I’ve learned the hard way to be aware of the words I say publicly, as much as possible. Words can do damage. Vulnerable people can be harmed by words I say. Sometimes, after a sermon, people will take issue with a point with which they disagree. I appreciate those who take the time to ask questions or share a different perspective. However, some people will simply melt away from the church, no longer able to find “home” because of something I said. They may have felt condemned, offended, or disrespected by words that came out of my mouth.
The first of Three Simple Rules,a wonderful book by Reuben Job, is “Do No Harm.” I take that rule seriously. The pulpit is a precious gift, an unparalleled opportunity to share good news. One verbal misstep, and quickly good news becomes bad news to a hurting soul.
I know that we are in the early days of shock and finger-pointing about the shooting in Arizona. Our need for an orderly universe compels us to identify why such a thing could happen. It appears that mental illness is involved. The other contributing factors that made this particular person choose these particular targets are still being debated. However . . .
When one creates a map with rifle crosshairs over an individual’s name, why would one be surprised when that person is shot? When the rhetoric of our time includes phrases like, “Don’t retreat, RELOAD” or “find Second Amendment solutions” to problematic politicians, then, when violence erupts, why do we try to pretend that our words don’t really matter after all?
I just read a blog entry by a member of my last church, Courtney Cole. She ran for the Missouri House this fall. She lost. On election day, she was at one of the polling sites when she encountered a candidate of the other party, who was running in a different race. Read his account of the incident in the police report that was filed: “According to him they argued and increased until she asked if he was going to hit her. His reply was, ‘No but can you outrun a nine millimeter?’” The county prosecutor, also a member of the opposing political party as Courtney Cole, declined to prosecute. “Can you outrun a nine millimeter???” When did it become okay for one politician to threaten to shoot another politician with a gun?
Our words have power. The gift of speech is a wonderful gift from God. And, like most of God’s gifts to us, we can use it for wonderful things or for hateful things. Our words can inspire, can show love, can give hope. Or, they can do the opposite. If one person was going to take the words you speak today seriously enough to act upon--- what would be the result?
