Scripture for Sunday, June 18: James 3:1-12
Additional Scripture: James 1:19-27, John 1:1-15, noticing the character of Jesus here
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"The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.... [N]o human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison." James 3:6-8
The starkness of James' warning about the destructive power of speech is enough to make this creation-affirming, redemption-believing pastor cringe a little. Really, James--enough with the hyperbole. Aren't you overstating the dangers of our words? Where's the potential for God's good purposes to come through?
Yet the power of James' warning piques my curiosity: What effects of flaming speech did James witness and deplore within the first communities of scattered Jesus-followers? Which rumors had reduced reputations to ashes? What false teaching had undercut the gospel? What relationships had been burned?
Get a handle on your tongues, James warns. They create a world of hurt.
It's helpful to gain some perspective on James' view of the power of speech through the opening verses of his letter. There he reminds the readers of their identity--that God "chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created." (James 1:18).
Just as God's creative word called the universe into being, his redemptive word in Christ calls a people into being These people are given life, called to represent God truthfully in their life and in their speech. And because they have been invested with a God-given capacity to create, and because they reflect God, the words of God's people matter.
Words create worlds. We know this instinctively when we have crucial conversations. When we have disagreements with people we love, we weigh every word. We are "quick to listen." We are careful in our tone and in our word choice. We seek to be people who follow a Lord of "grace and truth" when we are silent, and when we speak. We recognize that once verbalize our thoughts, we can't take the words back.
So, as we receive James' warning this week, we pay attention to the ponderings of our hearts and the words of our mouths--"for the mouth speaks what the heart is full of" (Luke 6:45).
Lord, fill us with the mind and words of Christ.
For Reflection:
1. What contexts call out the best in you in terms of words used wisely? What contexts make it harder to control your tongue?
2. Truthful and gracious words can hurt and still lead to restoration and growth in relationships. Sometimes words harm--cutting a person down to the core of who they are.
If you have been harmed by someone else's words, ask God to enter that pain and work in it with you. And if your words have been the cause of harm that hasn't healed, prayerfully consider what the Spirit may ask of you in the work of restoration.
