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Mark Wheeler
James 1:19-27
11/07/2021
“Talking the Walk … The Reach of Speech!
Lidgerwood Presbyterian Church
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Welcome everyone!
Someone holler out and tell me – Actions speak louder than _____ — what? [WORDS – exactly]
Everybody knows that when our words and our actions don’t match – it’s always the actions that are believed!
But that does not mean that words are not important.
Maybe you’ve heard the old, old illustration of the couple that’s been married for 20 years, and the wife one day asked the husband if he still loved her. Through her tears she cried , “I haven’t heard you tell me you love me in such a long time….”
And the husband answered, “I told you I loved you 20 years ago when we were standing at that altar – I’ll tell you when that changes…”
Right/ the actions, obviously are important – but so are our words!
Last Sunday, as I was reminding our worship community that …
… to that end, having obeyed the rules, debated the vaccines, washed our hands, kept our distance, and we are still wearing masks! And we are still listening with hope-filled ears for the day when we can “go back to the way things used to be”. (Something that will never happen – both for better and for worse.)
For now, we are still holding on to some COVID caution … with this … current policy regarding masks and seating:
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While we have removed the pew-separators for folks who are fully vaccinated – please politely ask before sitting near someone to make sure everyone is as comfortable as we can all be with seating arrangements!
But, for now we are again asking people to listen to the newest CDC guidelines, which recommend that we:
“Wear a mask while inside the building.”
And then, last Sunday, I said that
No one should feel judged, and everyone should feel safe, so continue to be gentle with each other. Using the Philippians 2:4 passage:
“If therefore there is any exhortation in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any tender mercies and compassion, make my joy full by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind; doing nothing through rivalry or through conceit, but in humility, each counting others better than himself; each of you not just looking to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others.” Philippians 2:1-4
Those are all important words – words which our Elders and I believe are true – words if not communicated would go un-heard and un-heeded; but those words were then followed by me picking on one of our own who was un-masked, whom I fear I made feel judged and unsafe. My actions may have denied my words – and I apologize for that. But, please, still, with the action of wearing a mask, tell us you love and respect the people around you…..
We are gathered in our church sanctuary – a holy place – and it’s also a safe place – where the divine and the human connect together. Welcome to this holy sacred and safe place today.
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Let’s take a second to welcome each other, and those in the room, look at the camera and say HI to your friends who are at home. Tell your loved ones, whoever you can see , “The Lord be with you – and also with you!”
Welcome to this “gathering” in God’s name. We are assembled in NorthEast Spokane, WA, along with people from all over the world. We are very glad you are “here” with us.
Be filled with God’s Holy Spirit presence and power, in your homes, through your phones and computers, in this building here, and in your lives. Pray with us … and hear and be transformed by God’s Word.
Join in our Call to Worship from several passages from the Old Testament book of Proverbs led by … Pastor Kathy
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Our opening song of praise and devotion –– #60 – Great Is Thy Faithfulness – led by Lilly Haeger and Sharon Ramm!!Please join them and sing with words that matter.
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Through the Written Word,
And the spoken word,
May we know Your Living Word,
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
This Fall we are in a series of sermons from God’s Word to take us through Thanksgiving weekend.
This series is not about how we Walk the Walk of Faith, but rather how we TALK the Walk of Faith. How do we speak about God’s righteousness and grace, justice and mercy, truth and love when we live in a world that does not believe, maybe even that tries to shame us when we do believe.
Today, from the New Testament letter written by the younger brother of Jesus, we hear the Word of God, from James 1:19-27 —-
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19 So, then, my beloved brothers, let every one be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger; 20 for the anger of humans doesn’t produce the righteousness of God.
21 Therefore, putting away all filthiness and overflowing of wickedness, receive with humility the implanted word,
which is able to save your souls.
22 But be doers of the word, and not only hearers, deluding your own selves.
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23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like someone looking at your natural face in a mirror;
24 for he sees himself, and goes away,
and immediately forgets
what kind of person he was.
25 But he who looks into the perfect law of freedom and continues, not being a hearer who forgets, but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
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26 If anyone among you thinks himself to be religious while he doesn’t bridle his tongue, but deceives his heart, this one’s religion is worthless.
27 Pure religion and undefiled before our God and Father is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction,
and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
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During the early morning hours of June 6, 1944, small clicks could be heard across the French countryside as tracer bullets light up the night sky behind the German lines. The paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne were responsible for the clicking noise. By pressing the edges of the golden rectangular box which had been nicknamed the “cricket,” the paratroopers sent out a click-click sound across the countryside every time they heard a twig break or noticed a shadowy figure in the distance. If the nearby person was an American paratrooper, he would respond with a click-click-click-click. Using the little cricket, the American paratroopers were able to locate each other and the move on to capture the bridges and other important locations that would prevent the Nazis from rushing tanks to the French coast and would guarantee the success of the famed D-Day invasion.
Peter Witkowski, in his cleverly named blog , the Witkowski Blog, says, “Today, Christians find themselves living in a dark world behind enemy lines. Yes, Jesus has come and died and been raised again. Yes the kingdom of God is marching forward. But Satan still sits on the throne of this world. Darkness still touches every corner of the globe.
“Within this context, believers struggle trying to find true faith. Yes, the ‘click’ of the gospel has gone forth. But what does the response to the gospel sound like? What does true faith sound like? What is the ‘click-click-click-click’ sound of the Christian faith? How do I know if I am a believer? How do I know if my children, friends, Sunday School teacher, and even my pastor loves the Lord? What is the difference between someone who pretends to be godly and someone who is godly?”
James says it’s in the words and the deeds of our lives.
Nathan Busewitz, author of a book called “Long Before Luther”, says, “It is common to ask what genuine Christianity looks like…. A less common but equally valid question is this: What does true Christianity sound like?” And then he says, “The Bible provides a wealth of instruction on the type of speech and conversation that honors God.”
Our passage in James 1 is the beginning of that discussion! The proof of our faith is found in our obedience to Christ, faith that saves our souls and our relationships and maybe even our planet. But James wants us to understand that obedience to Christ is also heard from the sounds of our lips, our words.
“If anyone among you thinks himself to be religious while he doesn’t bridle his tongue … this one’s religion is worthless.” What? If we don’t “control our tongue, our religion is worthless”!? We gotsta watch what we say? The sound of faith is indeed in our words!
So, while the emphasis in James deals with our actions – faith without works is dead, and all – the first “work” James talks about is watching our words! James puts this in the negative: “those characterized by reckless and ruinous discourse may claim to be religious, but their mouths betray the malice of their hearts.”
Jesus warns us, in Matthew 12:37, that “on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
James’ protection against that kind of speech is to be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger; for the anger of humans doesn’t produce the righteousness of God. In chapter 3 James continues this teaching with the dramatic imagery of how an “unbridled tongue” is a “blazing forest fire”, wild beasts, and brackish springs, creating devastation and destruction in their wake.
None of this was new advice, of course. Our Call to Worship this morning comes from King Solomon’s words of wisdom from nearly a thousand years before Christ. And this counsel comes from political and literary minds, as well. It was Abraham Lincoln (or maybe Ben Franklin, or perhaps Mark Twain – I always forget) who said something about how it’s better to be thought a fool, than to open our mouths and be proven one! Slow to speak…..
James, it seems, was primarily confronting hateful and hurtful speech aimed at fellow believers, including sins such as gossip, slander, backbiting, cursing; but an “unbridled tongue” can also be characterized by lying, boasting, flattery, complaining, grumbling, … These things indicate a “worthless religion”, or a faith that is not real. We can test our own faith by listening to our own rants – and then repenting!!
The Reach of our Speech goes so much farther than we can guess – especially if you’re in politics or entertainment. Today’s world where there are video cameras in almost every pocket, and sites like Tik-Tok® and YouTube® means my speech can possibly go viral and across the globe in an instant.
But let me be quick, before we use our words in prayer and dedication, to say that we sinners are not saved by holy speech (or any other good work). James is sure to say that we are saved by grace, though faith alone!
And when our hearts are transformed by the Good News Gospel of Jesus Christ, our lives and our lips are transformed, too. This means that, as Christians, what we say matters – and how we say it! Our lives bear the fruit of Holy Spirit – and our words will Talk that Walk with integrity.
That’s what true Christianity sounds like.
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We receive Tithes and Offerings as a way to put our words of faith into action. Truly, God blesses us with the rich, varied, and abundant gifts of creation. From God’s abundance, let us also give abundantly.
– Offering (4449 N Nevada St, Spokane, 99207 ; or click HERE; or text 833-976-1333, code “Lidgerwood”)
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Today we come to the Lord’s Table – a Table of welcoming words – words of grace and of challenge, words of peace and of hope. We come to this Table praying for God’s Words to be in our hearts and to come from our lips.
Prayer Page – Pastor Kathy, please come lead us in prayer – I’ll try to keep up with the screen pages of our different prayer requests. – Note that the Lord’s Prayer will come during the Communion Meal – Donna & Ken – you can come on up any time while Pastor Kathy is praying:
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Communion Song – Let Us Break Bread Together #776 –! – Donna & Ken Stone!
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25 Pastor Kathy leads the Communion Service while Mark advances the slides and breaks the bread and pours the wine
26 Therefore we praise You, joining our words with words of angels, with prophets, apostles, and martyrs, and with all the faithful of every time and place, who forever sing these words to the glory of Your name:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
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28 Great is the mystery of faith: Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.
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30 [The Lord’s Prayer]
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Expedition Song – God of Our Fathers #419 –! – Dick McCarter & Gary Ramm!
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As followers of Jesus, , may we grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, ,be filled with the power of Holy Spirit Life, , and give glory to God today and every day! Amen.
35 Announcements
Resources:
Busenitz, Nathan; “Controlled Discourse”; TableTalk; August 2020; Pp. 30-32.
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