Looking into the lectionary — James 3:1-12

SUBSCRIBE \ ABOUT \ DONATE \ CONTACT James 3:1-12 — September 12, 2021 15th Sunday after Pentecost In January of 2020, Clemency Burton-Hill — a BBC classical music host and lover of Bach — suffered a catastrophic bleed on her brain.  She was 39, with two children ages 1 and 5. The hemorrhage left her unable to see, move or speak. After multiple surgeries and weeks of rehabilitation, Burton-Hill’s comprehension and sight returned first. Then her movement. Finally, and slowly, her words started to form again.  When Maria Popova, author of the popular online journal Brain Pickings, met with Burton-Hill, she described the scene: “Clemency still in her hospital bed, skull bandaged and face radiant with life, each word a triumph, as deliberate and precise as a Bach note. I found myself wondering what the world might look like if we spoke to each other that way, our words tender with our mortal fragility, resolute with reverence for the aliveness in us and in each other, this grand shared mystery.” What would the world look like if we spoke tenderly, if we offered every word with reverence and attention? The lectionary passage for this Sunday from James focuses on the power of the tongue. James is full of warnings, emphasizing the mistakes we make in speech, the evil we can spew with a tongue that is hard to tame and full of deadly poison. James acknowledges that blessings can come from our mouth as well as curses, but that acknowledgment is brief.  As a woman who didn’t really begin to find her voice until my late 20s, who struggled to overcome painful shyness and social anxiety, I want to make a case for the blessing of words. Women who serve as pastors or church leaders are still confronted by the patriarchal trope, “Women should be silent in the church,” from surprising places and people. I’ll never forget the male visitor to the church I served in North Carolina who glared at me in the pulpit throughout the entire service. Disregarding the social and cultural location of the text, he accosted me with 1 Timothy afterward at the door. Patriarchy doesn’t make finding the blessing of your female voice easy. It doesn’t honor the unique gift women’s words and women’s intentions offer the world.  Yes, lots of people need to check their tongues. But many fear speaking for all the reasons James cites. We are well aware of the mistakes we often make in speech, the pain words can cause, the way our words can so easily be misconstrued, then shared and reshared in this new digital age. There are so many reasons NOT to speak. And yet, silence is its own sin. Deliberately chosen words are often required of us when we recognize injustice and oppression.  Elie Wiesel’s acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize both haunts and inspires me. In the speech, Wiesel remembers a young Jewish boy from his time in Auschwitz. “Can this be true?” the bewildered boy asked his father. “This is the twentieth century, not the Middle Ages. Who would allow such crimes to be committed? How could the world remain silent?” Wiesel responds to this boy’s question in his speech, swearing never to be silent when and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. “We must always take sides,” Wiesel said. “Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” In the face of evil, or oppression, or any kind of wrongdoing, we must find our words. We must find our way to saying, “No.” Yes, we will make mistakes when we speak. We should own those mistakes and apologize for them. But we shouldn’t let our fear keep us from intentionally and deliberately choosing words that bless.  In her first BBC podcast since her brain hemorrhage, Clemency Burton-Hill spoke about the journey of her recovery, both physical and psychological. She began her process of healing by listening to Bach every day. As I listened to her voice on the podcast, I was captivated. Each word she spoke was effortful and intentional, her speech accented with a unique rhythm not unlike the Bach score playing in the background. It was, perhaps, the most beautiful podcast I’ve heard, a stunning blessing of words. Perhaps this week as we reflect on James and the power of our words, we can be as intentional in our speech. Questions for reflection: What thoughts, feelings or memories surfaced as you read this week’s passage? When have you witnessed words used to curse? When have you witnessed words used to bless? Where and with whom do you feel called to speak? What practices can help you choose your words with intention? Take up and read! "My life has revolved around reading. Like many others, I read for pleasure, though I confess my breadth of reading is not as wide as for some. I read for the work I do, as a theologian and author. Reading is a special gift since it helps us transcend ourselves, opens new visions and ideas. Theologically, reading can be a means God uses through the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us. What we read is important." Read the full article by Donald McKim Book review Howard Thurman & the Disinherited Outlook blog Reading Merton again by Rebecca Gresham-Kesner Commentary Called to pray for Afghanistan by Larry Toney  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌

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