Sunday’s Sermon from local guest minister, Rev. Dr. Sherrie Connelly:
“WORDS OF LIFE”
Sermon Text – Sunday, January 28, 2018
By Rev. Dr. Sherrie Connelly
Deuteronomy 18: 15-20 foretells that there will be a prophet. False
prophets will lead you to ruin and death.
Psalm 111 tells us that those who study His Word delight in the
Lord’s Words, his works and his deeds.
Mark 1: 21-28 notes that Jesus’ Words in the temple are Words that
carry authority. His Words healed, bringing out the man’s demon.
I posted my sermon title, “Words of Life,” on Facebook, and asked
people to share what those words mean to them. What follows is a list of
what people shared with me:
Building people up.
Community making.
Compliments.
Being helpful.
Guidelines for good communications.
We are distracted by all the co-opting going on.
Anne Lamott’s “Help. Thanks. Wow.”
Jesus said, “I have come so that you would have life in all its fullness. Eternal
life.
Positive affirming words give life. Negative words tear down, harm, even kill.
Suicides due to bullying.
Life is right now. Healing for body, mind, spirit.
Faith, hope, charity.
Liminal, luminal, lyrical.
Abundance.
In contemplation, practice on the meaning of one word.
Whisper.
Amen.
The Four Agreements. Be impeccable in your word. Don’t make
assumptions. Don’t take things personally. Do your best.
The Four Pillars of Practice. Wake up. Grow up. Clean up. Show up.
Arthur Frymyer, Jr. wrote, “Did you know that you hold the power of life and
death in your tongue? You do. Let your words be life to others. There are
already plenty of people speaking death.”
Kindness for one another.
Fear not.
Love, compassion, and service.
Words are powerful.
We speak truths into existence.
We speak with tongues of fire, and tongues of angels, with the help of
the Holy Spirit.
Words can bring both death and life.
We give a child a name shortly after birth in baptism. Or later in life
dedicating their life as a follower of Christ.
Our words can be used to harm and to heal.
We always have a choice.
It may be reflexive, unconscious, as if without thought.
Or it may be that we are careful and deliberate to use the best words
for our purposes and the good of others.
What is your relationship with words?
Perhaps, mainly in conversation, or do you talk to yourself?
Maybe teaching your child, or family children, or neighbors,’
encouraging, scolding and praising.
Ordering groceries. Thanking a store clerk. Saying hi to a neighbor.
Or perhaps you are a writer, keeping a journal or diary, writing a letter
or email, trying your skill at a short story or novel.
Writing is a tool, a craft, a gift, and a form of magic. Tend to it with
care and with tenderness.
And words, of course, are indispensable to reading, whether in
languages like English, German, French, Latin, Swahili, Arabic or
Hebrew.
Or in symbols and signs. Print, block letters, script or what we once
called cursive. Or braille for the sight-impaired, who read with their
fingers.
Our words shape our realities, our relationships, and our worlds.
Our mouths, tongues and palates shape our diction.
Our breath carries our tones and our songs.
We bless one another and we pray for the Lord’s blessings from the
Holy One.
Thank you for our blessings, and Amen.
The statement, “Take what you need and leave the rest,” is frequently quoted in addiction therapy, since not everything in treatment program tenets will mesh with one’s worldview. Some things will make sense, however, and help people on their way to recovery.
New Church of Montgomery, in Glendale 