Sermon for 12 Pent Yr B, 24/08/2003
Based on James 1: 19-20
Grace Lutheran Church, Medicine Hat, Alberta
By Pastor Garth Wehrfritz-Hanson
Some of you may remember the group exercise of whispering a piece of information in one person’s ear and then having that person whisper the same information to the next person beside them, and continuing in this way until the last person receives the information. Most often the information the first person shared is much different than the information the last person received. Sometimes it is downright scary and sobering—since the content of the original message can become changed and distorted beyond recognition! What is true originally might turn out to be entirely false once the message is spread to the last person who receives the message. This exercise is A WAKE UP CALL FOR US TO BECOME BETTER LISTENERS.
In our second lesson today, James offers practical wisdom concerning listening, he says: “You must understand this, my beloved: LET EVERYONE be QUICK TO LISTEN, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness.” Notice that James is speaking to us all here, he says, “LET EVERYONE be quick to listen.” James knew that all of us need room to improve our ability to listen. For example, most, if not all of us can likely remember someone speaking at length to us, only to have our ears and minds sidetracked off into “another world” while the person continued to speak. We all daydream from time to time and we all miss important messages by the way that we listen or fail to listen.
An Indian was in downtown New York, walking along with his friend, who lived in New York City. Suddenly he said, “I hear a cricket.”
“Oh you’re crazy,” his friend replied.
“No, I hear a cricket. I do! I’m sure of it!”
“It’s the noon hour. You know there are people bustling around, cars honking, taxis squealing, noises from the city. I’m sure you can’t hear it.”
“I’m sure I do.” He listened attentively and then walked to the corner, across the street, and looked all around. Then on the corner he found a cement planter with a bush in it. He looked beneath a leaf and found the cricket.
His friend was duly astounded. But the Indian said, “No, my ears are no different than yours. It simply depends upon what you are listening to. Here let me show you.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of change. And dropped them on the concrete. Every head within the block turned.
“You see what I mean?” the Indian said as he began picking up his change. “It all depends what you are listening for.” 1
It all depends what you are listening for….How do we listen? What do we listen for? Everyone has a right to be heard, and we can pay each person our highest respect by listening with care, attention and compassion. By listening with care, attention and compassion, we become wiser and discerning in how we respond to the person and message we are listening to.
That is why James goes on to instruct us to be “SLOW TO SPEAK.” How many times have we put our foot in our mouth because we were not QUICK TO LISTEN, but FAR TOO QUICK TO SPEAK!? It happens too often, doesn’t it? If we could take back all the things we said that we later have come to deeply regret saying, and if we could have a penny for each one of them, we’d all likely be millionaires! Furthermore, if we could be given the opportunity to see the consequences of what we say to others; of how our quick tongues cause untold pain and suffering to others—maybe, JUST MAYBE WE WOULD LEARN TO HOLD OUR TONGUES, TO SLOW THEM DOWN, AS JAMES SO WISELY INSTRUCTS US.
In our fast-paced, media overloaded world, there is a lot of talk, very fast talk. However, this talk may not always have the story straight. In fact, the truth is often distorted and the public is misled because of it. Few take the time and effort to understand THE WHOLE STORY and its context before they speak. One wonders how history may have been written had those who wrote it been slower to speak. One also wonders how many tragedies in our world today have their roots in peoples’ failure to pay heed to James’ advise to be slow to speak.
It is, more often than not, OUR QUICK SPEECH that fuels the fires of our anger, and that is why James instructs us to be “SLOW TO ANGER; FOR YOUR ANGER DOES NOT PRODUCE GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS.” Notice that James does not say we should never be angry. He realises that “anger happens.” However, he instructs us to be slow to anger. It helps to be discerning here in the kinds of anger that we have—there is good anger and bad anger, righteous anger and destructive anger. Listen to the wisdom of the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, who said: “Anyone can become angry; that is easy. But to be angry with the RIGHT person, to the RIGHT degree, at the RIGHT time, for the RIGHT purpose, in the RIGHT WAY, this is not easy.”
It is unlikely that most people are wise enough as Aristotle was when it comes to dealing with their anger. However, the Bible provides us with a good example of righteous anger. When Jesus cleansed the temple, he was angry. But his anger was not destructive—rather, it served the purpose of helping people find their way back to God’s original intention for the proper function of the temple. The temple was to be a house of prayer for everyone, to draw people into a closer communication with God. On the other hand, in Numbers chapter twenty we learn of Moses’ anger, which was destructive. It was bad anger because when the Israelites complain to Moses that there is no food or water to drink, Moses lashes out at them by calling them “you rebels,” and then, according to the account, Moses struck the rock twice with his staff and water came out abundantly. However, in the act of striking it twice, God tells Moses that he failed to trust in God, therefore Moses would die in the wilderness and not be allowed to bring the Israelites into the promised land.
What about our anger? Are we in control of it or does it control us? Does our anger enhance life, uplift others and serve the LORD’s purposes? Or is it destructive and harmful to others and ourselves?
As you reflect upon your own anger and try to deal with it, the following practical suggestions may be beneficial to you. First, anger is an emotion, but it is more than an emotion—IT IS ALSO A SPIRITUAL AND MORAL REALITY. We become angry in a constructive way when we realise that our spiritual and moral life and values are hurt or in danger and under attack. Thus, it is vital that we first of all IDENTIFY AND DISCERN OUR ANGER AND ASK OURSELVES IF IT IS LEGITIMATE BY ASKING WHY AM I ANGRY IN THIS SITUATION? IS IT WORTH GETTING ALL WORKED UP ABOUT? DO I EXPRESS IT? IF SO, HOW? OR DO I LET IT GO?
Secondly, after we have discerned the anger, we may need to TAKE TIME OUT, COOL DOWN, AND PRAY ABOUT IT. Here we can model our lives after Jesus, who often spent a prayer time early in the morning by himself. This will hopefully help us to know whether or not we need to pursue our anger further at the right time with the right expression, with the right person, in the right situation.
Thirdly, once you have spent time out in prayer, then LISTEN FOR AN ANSWER FROM GOD. Remember that the answer is not always what you might wish for, nor does it always come in the way that you desire. It may be God’s still, small voice that speaks to you. Remember the story of the prophet Elijah? He had thought that there were no other people left who had remained faithful to God. Yet God spoke to him not in sensational ways, but in a voice of sheer silence, a still small voice—reminding him that there were others who had indeed remained faithful to God.
Finally, once you have received direction from the LORD, you will be able to take the appropriate action to process your anger. For example, Martin Luther once said: “I never write better than when I am inspired by anger. When I am angry I can write, pray, and preach well; for then my whole temperament is quickened, my understanding challenged, and all mundane temptations and vexations depart.”
So dear friends, be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger. In this way God’s righteousness and love will bear much fruit. Amen.
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1 Cited from: Tim Hensel, When I Relax I Feel Guilty (Elgin, ILL: David Cook Publishing Co., 1979).
