Isaiah 53:7-9; James 3:1-12 March 15, 2009
Third Sunday of Lent
40 Days of Community – Part 3
“Love Speaks U.P.”
Rev. Meagan M. Boozer
Over these last weeks we have been learning about love. Real love. Biblical love. Not love based on a rush of emotions – but the kind of love that is patient, kind, not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. The kind of love that doesn’t insist on its own way, is not irritable or resentful. It’s not the kind of love that gets satisfaction from saying, “I told you so,” for biblical love that comes from the Holy Spirit’s work within us is love that does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but instead rejoices in the truth. The kind of love we’ve been learning about is active love that bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Real, deep, mature love as shown to us by Jesus himself doesn’t flit in and out of our lives like a hummingbird flits in to a feeder and right out again when it has gotten all it wants. Real, deep, mature love stays. It never ends.
Today we are going to get very specific regarding one particular way that we can love each other better. Today we’re going to learn what the Bible says about the pattern of our talking together within the church community. The title of the sermon is “Love Speaks U.P.” Love doesn’t speak under pressure. Love speaks under peace. U.P. Under Peace – the peace of Jesus Christ. Let us pray:
Oh God, thank you for your presence here with us as your body today. Thank you for how you are teaching us, stretching us, loving us. Thank you for your words of life and truth that clearly show us how to live as Jesus lived. We offer our attention to you and your words now, seeking your healing, your encouragement, your correction, and guidance. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
First, I want to read from Isaiah 53:7-9 – part of the prophet’s prophecy about the suffering of the coming servant, Jesus Messiah. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By a perversion of justice he was taken away. Who could have imagined his future? For he was cut off from the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people. They made his grave with the wicked and his tomb with the rich, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.
Surely we can all agree that Jesus went through a time of intense pressure after he was betrayed with a kiss on the cheek by Judas. Intense pressure. Intense pain. Intense beyond our comprehension. He was flogged. Spat upon. He had thorns pressed into his skull. He was made to carry his own cross in an extreme weakened condition. No pressure we have ever known compares to the physical, emotional, and spiritual pressure Jesus experienced. But did you catch the phrases in Isaiah’s prophecy that had to do with what Jesus said during those hours? Twice Isaiah emphasizes, “he did not open his mouth.” In spite of the pressure, in spite of the reality that this was God in the flesh able to put anyone in his or her place with a single word, the one who speaks and the wind and waves obey him, Jesus chose silence as the most effective witness to his identity. In spite of the injustice being done against him, “No deceit” Isaiah declares, “was in his mouth.” It doesn’t say, “No deceit (dishonesty, treachery) was on the tip of his tongue.” There was nothing like that even in his mouth. Why? Because there was nothing like that within him at all. Earlier in Isaiah’s prophecy, the fullness of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit is lifted up in praise as the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Jesus always spoke “under peace,” not “under pressure.” And he is our example. No one else in Heaven or on Earth must be given the place of Jesus as our example. His standards should be our standards. We need to make the choice to speak under peace as well. In the movie Bambi there is that phrase spoken by the bunny Flower. “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say nothin’ at all.” For today’s teaching, “If you aren’t going to speak out of Christ’s peace at work within you, don’t speak at all.”
Let’s take a look now at the passage in the book of James 3:3-17.
We can make a large horse turn around and go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. 4And a tiny rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot wants it to go, even though the winds are strong. 5So also, the tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do. A tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. 6And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is full of wickedness that can ruin your whole life. It can turn the entire course of your life into a blazing flame of destruction, for it is set on fire by hell itself.
7People can tame all kinds of animals and birds and reptiles and fish, 8but no one can tame the tongue. It is an uncontrollable evil, full of deadly poison. 9Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it breaks out into curses against those who have been made in the image of God. 10And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! 11Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? 12Can you pick olives from a fig tree or figs from a grapevine? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty pool.
13If you are wise and understand God’s ways, live a life of steady goodness so that only good deeds will pour forth. And if you don’t brag about the good you do, then you will be truly wise! 14But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your hearts, don’t brag about being wise. That is the worst kind of lie. 15For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and motivated by the Devil. 16For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and every kind of evil.
17But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no partiality and is always sincere. 18And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of goodness.
According to Webster’s Dictionary, the tongue is a “moveable muscular structure attached to the floor of the mouth.” J.B. Phillips says, “the human tongue is physically small, but what tremendous effects it can boast of.” Charles Swindoll calls the tongue, “a mere two ounce slab of mucous membrance” that can legitimately boast of its disproportionate power to determine human destiny. Kent Hughes in his commentary on the book of James writes, “The tongues of Adolf Hitler and Winston Churchill bear eloquent testimony to the dark and bright sides of the tongue’s power. Hitler on one side of the channel harangued a vast multitude with his hypnotic cadences. On the other side, the prime minister (Churchill’s) brilliant, measured utterances pulled a faltering nation together for its “finest hour. But we need not look to the drama of nations to see the truth of James’ words here. Our own lives are evidence enough. Never doubt the power of the tiny tongue, and never underestimate it.”[1]
One quite Sunday evening, October 8th, 1871 at about 9:00, Mrs. O’Leary’s cow, as she was being milked, kicked over the lantern – starting the great Chicago Fire which charred three and one half miles of the city, destroying over 17,000 buildings. The fire lasted two days and cost over 250 lives. All started by the knee jerk of a cow.
James wrote, 6And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is full of wickedness that can ruin your whole life. It can turn the entire course of your life into a blazing flame of destruction, for it is set on fire by hell itself.
Way too often we speak under pressure and not under the peace of Christ. Way too often we speak sarcastic words, cutting words, words meant to cause pain to another human being. Way too often someone says something that hurts us, and instead of either receiving what they said as a possible God-inspired word of correction in our lives, or as evidence of pain in their own lives and an opportunity to minister back to them, we respond back in the same manner: under pain and pressure. Way too often, we choose against taking that deep breath that is a sigh of prayer to God asking for “patience, Lord, patience; peace, Lord, peace; grace, Lord, grace.”
When Jesus was under intense pain and pressure, he didn’t say a word. No deceit was in his mouth. Can the same be said of us in times of pain and pressure? Certainly I know I fail time and time again. But certainly it is also true that I want to be more like Jesus and bring peace wherever I go. Is that what you want, too? How many times have we been hurt by something someone said here at church? Let us not count the ways! Let us not keep record of wrongs! Let us ask the Holy Spirit to help us bridle our tongues – for on our own we cannot tame the tongue. No man, woman, or child can do it on their own. Only by the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit working in us can we take that deep breath and pray, “patience, Lord, patience; peace, Lord, peace; grace, Lord, grace.”
Let’s consider for a moment the way our words flow:
· Gossip, innuendos, flattery for selfish purposes, sarcasm, and criticism motivated by self-doubt and jealousy ruins relationships.
· Ruined relationships within the faith community can ruin the reputation of the particular church and the Church overall.
· The Church’s reputation matters because the salvation of souls matters – and the Church’s work is to seek and save the lost.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, if we lose our influence in the world because we have willfully ruined the reputation of the church with our loose tongues, we’ve got some serious confession to bring before the Lord. One nasty comment, one rumor passed on, and one personally-directed complaint can make the difference in a whole family’s openness to the message of the cross. It’s like if you influence one person in such a way that they are brought to faith in Jesus Christ, their faith can then make a difference in bringing parents, children, brothers, sisters, co-workers, neighbors, nieces, nephews, etc. to faith in Christ. Just one person’s transformed life can make the difference between Heaven and Hell for a lot of people. In the same way, just one of our wicked words spoken within the earshot of others, can make the same difference.
Love speaks u.p. Under peace. Love speaks UP. Love builds UP. Love encourages one another. Love quickly says, “I’m sorry” when he/she is wrong. Love rejoices with the truth. Love speaks the truth gently for the sake of another’s freedom in Christ, but only after much prayer and the confirmation of the Scripture. Love speaks U.P. Under peace. Not under pressure. Love never fails. To close this sermon, I’d like us to listen to a song by David Crowder called, “Surely We Can Change.”
And the problem is this
We were bought with a kiss
But the cheek still turned
Even when it wasn’t hit
And I don’t know
What to do with a love like that
And I don’t know
How to be a love like that
When all the love in the world
Is right here among us
And hatred too
And so we must choose
What our hands will do
Where there is pain
Let there be grace
Where there is suffering
Bring serenity
For those afraid
Help them be brave
Where there is misery
Bring expectancy
And surely we can change
Surely we can change
Something
And the problem it seems
Is with you and me
Not the Love who came
To repair everything
Where there is pain
Let us bring grace
Where there is suffering
Bring serenity
For those afraid
Let us be brave
Where there is misery
Let us bring them relief
And surely we can change
Surely we can change
Oh surely we can change
Something
· Surely we can change the way we speak to one another.
· Surely we can change the way we speak about one another.
· Surely, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can do what Jesus did: in moments of extreme pain and pressure, we can choose silence as the most effective witness to our identity as Christians.
· Surely, by the help of the Spirit, we can keep our mouths empty of deceit.
· Surely we can change this one thing as an act of worship and thanksgiving for the sacrificial love of Jesus,
· Surely we can do this as an act of love for each other and for all Jesus died to save.
Love is a command.
Beloved, let us bless one another with our words.
Let us choose to love one another
as Jesus has loved us.
Amen.
