Listen up, friends! Listen up, patiently! It might just be the way of love and Godly wisdom.

LISTENING TO GOD

‘Let anyone with ears listen!’ Jesus says. Listening to God is perhaps the most fundamental thing we can do as Christian people: through our Bible reading, our worship together, and even through listening to sermons! And another loving thing we can do is listen to other people.

Firstly, how often do we really listen to God? With truly open hearts? With real patience? I have to say, if I looked at my own scorecard, it might say ‘Could do better!’

And sometimes in church, it’s easy to think ‘Ah yes, that reading: I’ve heard this one before’ and switch off. In Orthodox Christian tradition, before the Gospel reading, the Deacon sings ‘Wisdom! Let us attend!’ A beautiful reminder!

So maybe listening and wisdom go together. A wise friar once told a group of confirmation candidates that a great way to begin our prayer time is to find somewhere to sit and say to God, ‘Speak Lord, for your servant is listening’, as old Eli advised young Samuel in the temple (1 Samuel 3:9).

Our first reading is from the Book of Wisdom, sometimes called the Wisdom of Solomon, after King Solomon – the famously wise son of King David and Bathsheba. It’s a call to grow in wisdom. How can we be wise this week? For one thing, let’s be people who listen: firstly to God.

LISTENING TO OTHER PEOPLE

Listening is, of course, also a beautiful gift to other people.

How often do we really listen to our friend, neighbour, or enemy? Carefully and with our full attention? Someone once said that the main way people know that we love them is that we listen to them.

How often when we’re listening to someone do we find ourselves actually thinking about what we’ll say in response, or what we’re doing later, or even what we disagree with? By listening, we can be part of the revealing of God’s Kingdom of love.

Now I’m no expert on football, but today is the World Cup Final and as the family of nations gathers around the World Cup, it strikes me that listening is part of great teamwork. Of course, listening to the words of the coach and captain: but also listening to the rhythm and movement of the players in your team, and of the team you’re playing against too.

Who are your team-mates in life? Who do you listen to? Where do you find wisdom? And for that matter, who listens to you? You also have wisdom to offer: maybe to people younger than you, maybe to people older than you.

PATIENCE

Listening also requires the fruit of the Holy Spirit: love and patience! We listen because we love. And listening takes patience: to not speak, to truly be open and wait; to wait for God to speak, to wait for the other person to finish speaking.

Look at the person who took a tiny little mustard seed and sowed it in the ground until it grew into a bush and a tree. Mustard seeds actually grow quite quickly, but patience is still needed. And then, waiting for those birds of the air! Patience. Look at the woman mixing yeast into flour until it is all leavened! Patience.

And of course: Jesus’ use of teaching parables is in itself an exercise in patient listening. Jesus could simply have given the explanation that his listeners eventually asked for. But no: Jesus wants our attention, our listening and our patience. Imagine if everyone patient enough to watch 90-minutes of ‘the beautiful game’ of football could give even nine minutes to sit patiently, listening for God with an open heart. The world would be a different place.

Of course, football also demands patience. At the beginning of any sports game, no-one knows who’s going to win – unless there’s serious foul play! The players, spectators, coaches: everyone has to wait patiently for the final whistle. Like those who had to wait for the harvest before picking out the weeds.

You know, some of us may feel we’re naturally more patient, or naturally good listeners. But some of us may not. These are tall tasks of love, placed on us by our God. And if you struggle, remember the parting words of the teacher in our reading from Wisdom: ‘you have filled your children with good hope.’ By God’s grace, may we all grow in wisdom, listen more deeply to God and our neighbour, and may God give us the patience to do so as we wait and work for the coming of God’s Kingdom. Amen.