Shut up a minute
James Cathcart
September 02, 2021
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Listen to this daily worship
James 1: 17-27 (NRSVA)
17 Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 In fulfilment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.
19 You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness. 21 Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls.
22 But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. 23 For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; 24 for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. 25 But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing.
26 If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
I’m one of those people who likes to think out loud. Sometimes we’re called ‘verbal processors’. We’re also known as ‘awful people who really need to put a sock in it’.
In today’s reading James says we should be slow to speak, but this James — the one talking to you now — is pretty quick to speak, to chat, to waffle. Apparently as a child I was a late talker causing some concern in the family (they assure me that I have since made up for it…). To make sense of the world I blether about it. Often I don’t know how something works or realise how I feel about a situation until I’m hearing myself say it out loud.
The Biblical James may have taken a dim view on verbal processors but I absolutely take to heart his point about the difference of degree between listening and speaking. If you speak a little you should listen a lot. If you speak a lot you should listen a whole heap. And I try to — to pay attention, to pick up on details, to think of ways of including others. Verbal processors have to ask questions and invite others in, listening to the voices that aren’t heard, the quiet ideas getting lost — otherwise our own thoughts won’t amount to much. The axiom ‘Interesting people are interested people’ is telling.
As I’ve got older I’ve increasingly come to appreciate that listening is one of the most powerful things you can do. Often what people want most is simply to be heard.
But enough talking! I’m going to take a leaf out of James’s book and consider the holy power of shutting up for a minute. I’m going to draw a circle around my feet and inspect that little plot of ground — listening. I invite you to do the same.
How are you caring for that space? How are you responsible for it? What are you weeding out? What are you helping to grow? And in what ways are you practicing the true religion of caring for the vulnerable and distressed who pass through it?
PRAYER:
Dear God,
Help us to speak with care
and listen with abandon.
Amen.
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