a Yankee.)

We learned a few weeks ago that Pete is now eligible for the Hall of Fame because his ban was for life, and his ended recently - so ruled the commissioner of baseball last month. Rose did the unpardonable, bet on the game while managing and playing. Granted, he didn't deny it, but the precision needed to skillfully decide what gambling is forgivable in the eyes of baseball and is not IS excessively difficult. So, since he's passed now, let's leave it up to the wisdom of baseball writers who vote on the pastime's greatest, who still haven't let in the players from steroid use.

Wisdom is what Solomon requested when God gave Him the opportunity to choose whatever he wanted (1 Kings 3). He writes about it on several occasions in Proverbs and refers to wisdom in the feminine. In today's passage, we read it as part of the Trinity (Sunday being Holy Trinity Sunday). In today's passage, wisdom represents Christ.*

Christ has been present since before the beginning, along with God's Spirit (Genesis 1 and John 1). Christ helped set the foundations of the earth and the land to govern the waters. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1 that Christ is the Wisdom and Power of God (v 18 - 31). When we pray for guidance, wisdom and discernment, we are asking God to send us a measure of Christ's wisdom in spiritual, not earthly, terms. We are asking God's Spirit to move us in a direction that is more aligned with God's ways, not our own.

Pete Rose aside, for the baseball writers to ultimately decide, the wisdom we need daily from God helps us as we navigate life's challenges. Pray with me: Gracious Father, for those challenges we meet today, give us this day, our daily bread. Help me to see clearly the path You would have me take today. Help me to leave tomorrow for tomorrow and face this day. Please give me the strength needed to stand up to those forces and turn them away that would have me choose a path not pleasing to You. In Christ's Name, Amen.

*Apparently, this passage in Proverbs created a great debate about Christ and his status as part of the Trinity in the very early church. In the 4th Athanasius settled the issue after researching scripture. The Study Bible dedicates a considerable amount of time on this passage and Paul's writings. See p 1012 of the Lutheran Study Bible for insight.