Blinded By Your Grace
James 3: 3-8
When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
I went to church today, which is something that, currently, I don’t do that often. One of our nearby Methodist churches has a music group playing on the 3rd Sunday of the month which plays some worship songs written in the 20th and 21st centuries. The first Lesson was James 3:1-12 but I’ve abridged it a little to keep your attention. I have to say I have rarely heard a more appropriate reading given that we are in that in between time, between our election and the US presidential election. I’m not sure I have ever heard so many lies presented as facts in my, fairly long, life and I’m not sure either whether anyone of any political stripe is not guilty of this. It just seems to be a matter of degree.
The Stormzy video is there because it’s Sunday and it’s wonderful.
