Time after Pentecost (Lectionary 24)
September 13, 2009
Watch Your Language
James 3:1-12
Old Joe Sittler
In Lutheran circles there is a man by the name of Joe Sittler.
Joe popped the corks on the stuff that others got high
He is a legend. A sainted legend. Every Lutheran pastor knows of him. He was the wisest of the wise. A teacher. A theologian. Seminary prof. Prophet. And poet. All rolled up into one.
He said in a few punchy words what it took others entire books to say. And he always said it first. He was always ahead of his time.
Or, as he himself once put it, he “popped a few corks of the stuff on which others got high.”
And once Joe Sittler was asked what advice would he give to change and reform the church. And he shot back with just three words—just three words: “Watch your language.” [Context, December 2005, Part A]
Joe knew the power of words to heal, especially that gospel word of Jesus Christ.
And Joe also knew the power of words to hurt—the painful stabs of gripes and gossip, criticism, vulgar abusive language, or even the unvarnished, untempered truth.
And so, his wisdom to Christian folk like you and me is “Watch your language.”
The Tongue is a Restless Evil
And now we hear the very same from James 3 today. “Watch your language!”
The human tongue can be an instrument of tremendous good. Just watch a mom or a dad soothing an upset child.
And yet, the human tongue can also be “a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” And like a bridle on a horse or a rudder on a ship, it has an influence far, far greater than its size.
The children of our parish. The ones who now this fall return to school. I bet you this. I bet their knees will get scraped and their fingers pinched, but their feelings will get hurt more often by “words” than by anything else. Children often say some very cruel things to one another.
And I bet you this as well. Look back across your own emotional scars and wounds. And I bet more of them were also inflicted by a cruel word than by anything else. I’m sure you’ve felt that snake bite, too. The tongue is “a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”
The Tongue Reflects a Divided Heart
And worse yet, an evil tongue not only “inflicts” damage on the outside but it also “reflects” damage on the inside. It reflects a divided heart. A heart that does not belong solely to God.
The tongue is a restless evil
“It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person,” Jesus said. “It is what comes out of a mouth that defiles a person. For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come.”
And how can we do it? How can we with our tongue bless God as the source of every good, as we do each week in worship. And yet, with the same tongue also curse another human being, the one who’s done us wrong, even though that person is also made in the likeness of God, just like we are. It makes no sense at all.
And worst of all, we are held accountable by God for the evil words we speak. Especially teachers. “Not many of you should be teachers,” Saint James says, “for you know that we who teach will be judged with a greater strictness.” What a thing to say on the very day that we bless and commission teachers!!!
And Saint James has us nailed, now doesn’t he? “No one can tame the tongue,” he says. No one! No one at all. And yet, God holds us all into account for the way we speak to others. And that’s the awful bind we are in.
We are in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves. An evil tongue lights a blaze of judgment that like a California wildfire goes beyond our power to control. And ultimately it leads us to the fire of hell. That’s how sharply Saint James puts it.
But God Has the Final Say
But praise God, there is a way out. Our tongue…our language may get us into trouble just like Saint James says. But, we don’t have the final say. We don’t have the last word. God and Jesus do. They have the last word. Our Lord and Father.
And through the mouth and ministry of Jesus. Through his “body” language. His cross, his death and resurrection. God has spoken a “new word” that declares that all our errant ways are forgiven, including sins of tongue, as disproportionate as they may be.
And that the sinful stain of our salty language is washed away by our baptism into the sweet water of God’s grace. And that our fiery, poisonous words have their antidote in the death and resurrection of Christ.
Our Future is Made New
Our future is made new, because God says so. God says so loudly on the cross. And Jesus gives us something important to say—the Gospel Word. A message that says that through the loving act of Jesus our hearts are changed.
Legendary Joe Sittler
And so, we “watch our language.” We very closely “watch our language.”
We use our words, our precious words, not to curse, swear, lie or deceive. But rather to call upon God in every trouble and to pray, praise and give thanks.
And we pay close attention to what we say about or to others so that we do not hurt or harm our neighbor in any way. Or damage their reputations. But rather defend them, speak well of them and to put the best construction on everything.
And most of all, we tell the story of Jesus. The Gospel Word. That word from God that drives all evil out and enable us to use our tongues for the very purpose of praise for which they were intended. To be a blessing and not a curse.
Words have the Power to Help, Heal & Cure
Words have the power to hurt, to wound, to kill. We all know that. The human tongue has a power to inflict damage well, well beyond its size.
But, that also means that the words have the power to help, to heal, and to cure. Especially when they give tongue to the saving and forgiving word of Jesus Christ.
So listen to old Joe. The wisest of the wise. Teacher. Prophet. Poet. “Watch your language!” And you will discover that he has popped yet another cork of the stuff on which others get high.
© 2009 Pastor Paul Jaster