Speaking Tender
Illustration
Stories
Contents
“Speaking Tender” by John Sumwalt
“The Tables are Turned” by Frank Ramirez
Speaking Tender
by John Sumwalt
Mark 9:38-50, James 5:13-20
If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck, and you were thrown into the sea. (Mark 9:42)
My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another, you should know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner’s soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. (James 5:19-20)
There was a woman in England known as Julian of Norwich who had a series of visions of Christ in 1373 that convinced her that God loves everyone and wants to save everyone. She saw no wrath in God, only love. Julian believed that God loves us like a father and a mother love their children. Julian taught that behind the reality of sin, evil, suffering and hell there is the mystery that she summed up in these words which she said she heard directly from God: "…All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.”
I try to remember these words when I am conversing on Facebook with someone who is calling me names. There is a lot of anger on social media these days – and on the cable news shows, and in many other places, especially in stores where masks are required, and someone doesn’t want to wear one. Then there is the whole “Black Lives Matter” divide and Biden supporters versus Trump supporters.
And there is me yelling at the deer in the back yard for eating my tomatoes and petunias. She seemed hurt that I would take it so personally. Her big doe eyes touched my heart, and I forgave her for only doing what comes naturally. But I was livid in the morning when I discovered that she had come back in the dark of night and ate everything down to the roots. I am still plotting my revenge. We all have our breaking points. I wish I could send her an angry meme…
I confess that there are days when I forget my Jesus-loving, baptized self, and let my reactionary anger color a response to a Facebook friend who dares to disagree with my point of view. When I catch myself, I remember John Wesley’s three simple rules for followers of Jesus: “Do no harm, do good, and attend to the ordinances of God.” It is the first one that judges me most. I wonder after every angry exchange, did I do harm? Were my words needlessly hurtful?
It is necessary to speak plainly about the issues of the day, to take a stand against evil. Wearing a mask or not wearing a mask, racial prejudice, and violence, are life and death issues. Jesus cleansed the temple and had other moments of righteous anger. But I am not the Messiah, so I pray desperately for clarity about these issues that arouse such hot anger and for gentle, not searing words to express it.
Words have power and can wound others more easily than we know. Once off the tongue, or posted into the vast, infinite social media ether, they cannot be rescinded. Yes, one can apologize, and I have done that but… how to do better?
My colleague, James Eaton, tells how he learned to do better with his teenage daughter:
“When my oldest daughter, Amy, was 17, we were constantly fighting. There were tears, there were raised voices, there was a kind of tension even in between the tears. The issue we chose most often was her curfew. One day we had to drive three hours together to look at a prospective college. We got to arguing there in the car and then there was a long angry silence. And I realized something: I realized I was losing my daughter. I was winning the war, yes; but our relationship was going to be a casualty. I thought about that for a few miles and then finally I began to tell Amy how much I loved her and that it wasn't that I didn't trust her, it was that I worried when she was out late. She talked about feeling like I didn't trust her and that she loved me as well. I don't remember everything that was said, I remember by the end we had learned to speak tenderly to each other, and the war was over.”
May Jesus help us all to learn to speak tenderly.
* * *
The Tables Are Turned
by Frank Ramirez
Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22
Bernard Levin (1927-2004), author and journalist, was well known in Great Britain for his newspaper columns, books, and appearances as a broadcaster. Oddly enough, one piece of writing that may be his best-known work is often unattached to his name. It’s a clever, long paragraph, often reprinted on posters, that emphasizes just how much William Shakespeare’s English is spoken by people who have no idea its Shakespearean.
Keep in mind that during his day William Shakespeare was not considered all that important. Many of his early works were printed anonymously. Some derided him for being an actor. He had no university degree. He himself did not supervise the printing of his own works, and, indeed, around half of them were not printed until well after his death. But no one individual had such a huge effect on our language, coining phrases, and inventing words. Levin tried to get that across with his essay. Here are a few passages just to give you a flavor for it.
If you cannot understand my argument, and declare ``It's Greek to me'', you are quoting Shakespeare; if you claim to be more sinned against than sinning, you are quoting Shakespeare; …if you act more in sorrow than in anger; …if your lost property has vanished into thin air, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you have ever refused to budge an inch or suffered from green-eyed jealousy, if you have played fast and loose, if you have been tongue-tied, a tower of strength, hoodwinked or in a pickle, …laughed yourself into stitches, had short shrift, cold comfort or too much of a good thing, if you have seen better days or lived in a fool's paradise ….you are (as good luck would have it) quoting Shakespeare; …if you think it is high time and that that is the long and short of it, if you believe that the game is up and that truth will out even if it involves your own flesh and blood, … you are quoting Shakespeare; even if you bid me good riddance, send me packing, if you wish I was dead as a door-nail, if you think I am an eyesore, a laughing stock, the devil incarnate, ….For goodness' sake! What the dickens! But me no buts! - it is all one to me, for you are quoting Shakespeare.
There’s a lot more, but you get the idea. However, there are some phrases that are well-known to lovers of Shakespeare that are no longer used. One of the best of this is a phrase that comes from “Hamlet.” The title character is telling his mother he’s aware that two chums from college, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, have been spying on him. When Hamlet was banished to England they accompanied him from Denmark, carrying letters from the Danish king demanding his immediate execution by the English king. However, Hamlet did a little sleuthing of his own, discovered then stole those letters, and replaced them with letters demanding Rosencrantz and Guildenstern be executed instead. Hamlet then jumped ship when it was attacked by pirates, returning to Denmark, leaving his erstwhile friends behind carrying the fake letters to England. He then returned to Denmark with the help of the pirates, and now, reflecting on the imminent death of his former friends, Hamlet says,
For ’tis the sport to have the engineer
Hoist with his own petard; and ’t shall go hard
But I will delve one yard below their mines
And blow them at the moon.
Hoist with his own petard! What does that mean? A petard is Spanish for an odd weapon, consisting of gunpowder in a bell-shaped metal container, protruding from a long stick, designed to blow open doors during battle. It was a dangerous item to use, so Shakespeare’s phrase, “Hoist with his own petard,” means that the thing could blow up and ended up killing the one who meant to kill others. Hamlet is using the explosive device, in this case a letter demanding his execution, to turn the tables and “blow them at the moon.”
Turning the tables is the key here. The play Hamlet is full of individuals who intend to poison, stab, and betray others and end up getting poisoned, stabbed, and betrayed themselves. Not only that, but the audience also takes delight, as we do when we watch an action movie, when the weapon the villain intends to use on the hero is turned on them!
The book of Esther, which provides today’s scripture passage, was read aloud on the Feast of Purim, which recounted the story centered on the rescue and redemption of Mordecai, Esther, and all of God’s people from a genocidal plot. As in a melodrama, listeners were supposed to cheer for Mordecai and Esther and book Haman. And when the story was and is read, special delight comes when Haman is hoist on his own petard, hung from the gallows he constructed to execute Mordecai, and further, there is greater celebration when God’s people, instead of being destroyed by their enemies, in turn destroy those enemies.
(Want to know more? Look up Levin’s speech on the internet and consult the Oxford English dictionary for petard. By the way, this phrase, which is found in Act 3 Scene 4, only appears in one of the three versions of Hamlet that have survived.)
*****************************************
StoryShare, September 26, 2021 issue.
Copyright 2021 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
“Speaking Tender” by John Sumwalt
“The Tables are Turned” by Frank Ramirez
Speaking Tender
by John Sumwalt
Mark 9:38-50, James 5:13-20
If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck, and you were thrown into the sea. (Mark 9:42)
My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another, you should know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner’s soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. (James 5:19-20)
There was a woman in England known as Julian of Norwich who had a series of visions of Christ in 1373 that convinced her that God loves everyone and wants to save everyone. She saw no wrath in God, only love. Julian believed that God loves us like a father and a mother love their children. Julian taught that behind the reality of sin, evil, suffering and hell there is the mystery that she summed up in these words which she said she heard directly from God: "…All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.”
I try to remember these words when I am conversing on Facebook with someone who is calling me names. There is a lot of anger on social media these days – and on the cable news shows, and in many other places, especially in stores where masks are required, and someone doesn’t want to wear one. Then there is the whole “Black Lives Matter” divide and Biden supporters versus Trump supporters.
And there is me yelling at the deer in the back yard for eating my tomatoes and petunias. She seemed hurt that I would take it so personally. Her big doe eyes touched my heart, and I forgave her for only doing what comes naturally. But I was livid in the morning when I discovered that she had come back in the dark of night and ate everything down to the roots. I am still plotting my revenge. We all have our breaking points. I wish I could send her an angry meme…
I confess that there are days when I forget my Jesus-loving, baptized self, and let my reactionary anger color a response to a Facebook friend who dares to disagree with my point of view. When I catch myself, I remember John Wesley’s three simple rules for followers of Jesus: “Do no harm, do good, and attend to the ordinances of God.” It is the first one that judges me most. I wonder after every angry exchange, did I do harm? Were my words needlessly hurtful?
It is necessary to speak plainly about the issues of the day, to take a stand against evil. Wearing a mask or not wearing a mask, racial prejudice, and violence, are life and death issues. Jesus cleansed the temple and had other moments of righteous anger. But I am not the Messiah, so I pray desperately for clarity about these issues that arouse such hot anger and for gentle, not searing words to express it.
Words have power and can wound others more easily than we know. Once off the tongue, or posted into the vast, infinite social media ether, they cannot be rescinded. Yes, one can apologize, and I have done that but… how to do better?
My colleague, James Eaton, tells how he learned to do better with his teenage daughter:
“When my oldest daughter, Amy, was 17, we were constantly fighting. There were tears, there were raised voices, there was a kind of tension even in between the tears. The issue we chose most often was her curfew. One day we had to drive three hours together to look at a prospective college. We got to arguing there in the car and then there was a long angry silence. And I realized something: I realized I was losing my daughter. I was winning the war, yes; but our relationship was going to be a casualty. I thought about that for a few miles and then finally I began to tell Amy how much I loved her and that it wasn't that I didn't trust her, it was that I worried when she was out late. She talked about feeling like I didn't trust her and that she loved me as well. I don't remember everything that was said, I remember by the end we had learned to speak tenderly to each other, and the war was over.”
May Jesus help us all to learn to speak tenderly.
* * *
The Tables Are Turned
by Frank Ramirez
Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22
Bernard Levin (1927-2004), author and journalist, was well known in Great Britain for his newspaper columns, books, and appearances as a broadcaster. Oddly enough, one piece of writing that may be his best-known work is often unattached to his name. It’s a clever, long paragraph, often reprinted on posters, that emphasizes just how much William Shakespeare’s English is spoken by people who have no idea its Shakespearean.
Keep in mind that during his day William Shakespeare was not considered all that important. Many of his early works were printed anonymously. Some derided him for being an actor. He had no university degree. He himself did not supervise the printing of his own works, and, indeed, around half of them were not printed until well after his death. But no one individual had such a huge effect on our language, coining phrases, and inventing words. Levin tried to get that across with his essay. Here are a few passages just to give you a flavor for it.
If you cannot understand my argument, and declare ``It's Greek to me'', you are quoting Shakespeare; if you claim to be more sinned against than sinning, you are quoting Shakespeare; …if you act more in sorrow than in anger; …if your lost property has vanished into thin air, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you have ever refused to budge an inch or suffered from green-eyed jealousy, if you have played fast and loose, if you have been tongue-tied, a tower of strength, hoodwinked or in a pickle, …laughed yourself into stitches, had short shrift, cold comfort or too much of a good thing, if you have seen better days or lived in a fool's paradise ….you are (as good luck would have it) quoting Shakespeare; …if you think it is high time and that that is the long and short of it, if you believe that the game is up and that truth will out even if it involves your own flesh and blood, … you are quoting Shakespeare; even if you bid me good riddance, send me packing, if you wish I was dead as a door-nail, if you think I am an eyesore, a laughing stock, the devil incarnate, ….For goodness' sake! What the dickens! But me no buts! - it is all one to me, for you are quoting Shakespeare.
There’s a lot more, but you get the idea. However, there are some phrases that are well-known to lovers of Shakespeare that are no longer used. One of the best of this is a phrase that comes from “Hamlet.” The title character is telling his mother he’s aware that two chums from college, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, have been spying on him. When Hamlet was banished to England they accompanied him from Denmark, carrying letters from the Danish king demanding his immediate execution by the English king. However, Hamlet did a little sleuthing of his own, discovered then stole those letters, and replaced them with letters demanding Rosencrantz and Guildenstern be executed instead. Hamlet then jumped ship when it was attacked by pirates, returning to Denmark, leaving his erstwhile friends behind carrying the fake letters to England. He then returned to Denmark with the help of the pirates, and now, reflecting on the imminent death of his former friends, Hamlet says,
For ’tis the sport to have the engineer
Hoist with his own petard; and ’t shall go hard
But I will delve one yard below their mines
And blow them at the moon.
Hoist with his own petard! What does that mean? A petard is Spanish for an odd weapon, consisting of gunpowder in a bell-shaped metal container, protruding from a long stick, designed to blow open doors during battle. It was a dangerous item to use, so Shakespeare’s phrase, “Hoist with his own petard,” means that the thing could blow up and ended up killing the one who meant to kill others. Hamlet is using the explosive device, in this case a letter demanding his execution, to turn the tables and “blow them at the moon.”
Turning the tables is the key here. The play Hamlet is full of individuals who intend to poison, stab, and betray others and end up getting poisoned, stabbed, and betrayed themselves. Not only that, but the audience also takes delight, as we do when we watch an action movie, when the weapon the villain intends to use on the hero is turned on them!
The book of Esther, which provides today’s scripture passage, was read aloud on the Feast of Purim, which recounted the story centered on the rescue and redemption of Mordecai, Esther, and all of God’s people from a genocidal plot. As in a melodrama, listeners were supposed to cheer for Mordecai and Esther and book Haman. And when the story was and is read, special delight comes when Haman is hoist on his own petard, hung from the gallows he constructed to execute Mordecai, and further, there is greater celebration when God’s people, instead of being destroyed by their enemies, in turn destroy those enemies.
(Want to know more? Look up Levin’s speech on the internet and consult the Oxford English dictionary for petard. By the way, this phrase, which is found in Act 3 Scene 4, only appears in one of the three versions of Hamlet that have survived.)
*****************************************
StoryShare, September 26, 2021 issue.
Copyright 2021 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
