The Ascension is a great one for the smarties. If Jesus went up to heaven, where are his bones? Or Elijah's or Enoch's? When the Russian cosmonaut Gregorian flew into outer space, he radioed back that he had proven that God did not exist because he had flown to heaven and didn't see God. What genius.

There is little doubt that Thomas Jefferson was a brilliant man. A genius whose engineering expertise was unmatched. There were parts of the bible that Jefferson said did not conform to rationality. So, he painstakingly edited the bible and removed all the bits he thought were unreasonable. It's interesting what he left in. It is a masterful work of human intellect and reason.

There is a group of incredibly smart and educated scholars that meet to debate what sayings of Jesus are authentic and what are the product of the church's agenda. Of course, things like the resurrection, raising Lazarus, the Ascension are all suspect. Reason tells us that Jesus was at best an incredibly holy man. That's what the smart people say, any way.

I've had occasion to be in meetings with an avowed atheist and intellectual. He told me that he had been an Episcopalian at one time. The tone implied that he believed he had outgrown God. I even felt as though he pitied me for my lack of intelligence. I don't like him very much.

But, on the other hand, I find it difficult to understand how some biblical literalists will insist on a 6,000 year old earth, or that dinosaur bones were put on earth to confuse us. I guess I think I'm too smart to believe that.

I guess it is possible to be too smart for ones own good. I used to hear that from my Dad a lot. See, I've said this before, all through high school and college I thought I was smarter than most other people, and that I had a moral obligation to tell them. Yep, when it came to books, I was smarter than all get out. When it came to getting along with people, I was dumber than a stump. My dad used to talk about a friend as being a genius, but he couldn't tie his shoes without an owner's manual. (I used to wear slip on shoes a lot.)

There is a difference between being smart and being wise. For a working definition, lets say that smart is about what you know, wisdom is about how you use that knowledge. Knowing that your boss just got something terribly wrong may be a sign of intelligence. Telling him that in front of the big boss is probably unwise.

We don't have to be smart to love God. There is no IQ test required to spread the Gospel. My grandmother had a housekeeper named Ida. Ida would no a days be called mentally challenged. Most people just called her stupid. Not Grandma Smith. Grandma took on as her final ministry to teach Ida to read. My aunt would take the labels off of cans and give them to Ida to match when she went grocery shopping.

We have a family legend, which may or may not be historically accurate. It is said that Grandma told her pastor that she wanted to die. Her pastor said that she still had a ministry to do before God would allow her to die. One day, after a couple of years of teaching, Ida came into Grandma's room and read her some verses out of the bible. Now here's where it gets legendary. Knowing that Ida could now read, Grandma shut her eyes and died.

Ida was not smart. But she had a deep and abiding faith. She too had a ministry - helping an old, blind lady find meaning in the midst of a slow death. You don't have to be smart to be a saint. Being wise, though, is a different matter.

There is a section of the old testament that is referred to as Wisdom literature. Esther, Job, psalms, proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon. (I think Psalms just needed a place to be, so scholars included it here). In Proverbs, Songs of Solomon and Ecclesiastes, wisdom is an entity, a thing or person to be gained. Wisdom is always identified as a female. She calls us to herself for our growth and nurture. She gives us food and drink so that we may become wise. As the Siren's of Greek mythology lured the weak to their deaths, Wisdom lures the simple to herself so that they can be wise and live.

Medieval Christians reclaimed the feminine Wisdom and saw it to be the fore tale of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit lures us to become wise in the Lord. It is the exact opposite of the shrill cry of the evil one calling us to debauchery and confusion.

As Pentecost reversed Babel, the Wisdom of God, the Holy Spirit is the opposite of confusion and misinformation.

Paul wrote to the Christians in Ephesus, Be careful how you live, not as unwise people but as wise … So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. .. be filled with the Holy Spirit.

In Mark, Jesus tells his disciples, "Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit."

In Matthew he says, "See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves".

Wisdom, God's Wisdom is what allows us to live in the will of God. It has nothing to do with how well we know the bible. It doesn't depend on how many years you've gone to seminary. Wisdom is that gift of God that opens us up to the grace and mercy of God through his Son, Jesus Christ.

Some of you may remember a magazine that seemed to only be in doctors' offices called "Highlights for children". There was a recurring cartoon called Gallant and Goofus. Gallant was wise and careful and obedient. Goofus was selfish, messy and didn't tuck in his shirt. The idea was to encourage us to be Gallant. Actually, I though Gallant was a nerd, but that's another sermon.

There is a way to live which is consistent with the will of God. The bad news is none of us will ever completely master that way of life. The Good News, of course, is that that's OK. God does not expect perfection. He expects faithfulness. He expects us to seek wisdom and to use wisdom to inform our lives and to shape our character.

So, how do we gain this Wisdom? Proverbs would tell us that it is a spirit which lures us in. Paul would tell us to be filled with the Holy Spirit and the Wisdom of God will be yours.

We have all been given the gift of the Holy Spirit at our baptism. There is nothing more to do to receive the Holy Spirit. Some traditions say that there is a moment of encounter that fills us with the spirit. There are those that say a certain behavior shows that we have the spirit. I don't buy it.

Now, how we allow the Spirit to work in and through us is a matter of our spiritual maturity. As it says in Proverbs, Lay aside immaturity, and live, and walk in the way of insight. Maturity comes about through a myriad of experiences. Most of us can look back our lives and see where we have gone from immaturity to a more mature life. I think we continue to mature socially, spiritually and physically.

We gain spiritual maturity by practicing our faith through ministry and every day living. We gain maturity by learning more about our faith and the One in whom we believe. We gain maturity by coming to the banquet of Wisdom found in the Body and Blood of Christ. We gain maturity by prayer and meditation.

There are a lot of really smart people out there that can't tie their spiritual shoes without help. But intelligence has little to do with wisdom. Wisdom calls us to her table to be fed holy bread and holy wine, so that we may eat and drink, and live.

Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise.