Speak Peace

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday, the 27th of February, 2022, at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Our YouTube streaming channel is: 

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDIz4WuP8igQstkEOq1AMTg.  Look for the video of our recorded services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

Have you ever heard of someone “waging a war of words”?  That seems a little odd, doesn’t it - going to war with words as the weapons.  How effective can that be?  After all, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”.

But actually, words do hurt.  They can cut deeply.  Back in 1839, English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton coined the phrase, "The pen is mightier than the sword", hinting that the written word is more effective than violent acts for getting a point across.  I think it also indicates just how powerful our words can be.

So just as we need to keep a close check on our use of weapons of violence, we also need to rein in our words, so that we don’t go off and do irreparable harm.  The Apostle James, the brother of Jesus, had a lot to say along these lines.  Please listen and follow along to the wise words that James left for us in chapter 3 of his letter to the early church, and I’ll be reading this from the New Revised Standard Version of our Holy Bible…

1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 2 For all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is perfect, able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle. 3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we guide their whole bodies. 4 Or look at ships: though they are so large that it takes strong winds to drive them, yet they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits.

How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! 6 And 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, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7 For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, 8 but no one can tame the tongue — a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and brackish water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters, yield olives, or a grapevine figs? No more can salt water yield fresh.

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. 15 Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. 16 For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.

--James 3 (NRSV)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for imparting Your wisdom upon the men and women who penned the words in our Bible.  Words are powerful tools, and those wielded by these authors provide us with the instructions we need to get through this life and be seen as righteous in Your eyes.  Please help us understand what has been saved for us by James and the rest.  Help us follow what they tell us, and help us resist the urge to use our words as weapons of hate rather than blankets of love.  Father, please protect us from Satan and from those who do his bidding.  Please keep us strong in our faith, of one mind and one purpose in our love, worship, and service, and healthy and safe through these trying times.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit and better understand the message You have for us this day.  Show us how to choose our words carefully so as not to hurt others.  Teach us how to speak peace.  This we pray in the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

Aesop, the ancient storyteller, tells us that once upon a time, a donkey found a lion's skin.  He tried it on, strutted around, and frightened many animals.  Soon a fox came along, and the donkey tried to scare him, too.  But the fox, hearing the donkey's voice, said, "If you want to terrify me, you'll have to disguise your bray."  Aesop's moral to this story is that clothes may disguise a fool, but his words will give him away.

That reminds me of something Mark Twain was credited with saying:  “It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.”  There’ve been times when I was around someone who went on and on about a subject that I happened to know much about, where it quickly became obvious they knew little of what they spoke.  They were just trying to impress everyone, but really only showed themselves to be a braying donkey.

And then there was philosopher Will Durant who once noted that, "Talk is cheap because the supply always exceeds the demand.  One of the lessons of history is that nothing is often a good thing to do and always a clever thing to say."

But sometimes we’re not very clever, are we.  Sometimes we just can’t keep our mouth shut.  I think that’s one of the most difficult temptations we face on a daily basis.  When someone says something we disagree with or that stings us a bit, our first thought is to throw out a snappy comeback.  When we’re hurt, we too often tend to lash out and hurt others, much like a wounded animal.  We don’t stop to think; we just react.  We throw words out like darts and arrows.

James says that this kind of “wisdom” is earthly, devilish, not from above.  Because spiritual wisdom, from our Father above, is first pure, and then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy.  Being willing to yield reinforces what Durant pointed out, that saying nothing might very well be the best response.

James chose his words well and put them to very effective use in the examples he gave of just how powerful our words can be.  Of course he referred to our mouths and tongues in these examples, for they are the physical means by which we utter our words aloud.  Just a small bit in the mouth of a horse can make that mighty beast go where we want it to go.  And the same with a small rudder attached to a huge ship.  In this case, the size of the tool doesn’t matter – only how it is employed.

That’s the way it is with our tongue.  Though small, it can have a great effect on ourselves and others, working for good or for evil.  Just as one tiny spark can set an entire forest on fire, one small word, uttered at the wrong time or with the wrong intent, can cause great harm.  And once spoken, our words cannot be brought back without consequence, just like a bell cannot be un-rung, nor toothpaste put back in the tube.  But if we do choose our words carefully, prayerfully, they can do great good.  They can give comfort and make peace.

In verse 18 of our scripture reading, James says that, “a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.”  This verse could also be read as, "a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace."  So when we speak words of peace, we sow a harvest of righteousness for ourselves and for those we speak to.  And as with any planting, we may not experience the harvest immediately, but it will come.

James had a little more to say about how we use our words.  Back in the 1st chapter of this letter, he warns us that…

26 If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless.

--James 1:26 (NRSV)

The Living Bible version puts it a little more bluntly:  “Anyone who says he is a Christian but doesn’t control his sharp tongue is just fooling himself, and his religion isn’t worth much.”  Remember that part about leading a horse?  If we don’t properly control the bridle, we can’t control the horse.  James says if we are not able or not willing to control our tongues, to control what we say, then we’re just fooling ourselves thinking we’re truly being Christian.

Let’s face it… if we lose control of the words coming out of our mouth and let forth with a stream of hurtful invective, are we really showing much love?  Isn’t that what Jesus commands, that we love one another?  Isn’t the Golden Rule founded on love, treating someone the way we would want them to treat us?  

When the Apostle Paul was trying to address some issues with the church in Corinth, he gave them a choice, so to speak.  Hear what Paul wrote in his 1st letter to the Corinthians, in chapter 4, verse 21…

21 What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?

--1 Corinthians 4:21 (NKJV)

I know which of those options I’d prefer.

A little later on in that letter, in chapter 16 verse 14, Paul reminds the Corinthians and us to…

14 Let all that you do be done with love.

--1 Corinthians 16:14 (NKJV)

Let all that you do be done with love, and that includes choosing the words we say.  Speaking is an action, and we should put some thought into it before we even open our mouth.

Is what I am about to say constructive or destructive?  Will it build the listener up, or knock them down a bit?  Would it be better for me to just count to 10 and say nothing?  More importantly, would Jesus approve of what I am about to say?  Would it be said with love?

This is where a short little prayer might come in handy:  Lord, give me the right words.  Help me to speak words of peace and not of war.  May my words offer healing and comfort, not hurt or shame.  Help me bridle my tongue, Lord Jesus, that I may only speak peace.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You yet again for giving us the precious gift of Your thoughts, wisdom, and guidance that are contained within the pages of our Bible.  Thank You for inspiring the men and women who penned these invaluable words.  Thank You for speaking the right and righteous words into their hearts.  Father, too often we don’t take the time to read and study Your word.  Sometimes the busyness of life prevents us, but sometimes we just find other things to do that we think are more important or fun.   Forgive us those times, Father.  Forgive us for ignoring Your guidance, for not paying full heed to Your word.  But please love us still, Father, and help us remain strong, faithful, and true until the end.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your commands, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, for You, it’s all about love.  You made it clear so many times that we are to love one another, and that we are to show Your love in all we do.  Too often, though, Lord, we just seem incapable of loving others, especially when it comes to telling them what we think.  We don’t take the time to consider what we are about to say, so that we can speak words of healing and not hurt.  Please, Lord, help us speak peace.  Help us show love in all we do.  Forgive us, Jesus, when we let our emotions get the best of us.  Help us control our tongue so we can control our words.  And Jesus, please strengthen us through these very difficult times.  Heal the hurts that separate and divide us.  Help us remain trusting and obedient no matter what we go through.  Help us keep our focus on the things of heaven and the needs of others rather than on what this life might offer.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.