Talk Like A What
Rev Dr Mark Porizky
9/17/06
James 3:1-12
An elderly man had serious
hearing problems for a number of years. His family tried again and again to
convince him to get a hearing aid. Finally he relented. He went to the doctor
and was fitted for a set of hearing aids that allowed him to hear as he hadn’t
in years.
A month later he went back to the doctor. The doctor said with a smile,
"Your hearing is nearly perfect. Your family must be really pleased that
you can hear again."
The old man replied, "Oh, I haven't told my family yet. I just sit
around and listen to their conversations. I've changed my will three
times!" .
Today I want to talk about words
Let
not many of you become teachers, my brethren, for you know that we who teach
shall be judged with greater strictness. For we all make many mistakes,
and if any one makes no mistakes in what he says he is a perfect man, able to
bridle the whole body also. If we put bits into the mouths of horses that
they may obey us, we guide their whole bodies. Look at the ships also;
though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a
very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So the tongue is
a little member and boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by
a small fire! And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is an unrighteous world
among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the cycle of nature,
and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and
sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by humankind, but no human being
can tame the tongue -- a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we
bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who are made in the
likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My
brethren, this ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same
opening fresh water and brackish? Can a fig tree, my brethren, yield
olives, or a grapevine figs? No more can salt water yield fresh.
It’s coming in two days if you don’t know, this September 19th. September 19th is “Talk Like a Pirate Day.”
If you’re not familiar with this holiday, you’ve obviously been
spending too much time doing useful and important things. But if you are in the
habit of surfing the internet, then maybe you have stumbled across this
ridiculous excuse for a holiday. It’s a day devoted to talking like a pirate.
Why? Because it’s funny. Because you can. Just be careful not to go too far, and call a close friend a “scurvy bilge rat.” She might not be amused.
Talk Like a Pirate Day was invented by a couple of guys — no surprise
there. They picked September 19 because it was not cluttered up with Christmas
or the Super Bowl or any other important events. For years, the two of them
celebrated the day in private, just talking like pirates to each other, but then
humorist Dave Barry caught word of the holiday and wrote a column about it. He
thought the idea was so original that surely the creators of the day needed to
be on medication.
Dave Barry ended up inviting all of his readers to join the movement and
celebrate the holiday. On September 19, do not answer the phone with
“hello,” he recommends. Instead, answer the phone with “Ahoy, me
hearty!” If the caller protests, saying that he is not a hearty, call him a
scurvy dog who will soon be walking the plank and ending up in Davy Jones’
locker.
Given that Talk Like a Pirate Day is just two days away, it’s fitting
that today’s passage of Scripture is the advice of James about taming the
tongue. “Look at ships,” says James, sounding like a salty sea dog:
“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. So
also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits” (James
3:4-5).
Makes you want to say “Aye!”
The tongue is a small but powerful instrument, able to have an effect that is every bit as influential as the rudder on a pirate ship. Think of the power of words you have heard, or that you have spoken, over the course of your life. “You are too small to be a good basketball player,” says a youth league coach. “Girls should steer clear of science and engineering,” advises a parent. “You can’t be a Christian and believe that!” scolds a member of a Bible study. “You are such a loser,” says a cool kid in the high school cafeteria. “Don’t tell your parents,” warns an abusive uncle, “no one will believe you.”
You know the devastating power of words. You’ve heard them. You’ve
felt them. As a preacher, I have to take words very seriously.
Words can build up a congregation, or break it down. James knows the
power of words as well, which is why he says in today’s passage, “How great
a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire” (vv. 5-6).
He knows that the tongue can be used to discourage, deceive and destroy the
precious children of God, and he describes it as “a restless evil, full of
deadly poison” (v. 8).
Is there any way for us to tame the tongue?
.
The
challenge for us is to Talk Like a Christian, not Talk Like a Pirate. Talk like
Jesus, not like Johnny Depp in "Pirates of the
So what does it mean for us to Talk Like a Christian — not just on one
day in September, but throughout the year? It’s really very easy to talk like
a pirate, since all you need to do say an occasional Ahoy! … Avast! … or
Arrr! But faithful Christian speech requires more than the proper vocabulary,
more than a specialized knowledge of grog, hornpipes, timbers and yardarms.
To talk like a Christian, we need to speak to other people with a full
awareness that they are created in God’s image. This means that we see them
not as objects, but as men and women who are created in the image and likeness
of God, breathed into being with the breath of God himself (cf. Genesis
Would you ever attempt to talk in a nasty or hateful way to the Lord? Of
course not! Our respect for God is far too high. So
why do we behave this way toward our brothers and sisters?
The power of the words, “I can’t trust you” and “I hate you”
are like knives to the heart … while “I forgive you” and “I love you”
can begin to heal a broken and hurting relationship.
It is difficult, of course, to see the image of God in a person who has
committed horrendous crimes — rape and murder, for example. But Sister Helen
Prejean, the author of Dead Man Walking, believes that every person is worth
more than his worst act. Every person bears the image of God, even if he has
strayed far from God’s way. In 1982, Sister Helen began corresponding with a
death row inmate, and ministered to him right up to his execution. After he took
responsibility for his crimes of murder and rape, Sister Helen said to him:
“You have dignity now, nobody can ever take that from you. You are a son of
God.”
If we can believe that about a death row inmate, and Jesus did when he
turned to the thief beside him on the cross and told that thief that he would be
with Jesus in paradise, if you can believe that about a death row inmate, that
even a death row inmate is a son of God, then we can believe it about our most
annoying family members and friends.
In addition, to talk like a Christian means that our words are a
reflection of the Word of God. Go way back to the book of Genesis, and you see
that God’s word is creative — not destructive. God says “Let there be
light” … and there is light. God says “Let the waters bring forth swarms
of living creatures” … and there are all kinds of fish. God says, “Let the
earth bring forth living creatures” … and there are cattle and wild animals
(Genesis 1:3, 20, 24).
It’s clear that God’s words are designed to be creative, to bring
order out of chaos, and to make something good.
Can the same be said of our words? Before you open your mouth to speak,
you would be wise to apply what one author calls “The Genesis Test” to what
you are about to say. Is it creative? Does it bring order out of chaos? Does it
make something good out of nothing?
If not, it’s better to remain silent.
James is aware that our tongues can be both creative and destructive, and
he knows that they do not always pass The Genesis Test. “From the same mouth
come blessing and cursing,” he says. “My brothers and sisters, this ought
not to be so” (v. 10). Better for us to keep our mouths shut than to pollute
the word of God with a destructive word of gossip or unfair criticism.
Finally, when we talk like a Christian, we speak in a way that is in line
with the teachings of Jesus, the one who is the Word of God in human form. This
is a huge challenge for us, because Jesus takes speech seriously, and he issues
numerous warnings about the consequences of our language. For Jesus, words are
never cheap — and they always pack a punch.
“You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You
shall not murder.’” No surprise there. But then Jesus says, “But I say to
you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to
judgment … and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of
fire” (Matthew 5:21-22). He warns us against using empty phrases in our
prayers (6:7) … he tells us not to judge others (7:1) … he wraps everything
up in the command to “do to others as you would have them do to you” (7:12).
For Jesus, words are every bit as important as actions, because he knows that
they have the power to build up or break down.
Talking is more than chit-chat, according to Jesus. It’s a matter of
life and death, with words of love and forgiveness having a radically different
impact than words of hate and condemnation. As the Word of God in human flesh,
Jesus takes all of this very personally.
So you can make your own decision about whether to Talk Like a Pirate on
Tuesday. It’s all in
good fun, it’s a way to feel bold and daring, and it really won’t affect you
— unless you slip up and call your boss a scalawag.
But if you Talk Like a Christian, well remember that such talk isn’t
just for one day, for Sundays. Talk
like a Christian is every day.
In Today's Christian Woman, Ramona Cramer
Tucker writes this story:
“My friend Michelle admits to being caught in a nasty situation. While
at a restaurant over lunch, Michelle and her coworker,
“In a split second, what had seemed like a pressure-relief session
turned into an awkward mess. Michelle and Beth stared at each other in
embarrassed panic. Michelle knew she couldn't take her words back. In the
instant their eyes met, Beth fled out the door. That afternoon, Beth didn't
return to work, and the next day Michelle heard through the grapevine that Beth
had resigned. While other staff members openly cheered what seemed to be good
news, Michelle felt miserable. She wished she would have talked to Beth instead
of talking about Beth.”
“Although that situation happened five years ago, Michelle's never
forgotten it. She tried to reach Beth several times by phone, then wrote her a
letter of apology, but Beth never responded. Michelle says she, too, learned her
lesson about loose lips the hard way. What's worse is that Michelle's a
Christian, and Beth, to her knowledge, isn't.”
Talk Like a Christian…especially if you claim to be one.
Will you pray with me now?
(Grateful thanks for to Rev. Henry Brinton who gave me the idea of Talk Like A Pirate and first preached upon it.)
St.
Andrew Presbyterian Church,
Web Site: SAPC-CT.HOME.ATT.NET
Office Email: SAPC-CT@ATT.NET
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