|
|
"Talk Like a Pirate" -The Rev. Vicky Ney
|
July 22, 2007 “Talk Like a Pirate!” The Rev. Vicky Ney Text: James 3:1-12
Avast, me hearties! Shiver me timbers! Listen up or walk the plank! (I think ministers should have tried that line a long time ago!) Ahoy Mateys! Argh!
As you can see, I’ve made some changes to my assessories by adding a pirate hat this morning. You know, I always want to be in the latest fashion for clerical garb and pirates are in vogue this summer because of the new Johnny Depp movie Pirates of the Caribbean, Deadman’s Chest. Have you seen it? I saw it a couple of weeks ago, but I must tell you it is definitely not on my list of “must see” movies. I actually like pirates and swashbuckling things ever since Richard and I visited the place where real pirates like Bluebeard, Captain Kidd and Sir Francis Drake once roamed the waters. Last summer, we sailed in the British Virgin Islands, and we heard lots of pirate talk. One guy, Captain Jack on Marina Cay, taught us the pirate alphabet. He asked, “What’s the first letter of the pirate alphabet? Arrrr! What’s the last letter of the pirate alphabet? Argh!” So there you have it! Everything you ever needed to know about “pirate speak.”
Did you know that September 19th is a new national holiday? It’s true. It’s called Talk like a Pirate Day. If you didn’t know about this holiday, you have obviously been doing more valuable things than surfing the internet looking for odd or amusing things. I recently stumbled across this silly excuse for a holiday. It was started by two goofy guys who decided to devote a day to talking like a pirate. No particular reason—just because it’s fun. And you can check it out on your computer this afternoon, if you have absolutely nothing to do, at the website talklikeapirate.com. It’s family friendly and really very cute.
The two guys who made up the holiday decided on September 19th because it was not cluttered up with Christmas—or Super Bowl—or any other important event. September seemed “open” to them! These two men just celebrated it together until a popular writer, Dave Barry, picked up on it and wrote about it in his syndicated column. Dave recommended that you spend the day answering the phone with phrases like “Ahoy Matey.” But he advised against calling your boss a “scurvy dog.” (I also thought that was good advice!)
Since Talk Like a Pirate Day is only a few weeks away, I wanted to get ready for it by choosing a text for today’s sermon from the book of James that addresses the idea of how we speak—the idea of taming the tongue—something pirates in general seemed to have trouble doing. Take a peek again at verses 4 and 5 of James 3. James says, “Look at ships…. (It almost sounds like he knew some pirates!) Look at ships. 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.”
Think about it. That’s a great way to describe what a tongue can do. The tongue is a small but powerful instrument, and its effect is every bit as influential as the rudder on a pirate ship. Words can build up or destroy. Words can warm the heart or wound the spirit. Words can bring about loving relationships, or words can end them. Words have power. Think about the power of words you have heard, or may have spoken yourself, over the course of your life. Things like, “I love you.” “You’re important to me.” “You look really nice today.” “This place wouldn’t be the same without out.” “I’m so proud of you.” Or words that are quite different, such as, “You’re a loser.” “You’re stupid!” “You’re too small (too big, too young, too old) to do that.” “Your parents could never manage money. You can’t either.” “Girls can’t do that.” “You men are all alike.” “You’re bad.” “I wish you had never been born.” “You make me sick.”
Some of you may remember the brother and sister singing duo during the 1970’s called the Carpenters. Richard Carpenter wrote the music and Karen Carpenter sang the songs. One of their most popular songs was “We’ve only just begun.” For a number of years it was THE song to have sung at a wedding. In a biography of them, it was said that early in their career, a newspaper critic referred to Karen as Richard’s chubby little sister. From that moment on, every time she looked in the mirror, she said to herself, “I’m Richard’s chubby little sister.” First, she began to take drugs to lose weight. Then she became bulimic, and then anorexic. When I saw her on TV, she always looked skinny to me. But she saw something else. She allowed those critical words to change her whole self-image. She eventually died of heart failure at the age of 32 as a result of the anorexia. She is a tragic example of someone who was conquered by the careless words of another person.
I think we’ve all heard the expression, “sticks and stones will break my bones. But words—or names—will never hurt me? Not true. It should be more like, “sticks and stones can break my bones—but words can break my heart and even change the course of my life.
James, the writer of our lesson for today, completely understood this concept. And that’s why James was concerned about the importance of every word we speak. He wanted to impress upon us the power of the tongue. James says that the tongue is the most powerful part in our body. He compares it to other small things that have great power. Have you have ever stood beside a workhorse like a Clydesdale—a huge, powerful animal? They are led around and controlled by a little bit of metal in their mouth connected to a harness. Even great ships that sail the seas are controlled by a relatively small rudder. Huge ocean tankers are turned around by a little piece on the stern of the ship. A whole forest, that has grown for centuries, can be taken down by one little misplaced spark that turns the whole world on fire. These are all examples of small things that have great power—and so is the tongue.
Think about it—the tongue of a great leader can turn a whole country around. Perhaps you’ve heard or read Winston Churchill’s rallying speeches during WWII (“The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself”), or Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech. Those speeches resulted in positive things. But other speakers did the opposite. Think about Hilter’s speeches for evil or Kruschev’s “We will bury you” speech to instill fear?
James knew that the tongue can be used to discourage, derail, dismay, deceive and destroy the precious children of God. In verse 8, he describes it as “a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”
Is there any way for us to tame the tongue? Someone once said we must be careful with our tongues. It’s in a wet place and can easily slip!
Did you know that the Bible has plenty of verses that give us practical words of wisdom regarding our conversation? For instance, in Proverbs 15:1, it says, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Proverbs 31:26 describes a wise woman—but it certainly applies to both women and men. It says, “They open their mouth with wisdom, and on their tongue is the law of kindness.” Even the Psalm writer, which could have been the great hero, David, asked for help with his words. “Set a guard, O lord over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.” (Psalm 141:3) Famous men in the last two centuries also had thoughts to share about words. Calvin Coolidge wisely said, “I have never been hurt by something I have not said.” And Abraham Lincoln said, “It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.”
There’s even a cute little anonymous poem that states, “I’m careful of the words I say, to keep them soft and sweet. I never know from day to day which ones I’ll have to eat!”
These all give us some wonderful advice. James obviously wanted us to use words carefully because of their inherent power. But I think what bothered him the most was that words of ugliness and words of kindness can spring from the same mouth. We are as capable of evil sayings as we are wonderful, uplifting words. I’m sure each of us has done both.
In verse 10 of our scripture passage, James says, “This should not be!” And he’s right—it shouldn’t, but it does!
The challenge for us is to talk like a Christian, not talk like a pirate. This means that we do not use our tongues to “bless the Lord” one minute, and then “curse those who are made in the likeness of God” the next (3:9). It’s not appropriate to offer up enthusiastic praise to God on Sunday, and then call a coworker a “bilge rat”—or worse—on Monday.
You know, Jesus also took words seriously. At one point he said, “You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘you shall not murder.’ 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.’” (Matt. 5:22)
Yikes! Those are heavy duty words!
But that’s because Jesus knew the power of all words. He also warned against using empty phrases in our prayers. (Matt. 6:7) He tells us not to judge others. (Matt. 7:1) And then he wraps everything up in the command to “do to others as you would have them do to you.” (Matt. 7:12)
For Jesus, the words we say are really a reflection of what is in our hearts. He said, “For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.”
We are a package deal. Our words, our actions, our thoughts are all wrapped up with what is in our hearts.
Maybe that sounds discouraging. Sometimes our words, our actions, and our thoughts are not all that great.
I don’t think we can leave here today and fix all this with just cute platitudes and poems, good intentions, willpower, or new determination. The Bible tells us that in our strength alone we can never tame our mouths.
You see, we need whole new hearts. The good news here is that Jesus specializes in heart transplants. Jesus changes us from the inside out. And all we have to do is ask. If we ask him for help to change, he will give us the help we need. The Bible tells us that if we believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord, we will be saved—changed—different.
It’s not a Hocus-pocus, “poof,” magical happening. It’s the beginning of a life-changing journey. You’ll be setting sail with Jesus on a most amazing adventure that lasts a lifetime and beyond.
Please pray with me…
Most loving God, you have made us in your image, but we don’t always act that way. Forgive us for words that hurt others. Guide our lips to say life-giving words—not just to our families but to any of your children we meet. Don’t let us be one day a week Christians, Lord. Be part of our lives every day. We need you so that we can be the people you intend us to be. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. |
|
|
<< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 Next >> |