Pilgrim Uniting Church, Adelaide SA SUN 19-SEP-2021 - 11.00 AM Sermon Rev Sandy Boyce Pentecost 17 – The woman described in Proverbs 31:10-31 could not be a real, historical woman. Nobody like her could ever have lived. Her description is a broad composite – she is welcoming, empathetic and hard working; she knows how to make good investments; she cares for the needy; she is strong and dignified; she is dependable and has integrity; she makes her own expensive garments; and more. We each have parts of these admirable qualities, and we could aspire to others. While the text should not be taken as a job description that could never be fulfilled, it has been empowering for women in their efforts to live out their personhood with dignity and worth. In reading this text less about 'the good wife' and more about the brave and valiant woman – or man, this passage from Proverbs will read less like an idealised woman, and more about examples of women – and men – who show initiative, ingenuity, diligence, and resourcefulness. Seen in this way it becomes part of our discipleship, part of the embodiment of wisdom, part of what it means to follow the way of Christ. May it be so. Proverbs 31: 10-31 Playing Time   –   19:14