| Lady Wisdom: A sermon by Rev. Paul Vallerand II |
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The Bible tells of a lady that is higher than any other, which is necessary for the soul to find peace in life and in death. There are a long list of proverbs dedicated to the veneration of wisdom. And yet, the Lady of Wisdom is hardly spoken of in modern times.
And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore. -1 Kings 4:29
In ancient, Judeo-Christian scripture, wisdom is defined as a Goddess, which was both the Mother of God, and later his assistant and consort. The Gnostics, keepers of the most ancient form of Christian faith, had dedicated many parts of their study to keeping the Wisdom of this form of creation alive. The Greeks called this wisdom Sophia.
And with you is Wisdom, who knows your works, and was present when you made the world, and understands what is pleasing to your sight, and what is in accord with your commands. Send her forth from the holy heavens and dispatch her from your glorious throne, to be with me and toil, and so that I may know what is pleasing to you.
-Wisdom 9:9-10
What this shows, brothers and sisters, is that we many peoples of different faiths, are we so different? Was it not in the words of the Gospel of Saint Matthew, whose words ring true to this day:
Judge not, that ye not be judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure you mete, it shall be measured unto you. -S. Matthew 7:1-2
When facing Christians, the walkers of the ancient path often scoff. How could you, Christian, dare tell us of the ancient ways the proper method of worship? You who decided that all deity is male and no other could possibly come forth? For isn't it in your own teachings that the natural power of humanity is evil?
And yet there is an entire list of Proverbs dedicated to a woman, whose name has been concealed by the title Wisdom, and a book hidden from the Septuagint, which tells of her marriage to both the Lord and Solomon.
And the Christian often bites back, disgusted at the ancient mage. How could you, heretic and heathen, understand the holy path of the Lord? For you have taken unto thee a graven image, allowed yourself to become a sorcerer, and walked unclean by worshipping not the Lord and Creator, but the creation of Him.
And yet in the Book of Revelation, does not Christ mention the use of Magick? In his own words, Saint John states with validity that he met with many Angels who gave him the knowledge of what was to come.
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. To him that overcometh, to him will I give of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and uponj the stone a new name written, which no one knowith but he that receiveth it.
-Revelation 2:17
Does this not reflect the truth of our brotherhood? For it is in the ancient times that the manna, the magick of the world and the holy spirit of our Lord was given to humanity. Did not the Revelation speak of this gift? Is it so evil to use this gift righteously in the name of the Lord?
So the path of those who were on the earth were straightened, and men were taught the things that please you, and were saved by Wisdom. -Wisdom 9:18
Should not wisdom be out goal? It is in the name of the Lord that we preach, and yet the wisdom that he gives is often lost in the need for pure worship. The Lord needs not blind faith, but faith that is filled with wisdom. It was Sophia that saved ancient man, from betraying the Lord when he was lonely and scared. She was there during all wars, and held those who fought against each other blameless in the eyes of the Lord, even as Sodom burned to the ground leaving a pillar of salt in the form of Lot's wife, who rejected Sophia's warning to heed the Lord's words and looked back upon Sodom.
Validate the path of the Mage, of the Pagan, of those the Christians would call heretic with this Proverb of Solomon, for they are the followers of the wise, who received the ancient Manna from the Angel Pergamum with the blessing of the Lord:
To give subtlety to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion: That the wise man may hear, and increase in learning; And that the man of understanding may attain unto sound counsels: To understand a proverb, and a figure; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings. -Proverbs 1:4-6
And for the followers of the wise, validate the path of the Christian, for they have devoted themselves to pure worship, whose path may indeed be harder than yours. It is their edict that they trust the divine without question, and learn wisdom from the texts as written.
You are all brothers and sisters, the Christian, the Pagan, the Jew and Muslim. We are no different from one another despite our differences in worship. For Wisdom, Her mighty way, mother of the Lord and consort to Him, shows us that no matter the path we follow, we will all return to their arms at the end of days. Amen.
Rev. Paul R. Vallerand II |
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As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials. As an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning, I've enjoyed watching the continual growth of the seminary.
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