Tag Archives: Words matter

Words Mean Something

Living in the Spirit

September 2, 2020

Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 33:7-11

Now you, mortal, say to the house of Israel, Thus you have said: ‘Our transgressions and our sins weigh upon us, and we waste away because of them; how then can we live?’ Say to them, As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from their ways and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways; for why will you die, O house of Israel? –Ezekiel 33:10-11

Wicked is an unforgiving word, a barrier to being any other way. When I read this scripture, I immediately envisioned the Wicked Witch of the West* with her green skin and snarling teeth. And then I thought of the musical Wicked**, which teaches us that there is much more to most stories, that privilege matters and that people are judged by the color of their skin. We also judge people by the titles we give them like felon. Many states do not allow persons convicted of a felony to vote when they get out of prison, even if they have completed their full sentence. They become a word, felon. They often must report on job applications that they have been convicted of a felony, whether their crime had anything to do with the job being pursued.

I realized that some might think Ezekiel’s wicked people are the pagans with whom they shared space. It does not say that. In fact, the scripture stresses the opposite. One must have been a follower of God in the first place to be able to turn back from their evil way. No, Ezekiel is preaching to fellow Israelites who have drifted away from the faith.

Statistics show that, Currently [2017], 43% of U.S. adults identify with Protestantism, down from 51% in 2009. And one-in-five adults (20%) are Catholic, down from 23% in 2009***.

Israel’s decline followed the growth of privileged thinking and exclusion. Not seeing the worth of all the people. Sound familiar?

Prayer: Lord, we have created a world that values wealth more than people, conformity to values that elevate self-righteousness rather than justice, and violence over peacebuilding. Forgive us of our wicked ways, help us turn back to the rule of love. Amen.

*A character from the book and movie The Wizard of Oz.

** See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicked_(musical)

***https://www.pewforum.org/2019/10/17/in-u-s-decline-of-christianity-continues-at-rapid-pace/

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Perception Matters

Epiphany

January 14, 2020

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 49:1-7

And now the Lord says,
   who formed me in the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him,
   and that Israel might be gathered to him,
for I am honored in the sight of the Lord,
   and my God has become my strength—
he says,
‘It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
   to raise up the tribes of Jacob
   and to restore the survivors of Israel;
I will give you as a light to the nations,
   that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.’ –Isaiah 49:5-6

In my opinion one of the shortfalls of the English language is that the same word can mean different things and different spellings of words can sound the same. A case in point, when I read the phrase above ‘It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob my mind processed the adverb too as the preposition to which did not make any sense as I completed the phrase.  I reread it and experience an aha moment that what Isaiah is quoting God saying is that it is to small a thing for God’s people to only raise up or restore the tribes of Jacob. I wonder why the NRSV translators did not use some of the words defining the Hebrew word used here Qalal: to be slight, swift or trifling It is too small a thing. In the next phrase the same word light (a different Hebrew word Or*) is used to describe God’s empowerment of God’s people to show the way for all nations to be restored. I wonder if the translators were trying to illuminate that God did not just give enough light to restore Jacob but the whole world.

We in the USA are struggling with this concept right now. What role does our nation play in restoring itself and all the other nations of the world? Do we perceive of other nations as our siblings in God or do we see them as sources of wealth for ourselves or do we see them as competitors for wealth or do we see them as enemies to fear and to conquer? Just as words matter perceptions matter. We need to carefully explore our perceptions about other nations and bring them into alignment with God’s perception of the wholeness of God’s world.

Prayer: Lord, give us the gift of your light so we can better see the perception you have of your world. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/hebrew/7043.htm

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Words Matter

Epiphany
February 2, 2017

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 2:1-16

When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.
–1 Corinthians 2:1-5

What we say or write matters. How we say something or write it matters. Words coming from our mouths or keyboards broadcast through people’s reception systems, which always filters them based on the receivers’ experiences and beliefs. Is it any wonder that Paul began his preaching with much trembling? He carried the weight of sharing the love of God to strangers with different languages and customs and their own gods and religious practices. We must choose our words carefully and we must be willing to revisit conversations where misunderstandings occur.

I wrote a document recently for a Commission on which I serve outlining some ideas regarding ways churches might reduce racism. I emailed it to the other members of the group and asked for comments. The first response I received was a retired minister whose primary comment was that if he were still a senior minister, he probably would never have read it at all. It was too long. He was right. We live in a world of 250 characters. I do exactly what he was describing myself. I get numerous emails every day from respected sources but rarely get past the first paragraph of many of them. Some I leave on my computer thinking I will get back to them but rarely do.

How do we demonstrate Spirit and power in a 250-character driven world? How do we build the Kingdom of God in the digital age? How do we deepen our understanding amid the beautiful diversity in which we find ourselves? How do we overpower evil with good? How do we love like Jesus loves?

Paul juggled these questions and determined the only way he could answer his call to minister to the gentiles was to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ. I think it is a human tendency to project our righteousness as God’s justice. I think Paul is saying we need to squelch that desire, let go of our self-defined righteousness, and worked diligently toward identifying with God’s.

Prayer: Lord, changing decades of definitions regarding what is just and what is not is hard. Trying to find common ground among diverse people is a challenge. All good and right things are possible through you. Use our lives as resources toward building your Kingdom. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the new Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.