From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My siblings in Christ, this ought not to be so.
Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear.
These words seem like simple truths, and, on the surface, they are. It is true that with the same mouth we praise God and curse those made in God’s image, and that ought not be so. Yet Proverbs 31:18 also tells us that we must, “Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute.”
How is it that we can follow the rule of “not saying anything unless we have something nice to say” when there are some pretty bad things going on that need to be spoken about?
Over the next two weeks, we are going to be wrestling with the difficulty of speaking out against injustice, while always working toward a greater understanding of each other as indelible reflections of the character of the Creator.
If the idea of “speaking out against injustice” is off-putting to you, then maybe it would be easier to think of it as seeking to connect our words and deeds in a way that encourages faith, helps us all become what we were created to be, and always glorifies God. Regardless of the way we say it, the reality is that there is a need for us to build up that which is good and faithful and meaningful in our lives, in each other's lives, and in the structures and institutions that impact our lives together.
It may be that we need to tear down some things in order to build up that which is good, but what concerns us today is that we recognize the power of our words in those interactions and the call of Christ to remember not only our own humanity, but also everyone else’s, as a reflection of the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer of all that is – even that which we cannot perceive in any way at all.
Our readings today remind us that this is not something that we can do on our own. We’ve tamed and named every beast and bird, and yet there is one beastie that gets us every time – our own tongues. James calls it a “deadly poison” and the ignition source for a fire that burns out of control like the fires of Hell itself! Those are some pretty harsh words from someone who is telling us to choose our words carefully.
James is not actually telling us what we should do; he is essentially saying that we have no hope in taming the tongue without God’s intervention in Christ. God has already tamed the tongue, yet it is up to us to recognize what God has done so that we might benefit from it; so that our words and deeds and relationships might all come in line with what God has in mind!
All this talk about speaking and holding back reminds me of a time when I served as the off-site adventure camp coordinator for Camp Glenkirk in VA. The program director was a guy named Tom. He was a quiet man, and very kind, but he would often chuckle to himself at our expense. One day I asked him about that, and he said, “I just have an internal monologue that goes on all the time. It’s not always about you guys. It’s kind of like an internal conversation.”
I looked at him, amazed, and I said, “You don’t say everything that comes to mind?” He looked puzzled and said, “Why would I do that?” I said, “Because I see you laughing and I know it has to be funny. I want in on that!” The conversation continued and other staff members introduced me to the concept of a “verbal filter” while I continued to encourage Tom to speak his truth. It had a profound impact on all of our lives.
I share this with you because I know there are those who struggle with knowing what to speak about and when, and because there are plenty of things that need to be spoken about that are left unsaid. If only the loudmouths win the day, then we may not get to a place where we can hear stories from those who are silenced or don’t feel that their voice will be heard.
It’s our job to listen for these voices and for these places of silence where voices need to be raised. Just this week one of our members began reaching out in this same way, because of someone she met through a friend. This person is new to our community. She’s a writer. She’s also African American. She was also heckled by two white men in a truck while walking in her own neighborhood just days after the news broke about the killing of Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick, GA last February.
Meanwhile, concerns are being raised in our town over the use of public funds to bail out businesses while the looming health and financial crisis threaten the loss of utilities and probable eviction of hundreds of our citizens.
As I say all of these things I am mindful of the power of my own words, and I recognize that these issues may be creating an emotional response in you as you hear them. My hope is not to simply “rattle cages because I can.” My hope is that we might all hear the call of Christ to speak, to act, and to pray.
All who follow Christ are certainly encouraged by scripture to do these things in our lives as individuals. All of us can also support one another and grow in the way the staff did at Camp Glenkirk, but we also have a responsibility for a corporate witness, a voice we share as God’s people. In fact, one of the initiatives being spoken into being by one of our members is to make masks and include a note in each saying that it comes with love from First Presbyterian Church. If you want to get in on that, call the church office.
Another member has started a call to prayer, every day, at 11:30. I want to invite you to be a part of that. Join the church and staff of First Presbyterian (which is located at 1130 Johnston Street) to pray every day – wherever you are – at 11:30. We’ll be putting scriptures and prayers on Instagram and Facebook if you need them, but you can use your own words – for they have a power all their own.
What matters most is that we recognize the power of the one who spoke us all into being, the one who was called the “living word of God,” and the promise of scripture that God will give us the words to speak as we stand up for those who cannot speak for themselves.
What matters most is that we realize that our words have the power to give praise, to prevent suffering, and to dispense God’s unmerited favor. You, yes you (and me too) are being invited by scripture to see that our words may give grace to those who hear – even here, even now. I want to close by giving someone else the last word.
Melissa Florer-Bixler is the pastor of the Raleigh Mennonite Church in NC. In reflection on the opportunity of the church to hear voices that are normally silenced and speak in ways that build up and encourage faith, she writes...
“The glory of our strange, foolish life [as the body of Christ] is that [our public witness] becomes good news to those who have been told their vulnerability is a liability to a flourishing economy. [It becomes] good news for farm laborers and meat plant workers, good news to the people with intellectual disabilities, and to those in nursing homes. Rather than expendable, they are the most precious of all. Their lives set the agenda for our worship. Their lives guide us in how we will act in the weeks ahead.”
Friends, our corporate witness certainly matters, yet in our homes, online, in conversations with others, and even in those conversations we hold with ourselves, our words matter. Handle them carefully. As you move through the week I want you to consider the power of your words, the opportunities all around you to build others up, and the way you may both give and receive God’s love through them.
Next week we’ll look at the way in which our words, when spoken in truth and love, may be life-giving words for us and for those in need.
I pray that these words have been a source of hope for you today and that you may know of God’s amazing love for you. Amen.
These words seem like simple truths, and, on the surface, they are. It is true that with the same mouth we praise God and curse those made in God’s image, and that ought not be so. Yet Proverbs 31:18 also tells us that we must, “Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute.”
How is it that we can follow the rule of “not saying anything unless we have something nice to say” when there are some pretty bad things going on that need to be spoken about?
Over the next two weeks, we are going to be wrestling with the difficulty of speaking out against injustice, while always working toward a greater understanding of each other as indelible reflections of the character of the Creator.
If the idea of “speaking out against injustice” is off-putting to you, then maybe it would be easier to think of it as seeking to connect our words and deeds in a way that encourages faith, helps us all become what we were created to be, and always glorifies God. Regardless of the way we say it, the reality is that there is a need for us to build up that which is good and faithful and meaningful in our lives, in each other's lives, and in the structures and institutions that impact our lives together.
It may be that we need to tear down some things in order to build up that which is good, but what concerns us today is that we recognize the power of our words in those interactions and the call of Christ to remember not only our own humanity, but also everyone else’s, as a reflection of the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer of all that is – even that which we cannot perceive in any way at all.
Our readings today remind us that this is not something that we can do on our own. We’ve tamed and named every beast and bird, and yet there is one beastie that gets us every time – our own tongues. James calls it a “deadly poison” and the ignition source for a fire that burns out of control like the fires of Hell itself! Those are some pretty harsh words from someone who is telling us to choose our words carefully.
James is not actually telling us what we should do; he is essentially saying that we have no hope in taming the tongue without God’s intervention in Christ. God has already tamed the tongue, yet it is up to us to recognize what God has done so that we might benefit from it; so that our words and deeds and relationships might all come in line with what God has in mind!
All this talk about speaking and holding back reminds me of a time when I served as the off-site adventure camp coordinator for Camp Glenkirk in VA. The program director was a guy named Tom. He was a quiet man, and very kind, but he would often chuckle to himself at our expense. One day I asked him about that, and he said, “I just have an internal monologue that goes on all the time. It’s not always about you guys. It’s kind of like an internal conversation.”
I looked at him, amazed, and I said, “You don’t say everything that comes to mind?” He looked puzzled and said, “Why would I do that?” I said, “Because I see you laughing and I know it has to be funny. I want in on that!” The conversation continued and other staff members introduced me to the concept of a “verbal filter” while I continued to encourage Tom to speak his truth. It had a profound impact on all of our lives.
I share this with you because I know there are those who struggle with knowing what to speak about and when, and because there are plenty of things that need to be spoken about that are left unsaid. If only the loudmouths win the day, then we may not get to a place where we can hear stories from those who are silenced or don’t feel that their voice will be heard.
It’s our job to listen for these voices and for these places of silence where voices need to be raised. Just this week one of our members began reaching out in this same way, because of someone she met through a friend. This person is new to our community. She’s a writer. She’s also African American. She was also heckled by two white men in a truck while walking in her own neighborhood just days after the news broke about the killing of Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick, GA last February.
Meanwhile, concerns are being raised in our town over the use of public funds to bail out businesses while the looming health and financial crisis threaten the loss of utilities and probable eviction of hundreds of our citizens.
As I say all of these things I am mindful of the power of my own words, and I recognize that these issues may be creating an emotional response in you as you hear them. My hope is not to simply “rattle cages because I can.” My hope is that we might all hear the call of Christ to speak, to act, and to pray.
All who follow Christ are certainly encouraged by scripture to do these things in our lives as individuals. All of us can also support one another and grow in the way the staff did at Camp Glenkirk, but we also have a responsibility for a corporate witness, a voice we share as God’s people. In fact, one of the initiatives being spoken into being by one of our members is to make masks and include a note in each saying that it comes with love from First Presbyterian Church. If you want to get in on that, call the church office.
Another member has started a call to prayer, every day, at 11:30. I want to invite you to be a part of that. Join the church and staff of First Presbyterian (which is located at 1130 Johnston Street) to pray every day – wherever you are – at 11:30. We’ll be putting scriptures and prayers on Instagram and Facebook if you need them, but you can use your own words – for they have a power all their own.
What matters most is that we recognize the power of the one who spoke us all into being, the one who was called the “living word of God,” and the promise of scripture that God will give us the words to speak as we stand up for those who cannot speak for themselves.
What matters most is that we realize that our words have the power to give praise, to prevent suffering, and to dispense God’s unmerited favor. You, yes you (and me too) are being invited by scripture to see that our words may give grace to those who hear – even here, even now. I want to close by giving someone else the last word.
Melissa Florer-Bixler is the pastor of the Raleigh Mennonite Church in NC. In reflection on the opportunity of the church to hear voices that are normally silenced and speak in ways that build up and encourage faith, she writes...
“The glory of our strange, foolish life [as the body of Christ] is that [our public witness] becomes good news to those who have been told their vulnerability is a liability to a flourishing economy. [It becomes] good news for farm laborers and meat plant workers, good news to the people with intellectual disabilities, and to those in nursing homes. Rather than expendable, they are the most precious of all. Their lives set the agenda for our worship. Their lives guide us in how we will act in the weeks ahead.”
Friends, our corporate witness certainly matters, yet in our homes, online, in conversations with others, and even in those conversations we hold with ourselves, our words matter. Handle them carefully. As you move through the week I want you to consider the power of your words, the opportunities all around you to build others up, and the way you may both give and receive God’s love through them.
Next week we’ll look at the way in which our words, when spoken in truth and love, may be life-giving words for us and for those in need.
I pray that these words have been a source of hope for you today and that you may know of God’s amazing love for you. Amen.
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