The Bible in One Hand, the Newspaper in the Other

The well known theologian, Karl Barth was known for saying,
“We must hold the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other.”  

All of life is a complicated series of events and navigating our way toward faithful living can be helped by looking at how our biblical ancestors dealt with the events in their lifetimes.  The words of prophets, apostles, and particularly Jesus, are a guide that can guide us.  They gave us timeless messages that speak today with truth and power.  This week in the Revised Common Lectionary, from which I regularly preach, the texts couldn't have been more relevant.  

"How great a forest is set ablaze by a such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of life, and is itself set on fire by hell. For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, but no one can tame the tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse people, made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth comes a blessing and a curse. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so.  Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and brackish water? Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters, yield olives or a grapevine figs? No more can salt water yield fresh."  James 3:1-12

At the same time pastors around the nation were preparing their sermons on this text, lies about a legal immigrant community began to escalate tension and put innocent children and adults at risk.  The reason?  Political gain.  At best, it was an attempt to call attention to the challenges of illegal immigration that continue to strain resources.  At worst, it was blatant racism directed at a group of people who didn't cross the southern border, didn't arrive illegally, and doesn't eat their neighbors cats and dogs.  Now, residents of this community are unable to attend school, city meetings have had to be canceled because of bomb threats and shooting threats.  The community is in a spotlight they don't deserve.  Tongues of fire created an escalation of fear and division that is already underlying the United States.  As James said, "My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so."
 
Sitting side by side, the Bible and the news of this week invite us think before we speak.  We have seen exactly what the author of James described when he spoke of the tongue as a fire that can set a great forest ablaze.  James reminds us that lies and misinformation are evil, not the way of God.  Words can divide people against each other and incite violence.  It was words that resulted in Jesus being crucified on a cross, wasn't it?  In the letter of James, we are told that when we do these things, we do them against God.  God's desire is for us to live together in peace, recognizing that each of us is a child of God.  Anything that seeks to separate us from God and from one another is sin.  

The coming weeks are not likely to see the tension in our nation decrease, but it is possible that if each of us do our part to uphold the truth, love and unity of God's kin-dom, we could do a lot better.  May we all do our part.