Sirach 24.1-22 (CEB):

Wisdom will praise herself, and she will boast in the midst of her people.  In the assembly of the Most High, she will open her mouth, and in the presence of God’s heavenly forces, she will boast: “I came forth from the mouth of the Most High, and I covered the earth like a mist. I lived in the heights, and my throne was in a pillar of cloud. I alone encircled the vault of heaven and walked in the depths of abysses. In the waves of the sea and in every land, and among every people and nation, I led the way. I sought a resting place among all of these. In whose allotted territory should I make my home?

“Then the creator of all things gave me a command; the one who created me pitched my tent

and said, ‘Make your dwelling in Jacob, and let Israel receive your inheritance.’ Before the ages, from the beginning, God created me, and till eternity I will never fail.

“I ministered before him in the holy tent, and so I was established in Zion. In the same way, he made the dearly loved city my resting place and established my authority in Jerusalem. I took root in a glorified people; among the people the Lord chose for his inheritance.

“I rose high like a cedar in Lebanon, like a cypress on Mount Hermon. I rose high like a palm in En-geddi, and like rosebushes in Jericho, like a fair olive tree in a field. I rose high like a plane tree. Like cinnamon and camel’s thorn used for spices, I gave off a fine aroma. Like choice myrrh, I spread forth my fragrance, like galbanum, onycha, and stacte, and like the smell of frankincense in the tent.

^“Like a terebinth oak I spread out my branches, and my branches were glorious and graceful. Gracious favor was the leaf that I put forth like a vine, and honor and wealth were the fruit that my blossoms bore. Come to me, you who desire me, and take your fill of my produce. Calling me to mind is sweeter than honey, and possessing me is better than a dripping honeycomb.

^“Those who eat of me will hunger for more, and those who drink of me will thirst for more. Whoever obeys me won’t be ashamed, and those who work with me won’t sin.”

Ah, wisdom. Remember when humans were so enamored of learning that we imagined Wisdom as the ultimate, feminine, creative energy of the universe, a power so sweet and addictive that, once tasted, we yearned to know more, to experience more, solely for the pursuit of more wisdom?

Yeah, I miss those days.

For all our foibles, I believe humanity’s most harmful self-inflicted transgression has been our utter loss of respect for wisdom. I’m not talking merely about intelligence, although for some reason it is now fashionable to make fun of smart people with new ideas. But wisdom is more than intelligence. While it might take us many years to learn something new, true wisdom takes a lifetime of learning many something news. Ultimately, wisdom is about coming to understand that life is about the journey.

To illustrate, I’m going to paraphrase a short story, a modern parable by Norton Juster, who also wrote The Phantom Tollbooth, one of my all-time favorite books (thanks aunt Susie).

Alberic was a young man who knew nothing of the world other than the little village in which he lived. One day a stranger came to town, an old man with a large sack on his back.

Out of curiosity, Alberic began a conversation with this traveler who told Alberic tales of faraway places full of mystery and wonder. For several days after his encounter with this old man, Alberic could think only of the larger world outside his village. Eventually, the allure of the unknown proved greater than the comfort of the familiar, so he packed his belongings and set out for these faraway places in search of the wisdom they might offer.

Before long he came to a walled city grander than anything he had ever imagined. This city was renowned for its manufacture of stained glass. Satisfying himself that beauty was the true aim of wisdom, Alberic became an apprentice to an old craftsman for whom he worked for two years, doing everything he was asked to do and learning all he could about the art of stained glass making.

Finally, the day came for Alberic to prove his own skill and show what he had learned. He labored meticulously over his stained glass creation, but unfortunately, the finished product was of inferior quality. He would never be a glassmaker.

Alberic moved on from that city to another famous for its stonecutters and masons. “Beauty isn’t everything,” he thought. “The true measure of wisdom is utility. I’ll do something useful.” So, again, he set about the task of learning a trade, this time as a stonecutter. But his ability at stonecutting was as lacking as his efforts at making stained glass, and so he moved on to the next town.

“Usefulness isn’t everything,” he decided. “Innovation is surely the measure of wisdom. I’ll do something original.” And soon he arrived at a village where the goldsmiths crafted objects of unsurpassed beauty and elegance. But for Alberic, this third attempt only produced a third failure.

And so it went, city after city, try after try, year after year. Still, wisdom and skill eluded Alberic.

Now old and alone, Alberic reached the great, capital city where he stopped to rest with his accumulation of objects and memories. Intrigued by his strangeness, some of the youngsters of the town came up to him and asked where he had been and what he had seen.

Alberic began to tell them the stories of his pilgrimage. Each day brought more and more people to hear his tales of faraway places and to marvel at his knowledge. Even the king came to listen and seek advice. So impressed was the king that he moved Alberic into the castle and gave him the title of Alberic the Wise.

After the novelty and the newness of his recently acquired fame began to fade, Alberic started to experience self-doubt. No matter what anyone else said or thought, Alberic knew that he was not wise. However, the more he tried to disown his reputation for wisdom, the wiser he was thought to be by the townspeople.

Alberic grew more and more sad and less at ease with himself.

Finally, to the utter astonishment of everyone, Alberic packed up his belongings, gave up his palace, his wealth, his servants and his exalted position among the citizens of the town, and headed out on a journey for an unknown destination. Alberic had discovered the one thing that for him was true wisdom: “It is much better to look for what I may never find than to find what I do not really want.”

We, like Alberic, are seekers of wisdom. And many of us also find what we think is the source of wisdom, only to be disappointed when reality does not measure up to expectations. And that’s okay. We can learn from Alberic that life is about the experiences, about learning new things, meeting new people, exploring new cultures, ideas, and opportunities.

True wisdom, the kind of Wisdom that creates universes, is the totality of our many life experiences and all life experiences. Our life journeys should be filled with constant questioning and learning. Never accept anything at face value—dig in there and do the work, like Alberic. Even if we never become master craftspeople, learning new techniques and ideas is never a mistake.

Wisdom, like faith, is bread for our journey — a companion for our pilgrim walk. A guide. Something for us to fall in love with and spend our lives with as we walk, hand in hand, on a journey toward the ultimate, only, and unifying Wisdom: God.

Amen.

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