Civil Tongues

No one can tame the tongue, though. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we both bless the Lord and Father and curse human beings made in God’s likeness. Blessing and cursing come from the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, it just shouldn’t be this way! James 3:8-10

Lately I've been thinking about some wisdom I learned as a child: if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.

It seems that a lot of people around me have forgotten this wisdom from grade school.

There were a lot of clever signs at the No Kings rally last weekend, but also some that were crude and mean. The White House press secretary just shared a text exchange she had with a journalist, and instead of answering a legitimate question from the reporter, the press secretary responded in a rude manner. (link here)

When did it become okay to be mean and rude to each other? What happened to the manners our parents taught us as kids?

A lot of people are concerned about the polarization of our country right now, but I am more concerned about how we become a civil society again once we get through this difficult historical moment. I think an important thing each of us can do right now is to say nice things to each other.

I'm worried that when we start being crude and rude, we dehumanize our neighbors, and it is hard to have a relationship when a person becomes a target or a concept: Loser! Moron! Immigrant! Lib! Facist! ICE! These are labels but they are not people.

Each one of us has a choice in what words come out of our mouths and how we treat the people around us. We may not agree with them, but we can still respect their humanity and the struggles they face in life. We can't worship God with the same mouth that condemns and vilifies the people God created in God's image, as James writes about above.

What have you said to the people around you today? Did you look them in the eye while talking to them? Did you share a smile to show that you see them as a God-created human being? Did you say something that built them up and made them feel good? We have a chance to show the love of Jesus through each word that comes out of our mouths.

Let's make every word count for good!

Pastor Anna-Lisa Hunter

October 21, 2025