Scripture: Isaiah 50:4-9 & James 3:2-12
Preached 09/13/2015
It’s the little things in life
that matter most. Take for example the lowly comma. It’s a tiny little curve
half hidden at the bottom of a string of letters and words, and yet, it’s
vital. Skpetical? Well, check out these pictures and see if you change your
mind.
This first one admittedly
could benefit from the use of the word “or.” But as is, I don’t think anyone in
the world would qualify to use that toilet, as it’s hard enough to be elderly
and a child at the same time, let alone a disabled elderly pregnant child.
This second one is something
I’m sure you’ve all seen. And honestly it kind of drives me crazy and kind of
cracks me up every time. As it stands, it tells us that slow children are
playing. If you add in the comma that we’re supposed to realize is needed, it’s
a warning. Small comma, big difference.
And if that hasn’t pulled you
over to the grammar nerd side yet, check out picture number three. Commas save
lives people. No matter how small they are, they’re important.
Both of our scripture readings
this morning focus on something that is
also small, and also important, even more so than the not-so-lowly-anymore
comma. They focus on the tongue, a very small part of the body, and yet one
that they assert is vitally important. To be more specific, they both assert
that what we do with our tongues is
of vital importance. What we heard from Isaiah and James points out for us two
very different possibilities for our use of our tongues.
I promise I’m not a pyro here,
but let’s jump right in and start with the option that has flames. James is the
most clear about how the little tongue can lead to big problems. “ided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot
directs. 5So also the tongue is a
small member, yet it boasts of great exploits. How great a forest is set ablaze
by a small fire! 6And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members
as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of
nature. . . is. . .restless evil, full of deadly poison.”
You may remember from last week that the book
of James was written as practical advice to Christians who had been struggling
with what it meant to actually live out their faith. From James’ diatribe on
the evils of the tongue, it’s safe to say that one of the things they were
struggling with was nasty words to one another. And while this may seem like
small potatoes in the grand scheme of things, James points out that it is not,
in fact so small.
Like a small fire can set a whole forest
blazing- and we’ve seen a lot of these fires this year- destroying millions of
dollars of property, polluting the air, causing death even- like the little
fire that starts it all, so can the wrong words can turn any situation into one
flaming with problems.
Walter Brueggemann illustrates for us just how
this can look in our time. Destructive flames spread when we speak words of
gossip that destroy trust[1].
They spread through words of false promise, generating a desire for things that
are neither needed nor wanted and ensuring the disappointment and hurt of the
one receiving them. Those flames spread through words of propaganda, using
false “facts” to generate fear that has no basis in reality, but then serves to
justify brutality or brutalizing policies. Flames spread through words of false
ideology .
Or perhaps burns are inflicted onto others
through unkind words- a tutor calling a student stupid when they are truly
hard-working and just struggling. A parent calling a child lazy when they are
still learning how to complete tasks. These verbal burns hurt, and often leave
impacts that last a life-time. I bet every one of us in this room can recall a
time in which we have been called a name, and have been burned by it.
Thankfully, though, there is an alternative to
the fiery destructive tongue. This is what Isaiah describes for us- “having the
tongue of a teacher.” While the fiery tongue spreads destruction inside and
out, the tongue of a teacher does the opposite. It “sustain(s) the weary with a
word.” Rather than tearing down, it builds up, supports, sustains.
And, not to sound like an infomercial, but
that’s not all. The tongue of a teacher comes with a companion. The listening
ear. “Morning by morning,” Isaiah says, “God wakens my ear to listen as those
who are taught.” It’s a strange translation choice, because the word for
teacher and “those who are taught” is the same. You can’t teach with your
tongue if you have no words on it. And to teach wisely, Isaiah tells us, you
need to listen and be filled with God’s wisdom and love.
These words of God’s instruction- words like
“You are forgiven,” and the peace and freedom they grant. Words like “I love
you,” “you are important to me,” or simply “I’m listening,” or “I care about
your experience,” even “help me understand.” Those are the kinds of words that
come from the tongue of a teacher as Isaiah describes them.
Just like the tongue of fire, this tongue of a
teacher has wide ranging effect. When we speak fiery words of resentment,
division, and anger, we become more resentful, more divided, more angry. When
we speak God’s wisdom with the tongue of a teacher, words to sustain and
uplift, we are sustained and uplifted. And not only that, but they can enhance
community, give courage, advance just causes, and assure.
Isiah points out that we may well need to be
sustained and uplifted, encouraged bound together more strongly in community
and because the fiery powers in the world will not like what we have to say. We
may be reviled, maligned, even assaulted simply for speaking words that sustain
the weary.
But nonetheless that’s our calling. We don’t
just get to refrain from fiery words. James uses the metaphor of a bridled
horse. The bit and bridle in a horse’s mouth don’t stop it from running, just
direct and control it toward a particular end. And that’s what we are to do
with our tongues. We can’t stay silent because there are in fact words that
need to be said and weary people who need to be sustained. To quote Dietrich
Bonhoeffer, if we stay silent “God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is
to speak. Not to act is to act.” In terms closer to James, it is to allow fire
to spread unquenched.
So the challenge for all of us is to bridle up
our tongues so we can speak words that sustain rather than ones that burn.
Words to uphold one another, support one another, and grow community. You are
forgiven. You are loved. You are important. Your experience matters. Your
mission, if you choose to accept it, this week is to use those sustaining
words. Bridle your tongue, and keep away from words that burn. And instead use
the tongue of the teacher God has given you.
Commas, however small yet important they are,
change sentences. But your words, small yet important, can change the world.
Use them wisely. Amen.
[1]
“Free Speech: A License to Destroy or a Responsibility to Build Up (James
3:1-12), Walter Bruegemann: http://www.odysseynetworks.org/on-scripture-the-bible/free-speech-a-license-to-destroy-or-a-responsibility-to-build-up-james-31-12/
