A sermon for September 15, 2024, 17th Sunday after Pentecost, at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church – Buffalo, NY .
Video: To watch the sermon at the 10:30am service, click here (video starts with the Gospel reading).
Sermon Text: James 3:1-12
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!
How long has it been since you thought about your tongue? Many of us could go a few days or even weeks without thinking much about our tongues. But we really use our tongues a lot!
Through a weird and particularly violent sneeze recently (involving pepper when I was cooking), I bit both sides of my tongue! After that, I discovered how much I used my tongue. We all use our tongues for simple everyday tasks such as sipping from a straw, spitting while brushing our teeth, and talking. When your tongue is wounded, you know it … you become VERY aware of it.
We use our tongues to taste, speak, bless people, pray, sing, and lead. They are also part of us either hootin’ ‘n hollerin’ for the Bills (Go Bills!) or perhaps sometimes screaming naughty things at the TV during a tough game.
I invite you to consider not only the mechanics of using our tongues for so many things, but think about the spirit with which we use them. In our reading from James, he says that every creature can be tamed, but not the human tongue. The tongue is a “fire”, a “world of iniquity”, “set on fire by hell”, “a restless evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:5-8). Wow! That’s a heavy condemnation of our tongues, especially when we spend most of our time not even being aware of them. What do you think? Do you agree with James? Are our tongues that powerful, dangerous, and untamable?
Think about the power of the tongue when used during speech directed toward other people … to bless and encourage … to bully, abuse, or demean. Think about the power of the tongue to inspire people toward acts of love or to incite acts that cause harm. Think about the power of the tongue to speak and perpetuate truth or untruths.
This fall, two people are vying for the office of President of the United States – what many call the most powerful position in the world. They both have such power and influence through the use of their tongues, and yet they don’t agree on what set of facts to use or how to interpret them.
James uses strong and even offensive binary terms to talk about the human tongue – it either is evil and set on fire by hell or it is not. He asks whether “both fresh and brackish water” can come from the same spring and whether “salt water [can] yield fresh.”
I think James has managed to get our attention. Yet, what are we supposed to do with this heightened awareness?
You may recall a few weeks ago when we heard Jesus say that it is not what goes into a person that defiles them, but what comes from within – from the human heart (Mark 7:14-15). Our tongues tell quite a lot about what’s going on inside us. You can tell so much about a person as you overhear them interact with their family at the grocery store or with customer service people.
The tongue, by itself, is just a muscle. In and of itself, it is neither good nor bad.
James raises our awareness that our tongues are a small part of our body just like a rudder is a small part of a boat, a small bit in a horse’s mouth can direct that large and powerful animal, and a small lit match can set a whole forest on fire. Each of these is part of something larger. Even though they are small, they are powerful and cause influence beyond themselves.
You and I don’t exist in isolation – no matter how introverted we are or how lonely we might feel. We might at times feel small and that there’s no way we could possibly make a difference in the world around us. But … we are part of a community. Our awareness of how we interact with (and even play a role in forming) the very fabric of community helps us think beyond ourselves and our own needs. While we may perceive ourselves as small, inadequate, or powerless, we are also called to the awareness of the Holy Spirit at work in each of us. LOVE is at work within us. Together, these make a difference in how we interact with the world around us.
Our tongues are, in fact, a small fire that can set off a mighty blaze … so, can we risk letting that mighty blaze that spreads like wildfire be a blaze of love? Let that mighty blaze be that of holy discontent with the presence of injustice, abuse, hatred, discord, and anything that tears away at the fabric of what joins us together as community. Let that mighty blaze be that which comforts people in their brokenness, their grief, and when they feel small. Let that mighty blaze be that which ignites others to their own awareness that they, too, are beloved children of God, and that they are vital and powerful parts of community.
God has blessed you with such a power tongue. How might you use your tongue and your influence even in small ways to make a big difference for the cause of love?
In the name of Jesus. Amen!
Epicurious Lutheran 