Hush Y'all!

Two of the lections from last Sunday's lectionary readings (a three-year schedule of readings from the Old Testament, Psalms, Gospels, and New Testaments to be used in Christian worship ... covers the whole of Scripture in that three-year cycle) set tongues a-waggin', literally!
In the 3rd chapter of James, there's quite a discourse on how powerful our mouths can be, usually in destructive ways. In the 8th chapter of Mark, we find Peter's confession of Christ immediately followed by his reproof of Jesus when he started talking about hard stuff. The truth from James' letter ... salt water and fresh water don't come from the same spring, but we let hurtful words spew from the same "well" that God would ordain as a spring of helpful words.

So, from last week's sermon, let me share 5 guidelines that might help us help our mouths and what comes out of 'em be better representations of love, mercy and grace.

• If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. (Building yourself up by tearing others down just makes you a cowardly bully.)
• You don't have to say everything you know. (Wielding your knowledge as power, or some sort of weapon, shows how selfish you are.)
• If you're not a part of the problem, and you're not a part of the solution, then you're not a part of the conversation. (Enough said. Now, mind your own business.)
• You don't have to convince the world to still be right. (Stop trying to reason with unreasonable people; have confidence in yourself and the One who goes before you.)
• When you tell a half-truth, then you've told a whole lie. (Your version of the truth isn't necessary ... just the truth, the whole truth, and nothin' but the truth, so help you God!)

Jesus didn't chase down the Rich Young Ruler to offer him a better deal when the invitation to come to Christ was too hard; Jesus stood silent before Pilate because he knew you can't reason with unreasonable people. He knew the power of words and the temptation we still face to use our words as weapons, lures, and the like.

Somebody might wanna forward this to Joe Wilson, Serena Williams, and Kanye West. Better yet, let's just guard our own tongues and see what happens ...

On the drive between my house and the Big City is a beautiful farm, Woodburn Farm. No matter my mood, no matter the weather, passing by their expanse of pasture and the critters who live there is always a delight. Maybe it's just the country girl in me that appreciates the lushness of the green hills and the smell of new-mown hay, but I do like it. Every calving season, those little babies seem to run and jump and chase and kick by the dozens ... and really close to the fence that I pass. To be honest, that's the only stretch of that road I don't mind the slower-than-Christmas speed limit on! Now, I'm no expert, but I recognize among the herd Black Holstein and Angus, even a Brangus or two maybe. The bulls are kept separate from the cows and calves for the most part. Which leads me to the sight I witnessed last week when I was driving by early on Sunday evening.

On average, a bull can weigh about 1,550 pounds at a year of age. We're talking beef cattle in these pastures that are probably over a year old, so no telling how heavy they are. But, two were standing their ground in the front pasture - right off the road and in front of the barn. I pulled over on the side of the road for almost five minutes to make sure I really was seeing what I thought I was seeing. There were those two bulls, head to head literally, at a stand still right there in that beautiful pasture. Both pushing against the other, neither gaining ground or proving his point. And, neither willing to give up or give in. They hadn't locked horns like they really meant business; mostly because they're polled cattle which means they have no horns. They weren't snorting and bellowing like their lives or their reputation with the herd depended on it. Just looking kinda silly in their stuck place, if you ask me. I left them that way.

The reason why this sight moves me to words instead of just thoughts? It struck me that I've met several folks in the last two or three weeks ready to lock-up with someone, eyeball to eyeball, if "you" don't see things their way. And, their way is the "rule" of the pasture. Anger and frustration building because they don't know what to do with the conflict or how to work through it ... The disheartening thing about my realization is that most of these bull-ish folks, I've met in the church. The people who are supposed to be about peace, supposed to be making peace. Clergy and laity alike who decide that puffing up a little and getting louder in order to push others around the pasture is fine, normal, just what's done. Just what's done in order to preserve what's 'right.'

Well, you can be "right" (in your own mind) if you want to, but I'm not pushing back. That accomplishes one thing only - looking silly. I've noticed something else driving past this and other pastures. Most bulls end up alone. Can't be trusted with the herd or by the herd, they're put some place where there's nobody to push around.