Scripture: Proverbs 17:27a
Wise are those who restrain their talking…
Thought for the Day: Walt Whitman said, “Simplicity is the glory of expression.” Too many of us clergy do not know the Proverb or the quote from Walt Whitman…or we just don’t care. After preaching a sermon, I often think that if I could have had just one more hour away from the sermon and then one more hour of editing, it would have been much more concise and focused. I have even been in the midst of a sermon and thought to myself, “Bruce, you included that because you thought it was interesting, yet it added absolutely nothing.” Since a central teaching within the Christian faith is the idea of reducing our words and increasing our capacity to hear, I wonder how much more inviting the community of faith would be if we did less preaching and more listening. I remember a woman once saying to me, “The most empowering moment in my life was knowing that I was actually heard.”
Prayer: Give me more than ears that can hear, O God, but a heart that truly is interested in hearing what others have to say. Amen.
SUNDAY WORSHIP
