15/07/2017

Good morning. Eleven years ago saw the public launch of the social media platform Twitter. And it has undoubtedly been a cultural phenomenon, with trending hashtags influencing everything from shopping choices to political elections. The challenge, of course, is to tweet something in 140 characters or less, and attract a lot of attention. But unlike in a former age, when there was no such thing as bad publicity, today a poorly thought through message can quickly cause offence or warrant ridicule. Hasty comments can mean fans deserting celebrities, companies losing business, or individuals even facing defamation charges.

But really this is nothing new. It's merely a technological upgrade to the ancient problem James identifies in the Bible. Back then he realised that all kinds of animals were being tamed by humanity, but no-one has managed to harness their own tongue. No doubt we all have been there - said something we've instantly regretted and wished we could retract. The bible warns us that even though it is a small part of the body, the tongue can cause enormous damage. Like a mighty forest set on fire by just a tiny spark, a careless slip of the tongue can quickly come to ruin.

Of course a well placed word in season can also bring encouragement and praise. To offer an apology can extinguish the incendiary remark, a brief 'well done', can inspire a colleague on to even greater things, and to remind someone you love them, can often simply say it all.

Words matter: What we say and how we say it can transform our world for good or ill and so we pray:

Dear God who once spoke life into creation
whose Word to us
brings faith and hope and love
guide and guard our speaking today
may no word we utter wound or harm
and may all that we say
bring us closer to each other and to you.
Amen