Christ's Promising Word

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.

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.

“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.

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

Time after Pentecost (Lectionary 23)
September 6, 2009
Remember the Poor
James 2:1-17

An All Too Familiar Scene

Last Sunday we entered the bible book of James. James, that brother of Jesus who tells us to be “doers” of the word and not “hearers” only.

And what is the first thing that Saint James, the brother of Jesus, tells us to “do”? Why it is to “remember the poor,” of course. Throughout the entire book, “how we treat the poor” is a central theme.

Right after the opening words we heard last week, Saint James starts painting an all-too-familiar-scene in stark and vibrant colors. A rich person (with fine clothes and golden rings and a nice family) enters this assembly.

And suddenly we are fawning all over him. Ushering him to the best seat. Agreeing with everything he says. Inviting him to be a church member. The richer the better.

And if Bill Gates walks into this room, I want you to walk him right down front and be very nice to him. Boy, would I like to get a tithe of his income.

But let a poor person come in (with dirty clothes and a bit of B.O). And immediately our eyes turn away in our disgust. And we hope that that one does not come to sit down next to me. And we hope he goes away as soon as possible.

Neglect of the Poor Contradicts the Gospel

“My dear brothers and sisters,” Saint James says, “with your acts of favoritism do you BELIEVE…do you really BELIEVE…in our GLORIOUS Lord Jesus Christ?

And do you see what James just did with that little question? He upped the ante for us Christians. Social snobbery, cold prejudice and disrespect for the poor not only runs up against the very character of God (“Who shows no partiality”) and is a sin against God’s greatest commandment (the “royal law,” Saint James calls it) “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

That would be bad enough. That we have broken the greatest of God’s commandments. And you break that one and you break them all!

But even more than that, social snobbery and neglect of the poor is a contradiction of the gospel and reveals a total lack of faith in Jesus Christ.

Oh maybe we “think” we’ve heard and believe in the gospel. Maybe we “think” we are so religious and have Jesus in our hearts. But if we fail to see the face of Jesus in the poor and act on it, then we fail to see the glorious Lord himself who threw off his golden rings and robes of majesty to identify with the least, last, the little and the lost.

Faith Without Deeds is Dead

Preferential treatment of the rich, the growing gap between the rich and poor, is not just a “social” issue. It is a “faith” issue.

It reveals a divided heart. A heart that tries to serve two masters—God and money. God and mammon. It means we are “poor believers.”

A faith without deeds is a “dead” faith, Saint James says. Dead. Dead. Dead. It is not a “saving faith,” that one particular faith in Christ that saves. A faith without deeds is no more a living faith than is a dead body without breath is a living body.

And that puts us all in jeopardy when God comes again on a day of judgment to settle scores. God’s judgment is “merciless” to those who show no mercy.

How can anyone state the law’s threat and accusation any plainer? God’s judgment is “merciless” to those who show no mercy. That is the “bad news.”

God’s Mercy Triumphs over Judgment

But then we hear the “good news.” God’s mercy triumphs over judgment.

There is hope and mercy even for persistently “poor believers” like you and me. And sometimes, the better off we are, the worse we are at believing. Because we think that our financial stability is the result of our accomplishments and achievements.

Sometimes those of us who are well-to-do and middle class are “poorer” than those who are poor monetarily because we have a “poverty of Spirit,” which is the deadliest poverty of them all.

But there is a Jesus Christ, a “GLORIOUS Lord,” Saint James calls him. [The only time this adjective is used of Jesus in the entire bible]. Who climbs down from his royal throne of splendor in order to be nailed upon a shameful cross to take God’s judgment on our lack of mercy upon himself to show that God’s mercy triumphs over judgment. Even for us “poor believers.”

And if we will not see Jesus in the poor, then maybe we will see the poor in Jesus. In other words, we will look at Jesus and his love for the poor, including all religious types who have that “poverty of Spirit.” And our hearts will be changed by the gift of faith and the sending of his Holy life-giving, love-giving Spirit.

Jesus does for us what no “royal law” could do by itself alone. For by themselves, commands condemns us.

But Jesus changes that situation. He gifts us with a living faith that takes away our fear of being “left out” in the end. And sets us free from our social snobbery and prejudices, which oppress us just as much as they oppress others. And gives us the power to be instruments of God’s compassion to the world.

God’s Work. Our Hands.

Last week, I told you that the new tag line for the ELCA is “God’s work. Our hands.” And that many congregations like this one have put together one-minute videos that show this theme at work. I’ve put links to several on our web site. Or, if you want to see them all go to godsworkourhands.org (all one word—isn’t that theologically appropriate—all one word).

Look at them and you will be amazed and inspired. And you will see God’s work through many different hands, in many different places.

Hospitality for all, including the poor. The church of Christ speaking out for the voiceless and those who have no standing in the court of public opinion. Care for orphans and widows. Fair wages. Tangible hands-on help for the “needy neighbor,” which in the vocabulary of faith means any person in distress.

And oddly enough, Bill Gates is coming to us. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the UN have approached Methodists and Lutherans to be their agents on the ground in their attempt to eradiate malaria from Africa, because we have a track record of delivering the goods where they are needed rather than getting them into the hands of the war lords.

Do This One You Keep Them All

Helping and serving one’s neighbor is tantamount to doing all that the law demands. You do this one and you keep them all. For to anyone who lives in Christ, serving one’s neighbor is the richest form of freedom & it is the fulfillment of what God ultimately desires.

Listen to Saint James and be a doer of the word and not a hearer only. For those who hear AND act are blessed. Yes, they are so blessed. They are blessed in their doing.

© 2009 Pastor Paul Jaster