Sometimes Words Are Needed, Sometimes They Get In The Way

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

— Ephesians 4:29

I’ve had the opportunity to go on a few archaeological digs. It fits my personality well. I like to have things in their proper place. I like playing detective to figure things out. I love being meticulous and taking my time to do things right.

It’s funny because being a pastor, none of those things ever happen. Life is messy, there are no right answers and there isn’t any time to finish a task.

On one particular adventure, in the backwoods of Nowhere, Okla., my friend Earl White and I spent eight hours together. And we never said a word.

We had been on several dig sites before. All of the questions I needed to ask, he had already answered. We had a great discussion during breakfast and the trip out. We talked about God and Heaven and the Pharisees and Jesus.

He told me about his years as a school superintendent and some of the funny things that had happened. We talked about his family and my family. And just about everything under the sun.

But when we arrived at the site, we didn’t need to talk.

Like machines we marked off the area to dig. We unwound rope, hammered stakes and surveyed as best we could. He pointed, I moved. I pointed he moved.

When we started to dig I started with a quadrant that was new. He started on one he had worked on earlier.

We scraped and brushed and examined. If I found something I’d hold it up with a smile. He’d give me a thumbs up and I’d put it in our box. When he found something he’d hand it to me. I’d examine it and smile really big.

When we were finished for the day, he pointed at the sun and I nodded in acknowledgement. We packed up our tools, carefully logged the quadrants we had finished and the things we found and headed back to the truck.

When we were driving back, Earl said, “Pastor. Today was a good day.”

I said, “Yes it was. Thank you.”

The next Sunday, Earl’s wife told me that the day we spent together was one of the best times he had in a very long time. “He said you guys talked and talked and talked.”

I smiled and said, “Earl’s quite a talker.”

Sometimes you don’t have to say a word in order to understand others. And sometimes we say too much when a smile would do. When you get to know others, you understand how they think. What they’re feeling and what they need. A Saint once said, “Preach the Gospel. Use words if necessary.”

Reaching others in the name of Jesus isn’t just about a sermon. Or a polished witness statement. Or a condemnation of sin. Reaching others is about helping someone up after they’ve been knocked down. It’s about paying for a meal for a homeless person or the milk for the mother of four behind you in line. Words have a certain power about them. But if you really want to learn how to speak to someone, sometimes all words do is get in the way. Let us pray. Our gracious God. Today instead of words, we ask that you let us be a witness to others through our actions. You call us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and give to the poor. Words aren’t a part of that. But actions are. Give us the opportunity to show others how much you mean to us by the whispers of kindness we do. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.