Have you ever had a dream so real and vivid that it affected your entire outlook for the day? Either in a good way or a bad way? I’ve had both… dreams that filled me with such a sense of love and hope that it lifted my spirits the entire day… and dreams that made me so depressed and made me so sad, that all I wanted to do was stay in bed all day! Keep that in mind as you listen to the scripture reading for today.

Last week we heard about David taking Bathsheba, and the prophet Nathan confronting David with the truth of his sin, and the consequences it will have for his family and the kingdom. The first son Bathsheba bore David died, the next one was Solomon. He was not the obvious heir, as he had several older half-brothers, but those other brothers were often in turmoil and trouble or even took their rivalry to the death. Bathsheba asked David to appoint Solomon to be his heir, and he did so without telling his older sons. We pick up the story today just at the beginning of Solomon’s reign, after he dealt with his rival brothers but before he built the Temple in Jerusalem. (Teri Petersen)

I am reading from First Kings, chapter three, in the New Revised Standard Version:

4 The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the principal high place; Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I should give you.” 6 And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you, and you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne today. 7 And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. 9 Give your servant, therefore, an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil, for who can govern this great people of yours?” 10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 11 God said to him, “Because you have asked this and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or for the life of your enemies but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 I now do according to your word. Indeed, I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you, and no one like you shall arise after you. 13 I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor all your life; no other king shall compare with you. 14 If you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your life.”15 Then Solomon awoke; it had been a dream. He came to Jerusalem, where he stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. He offered up burnt offerings and offerings of well-being and provided a feast for all his servants.

Solomon awoke… as I said, it had been a dream… but… a dream that obviously impacted what happened next. In his dream, Solomon had asked God an understanding mind to govern the people, and the ability to discern between good and evil. He asked what was best for the community, not for himself. How could he serve the community best… and God gave him a wise and discerning mind. A wise and discerning mind doesn’t just happen… it takes time and sometimes bad judgement. Wisdom isn’t necessarily about getting everything right the first time. Sometimes it’s about being willing to recognize when we’ve got it wrong, to learn from it, and to make a different choice next time. A number of people over the years have said something like, “Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment.”Or: “Wisdom comes from experience. Experience is often a result of lack of wisdom.”

But there’s another aspect to wisdom and a discerning mind. For both Solomon and for us. The ones who have gone before us. Who made mistakes and learned and grew and adapted. Solomon wasn’t the first person in the story of God’s people to demonstrate wisdom. There were others who had gone before him, people whose stories offered examples of leadership, discernment and faith.People like

• Deborah the Prophetess: A judge and ruler of Israel generations before the monarchy. She held court under the Palm of Deborah, where Israelites from all over came to her to have their disputes settled and to seek her inspired counsel (Judges 4–5).
• Joseph, who was praised by Pharaoh for his God-given wisdom in interpreting dreams and administering Egypt (Genesis 41:39).
• Moses, revered for his lawgiving, leadership, and instruction of Israel.

None of these people were perfect, and neither was Solomon. But nobody has to be perfect to have some wisdom to offer. Not then, not now.

As I said last week, there is always something new to learn in scripture. The Hebrew expression we translate as an understanding mind or discerning heart carries with it the beautiful image of a listening heart. Isn’t that beautiful? God grants Solomon a listening heart. Wisdom is having a listening heart. A heart that listens before it speaks. A heart that listens to others, listens for what is beneath the words, and listens for the movement of God. Which means love is at the centre of faithful decisions.Listening in love.

Today is All Saints Sunday. A day when we remember and give thanks for those who have gone before us. Those whose faith, commitment, generosity and love have shaped who we are. And as we begin this new chapter together, I find myself wondering: Who are the saints who have gone before us who can offer wisdom, a listening heart, for our time and place in God’s story? With these three congregations, I’m sure there are a multitude of saints who offered their wisdom in the past for the greater good. And I’m also sure that there are living saints sitting right here with wisdom and discernment to offer.

The thing about wisdom and discernment is that they rarely come quickly! In our fast-paced world, and our love of quick, easy answers, sometimes we don’t want to take the time for wisdom to surface. To invite God into the process… to wait upon God’s time. I’m as guilty as the next person! It’s hard living with ambiguity, living in between what was and what will be is not an easy place to be.

It’s the messy middle… but perhaps that’s where God’s creative work happens. That’s where hearts are opened and revealed. That’s where we discover things about ourselves and one another that we might never have discovered otherwise. That’s where something new is created, not by erasing the history and rituals of the past, but by allowing them to become part of something new.

This new creation of ours, Harbour United, will need all of us to have a listening heart. A heart that listens to the stories of those who came before us, honouring the faith and commitment that brought us to this place. A heart that listens to one another, especially when our experiences, expectations and hopes are different. And a heart that listens for God, trusting that even when we don’t have all the answers, God is still at work among us.

Solomon asked God for wisdom because he understood that he couldn’t do this alone. Neither can we. Perhaps the greatest wisdom we can bring into this new beginning is the willingness to listen, to learn, to be open to one another, and to trust that God is creating something new among us.May we, too, be people with listening hearts.

Thanks be to God for the challenge and the opportunity, amen.

The Wisdom of the Saints
1 Kings 3:4-15
November 1, 2026 – HUC
All Saints