Words Matter

Recently I was listening to some people describe the area that I'm from. It was one of those situations where, you can talk about your family but if anyone else does, them fightin' words! So as I sat there, I immediately wanted to become defensive. For all my people in the 757- the word used to describe our neck of the woods...ghetto.

I think there are other issues with using this term, that I will save for another rant on another day. But I don't think it's too much of a coincidence that the following day I would be preaching about how much our words matter. The text I preached from was Ephesians 4 beginning with verse 25. The writer of the letter had just reminded the church at Ephesus about how their new life in Christ had transformed them in body in spirit. And the "So then..." in verse 25 explains how to live this new way. The first thing to go is lying, then holding on to anger, robbing that takes away from building up the body and evil talk.

 I related these guidelines for the church to Jesus' invitational statement, "I am the bread of life". We speak differently, we react differently because we have been made new in Christ. We speak differently because the fragrant taste is still on our tongues, the fragrance of Jesus Christ who we encounter at the communion table as one body in Christ.

It was a difficult sermon- I couldn't just preach out and away from myself. Those are always the scariest sermons where you have to preach inwardly as well. You have to be transparent to the congregation in a way that shows you are all a part of the body.

My favorite part of the Ephesians passage was verse 29 where we are not to allow evil talk to leave our mouths SO THAT our words may give grace to others. So that our words can convey the very presence and being of God to others. And that my friends is good news and words to fight for!

So, although I wasn't to thrilled with having my stomping grounds be called "ghetto", we're always given an opportunity to speak truth with our lips, to speak love and to speak Grace, SO THAT we may build up the body.

Be well and speak words that build up!

Peace,
LB

p.s. If being from the 757 is wrong, I don't wanna be right ;)