Speak Easy

James 1:17-27

You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger;  for your anger does not produce God's righteousness. 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.

A speakeasy is an establishment that illegally sells alcoholic beverages. They came into prominence during the Prohibition era of the 1920s. According to Wikipedia, though, the term 'speakeasy' might have gotten its start as early as 1888, when saloon owner Kate Hester refused to pay a fee increase from $50 to $500 for a saloon license. She continued to operate, as did others, illegally, but tried to keep the noise in the place down to avoid unwanted attention.  Wikipedia reports that when her customers got too rowdy, she would hush them by saying, "Speak easy, boys! Speak easy!"

What does it mean to speak easy?   The speaking easy I am referring to isn't a hushed silence in an illegal bar, but a kind of universally appealing thoughtfulness and mindfulness about what we say and do, which might take place in a bar, on a plane, at the dinner table, and in the church.  

In today's text, James suggests that it first begins with listening.  "Let everyone be quick to listen."  It is often my initial reaction in any situation to say something. Anything.  Mindless chatter.  I'm good at that. And it is rarely helpful.  What we should be doing first, says James, is listening.  And then when we do offer a comment it should be slowly offered. We should rid ourselves of bad and negative energies that often surround our thoughts and, instead, "welcome with meekness" the word "implanted" in us already. That word (that Spirit, that sense of the Divine) has the "power to save your souls," says James.

 James is trying to assist the early church, who, like us, was filled with misbehaving, misaligned, though well-meaning people. He is trying to diagnose sources of their malcontent and offer remedies or at least managed care.  Speak when it is well-meaning words you  aim to say.  Listen profoundly. 

We all know this is the case. My sermon and blog "Mouthwash" from a couple of weeks back addresses a similar topic.  Watch what you say, don't speak carelessly or harmfully. In that one we talked more about careless language. This one, I think, focuses more on 'intentional dialogue" in the world.

During the year of presidential campaigns and gotcha politics, it is hard to read pie-in-the sky words like James in Chapter 1 and not think, "Impossible."  But we know that as Christian people we must. And we know as people who are ambassadors in this area for Niwot UMC we have an obligation to  do it.

I invite you to consider your conversations, your dialogues (with yourself and others).  What are you doing right? What could you do better?  How does the church, at large, speak? 

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