Words Matter

I am convinced that we live in a time where what we say and how we say it matter more maybe than it ever has.  What we say and how we say it has always been important in person to person communication.  But with the advent of technology smart phones and computer and social media—more people have access to us and our words and we have access to so many other people’s words.

Think about this for a moment with just the technology in our pocket-- just about anyone in the world could be transported here to this picnic to be with us here in Marie and Stu’s yard and hear what I am saying.   An explorer on the trudging across the snow on south pole a business person working in an office in Singapore a farmer on the central plateau of Haiti—the President could tune in if he so desired and they could all be with us and hear my words.   

Words matter—they may seem small and unimportant—but daily we are reminded of how powerful they can be—just about every morning we can tune into the news or open up twitter--- we can see politicians tweeting about this or that--- and almost immediately we can see the response of thousands of people respond to that  communication--- we can watch  bases cheer on their guy and opponents  rise up and attack.  In that instant you can see one side moving this way and the other side moving that way and you can see division getting bigger or bigger with each tweet—each short message.  

Words matter—that  what James says in his Epistle and he get’s just how powerful words can be---

he compares them to how a small rutter can move a giant ship or how a small little fire can ignite the entire forest   He also speaks about how toxic our speech can be—that words can be cutting and demeaning and ultimately  our words can be sinful.

James is saying this to his congregation to remind them that what they say matters and how they speak matter--- and that speech has on the one hand the ability to bless God and to lift up others-to give people great hope and  on the other hand words can squash people like we might squash a bug—words can change our perceptions about people   

James reminds us that our speech and our words are  in some way a Christian Discipline and that they should be holy and worthwhile and uplifting and that they shouldn’t be  toxic or misleading or  derogatory. 

So what should the discipline be around how we speak---  what if we applied the great commandment to our words—what if we used that as a filter— particularly   the love neighbor part and  that we put over our mouths so that nothing vile, nothing sinful might escape our lips.    How would our words be different?  How might the tone of our voice be different if we had that filter?  

What if we  asked ourselves-does what I am about to say  or what I’m about to tweet or what I’m about to snap have the best interest of my neighbor in mind?  Is what I am about to say loving neighbor?  Is how I am saying this,  loving?   Is what I am saying  being manipulative?

What  if we committed to spend the next week saying only things that were going to build others up? Or trying to simply say things in a more loving, respectful manner?

Being people of faith isn’t just having the right belief or doing the right thing it is also about  speaking the right way to each other---This isn't easy folks Jesus in the Gospel today calls Peter, "Satan." And last week the Syro-Phoenician woman a dog.  This is hard stuff.  

I truly believe that our words can be bricks that God uses to build people up -to improve situations--to remake the work.  

How might our words be bricks that God uses for good?