Words of Wisdom

Have you noticed how angry people seem these days? It seems like every time you turn on the TV or check your social media feed, there’s another story of people fighting or arguing over any number of hot button issues and our collective fuse seems to be shorter than ever. So can we do as people of faith to help? The book of Proverbs suggests that it all starts with the power of our words. As we head into Thanksgiving week—and the many conversations that will take place around the holiday dinner table—we’ll look at how our words have the power to heal.

If the last 18 months have taught us anything, it’s that life rarely goes according to our plans. As the old Yiddish saying goes, “Man plans and God laughs.” Sometimes that’s true even in the church. We don’t like to admit it, but sometimes we get so caught up in what we want for the future, that we forget to start with what God wants for the future. So what does God want for the future of HMUMC? Today, we’ll look at the wisdom of Proverbs 19 and God’s vision for our church in 2022 and beyond.

The Book of Proverbs has a lot to say about the importance of relationships and the impact that they have on our faith. In fact, the original purpose of Proverbs was to pass down wisdom from one generation to the next in the hopes of setting them on a godly path. Today, on All Saints Sunday, we’ll look at the influence that we have in our relationships and how God expects us to use it wisely.

Halloween has always been an interesting microcosm of life in the 21st Century. No matter how much you candy you accumulate by Trick or Treating door-to-door, there’s always the inner desire to want more. According to the book of Proverbs, that’s a struggle that never goes away. In fact, one of the signs of true wisdom in life is knowing how much is enough. So what’s the secret to finding that kind of contentedness in life? This week we’ll look at the virtue of generosity.

When it comes to generational wisdom, it doesn’t get much better than Proverbs 22:6: “Train up a child in the way they should go and even they are old they will not turn from it.” So if faith is the greatest gift we can pass down to the next generation, how do we do that well as parents, grandparents, and especially as the Church? This week, we’ll look at some of the most important things we can do to help our kids have an unshakeable faith.

The Book of Proverbs is one of the most unique books in the entire Bible. It doesn’t tell stories or recount history or includes any commandments. No, the book of Proverbs contains 31 chapters dedicated entirely to wisdom. So what is wisdom exactly? And more importantly, how does anyone obtain such a thing? According to Proverbs 9, “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” This week we’ll look at what the fear of the Lord is—and isn’t—as we seek to find Godly wisdom.