According to the news reports, this past season of forest fires in northern California and the Northwestern states has been the worst in fifty years.  Thousands and thousands of acres of trees have been destroyed as well anything else in the path of the intense heat and flames.  It was nature then to think that when the Friday night news put up a back drop with the words “FIRE STORM”, that we were going to hear an updated report on the raging forest fires.  But the news item was something entirely different. 

 The news was about a speech that Pope Benedict XVI gave to academics in Germany.  Pope Benedict quoted a 14th century Byzantine emperor as saying the Prophet Muhammad brought "only evil and inhuman things," such as holy war.  The result of his words has been a Fire Storm in the nations of Islam. An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman says the pope's comments were a "great mistake. “Muslim leaders elsewhere, including Pakistan, Iraq and Turkey, have also denounced the pope's comments. The Vatican says Pope Benedict respects Islam and did not intend to offend anyone.  Pope Benedict’s words not his intentions have created unrest and animosity in many nations.  Like all words, once loosed upon others they cannot be taken back. Pope Benedict’s mistake illustrates the point that James was making in today’s reading.

It may be difficult this morning for us to think about power of the tongue – especially to think about the destruction that we can do with our words.  Today, many of us have only words of condolence and words of comfort.  We are grieved by the loss of Rev Joyce from our community.  Yet we are also filled with words of hope and joy in knowing that the world that Joyce has entered is so much superior to the world in which we live.  This time of grief and sadness will pass.  Our lives will return to a normal state of living.  With that return will come our usual use of the tongue – our everyday manner of speaking. 

It is important for us to take heed of the lesson that James was teaching the first century Christians.  As we see from the words of even the Pope, no one of us will ever totally tame our tongue. 

James likened the tongue to a fire.  Today, I want us to think about our words as the flame from a blowtorch.  As many of you know, Valerie and I are renovating and remodeling our home in State Center.  Part of that work entails replacing and adding new water service lines.  That kind of plumbing involves joining copper pieces and then using solder to make the joints watertight.  The solder has to be melted with very high heat.  So one uses a handheld blowtorch.  Anything in the path of the flame will be melted, scorched or set on fire. 

Recently, we were adding a water softener and had to break the water line in a place close to the floor joist, some wiring and the natural gas supply line for our water heater.  It was necessary to turn the gas supply off and shield the flammable wood and wiring from the effects of the intense heat.  I also keep a fire extinguisher on hand in case something does catch fire.  Even with all our preparation, molten solder fell from the pipes being joined and burned things when it landed – specifically our skin.  The intense heat when focused directly on the joint performs a very necessary and beneficial function.  That very same flame is capable of destroying the whole house if it is not properly controlled. 

Our tongue is a blowtorch flame and our words are the heat it generates.   When we focus our words on a specific person or a specific group, we can have an incredibly beneficial effect. 

We can use our words to build one another up thereby creating or strengthening our  relationships.  So often in these difficult times, people need to be uplifted both in small ways and sometimes in much larger ways.  If we are feeling down or taken for granted, a simple thank you, an affirmation that what we did was just the right thing, can make us glow with joy for days. I work as a systems analyst and auditor.  It is the nature of auditing to find faults or failures.  Needless to say, one does not get many thank you's in that line of work.  It really does brighten my who day when one of the areas that I have audited affirms the work – the words of my audit report.  When we affirm and praise one another, we use our blowtorch – our tongue to do beneficial things.

Sometimes, our words are meant to burn a little.  Occasionally, we need to correct the path of some of our loved ones – burn away the destructive things around them.  We use our words to convict people of the error of their ways.  Sometimes, we use our words to warn of imminent danger.  Screaming at someone is usually not appropriate.  But if they are about to be hit by a car, or touch a live electric wire, those otherwise inappropriate words may be just what is needed.  When we use wisdom to inform our words, a little charring may be just what Jesus wanted us to do.  

 As James said, no one of us perfect.  Often we focus our blowtorch on people that cannot take the heat without being burned.  During the installation of the water softener, a large amount of the molten solder fell on my thumb.   The burn was immediate and it has taken weeks to heal.  There will be a scar there to remind me of that project for the rest of my life.  When we let loose with words that burn others, too often we think that we can just apologize and the exchange will be forgotten.  Unfortunately, that is not true.  Just like the flame of the blow torch, once something has been charred or burned or melted, it cannot return to its original state.  Our apologies and the giving and receiving of forgiveness can be the balm that helps to heal the wound and lessen pain of the burn. But if the injury was great, the scar remains forever.

I can look at my hands and arms tell you the story of each of the burn scars forever marking my skin.  If we could see one another’s psychic skin or soul, we would see there the scars of all the burning words that we have accumulated in our lifetime.  I imagine that most of us would look like survivors of a small pox epidemic. That is how powerful our words can be – how destructive the fire of our tongue.

Unlike Pope Benedict, none of us can cause a FIRE STORM for the international community – setting ablaze the citizens of many nations.  But there is not one of us here this morning who does not have that power with their friends and family. Each of us has a circle of influence.  Think for a moment about the people in your life and your relationship with them.  We have the greatest influence or power with our children especially when they are young.  And our words are most important to others dearest to us – our spouse, our parents, our best friends.  It is these loved ones that are also in the most danger of being wounded by our words.  Not one us here this morning would take a small blow torch, ignite it and point it at a loved one intending to burn that person’s flesh.  And yet, we can do that with our words by simply speaking before we think. 

Knowing the power of our words and the true cost of an unbridled tongue, what can we do?  The tongue is often said to have a mind of its own.  The first thing that we must do is make our tongue always subservient to our mind.  Whenever you are tempted to speak hurtful words to others, stop for a moment and form this image in your mind.  Here I stand with a blow torch in my hand.  And there in front of me stands, the image of Christ.  For each and every person was created in the divine image of God.  Whatever we do to the least of our brothers and sisters, we do also to Jesus. So here I stand with a blow torch in my hand and there in front of me stands the image of Jesus.  Am I willing to ignite the flame and point the torch at Jesus?  If we stop long enough to consider that image,  we will retreat to the cliché that our Mother’s ingrained in us in our childhood.  “If you can’t say something good about someone, don’t say anything at all.” 

Bridling our tongue is difficult.  If we work first on our heart, then keeping our tongue in line will be much easier.  Have any of you ever squeezed an orange?  What did you get? You got orange juice.  Has anyone ever squeezed an orange and got grapefruit juice from it?  No – it is not possible.  When we squeeze a fruit, we get the juice of only that fruit.  If the fruit of our spirit is the spirit of Christ, then when we are squeezed, the juice of destruction will not flow from us.  Let us then cultivate the fruits of the spirit.  The Apostle Paul wrote to the Christians at Galatia, that the “The Fruit of God's Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” 

Pastor Peg has reminded us week after week that we need to get back to Word of God.  Paul’s words are given to us in Galatians 5:22-23.  Begin each day reading the word of God.  In your morning prayer time, pray that God will create within you this spirit of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. The temptation to misuse the power of your tongue will be greatly lessened by having in your heart, the fruit of God’s spirit. 

When temptation arises, remember to stop and reflect on the tremendous power that is within you.  The power to build-up those that you love or the power to bring damage to those that you love.  Then pray for the wisdom to choose the right words – the words that the Holy Spirit gives you in that moment.

This week read, meditate and pray letting the Holy Spirit have complete right of way in all your spoken words.  By doing this, you will begin to bridle your tongue and in the words of the Psalmist, the words of your mouth and the meditation of your heart  will be acceptable to our Lord and Savior. Amen.