James continues his practical teaching this morning. This time, he focuses on the danger of the tongue. Perhaps you can remember a rhyme from your youth - "sticks and stones will break my bones, but words can never hurt me". To James and indeed to most of us this is a load of rot. Some of the biggest hurts that each of us carry, are the barbs of words spoken. Most priests and counsellors will tell you that the majority of their healing work is helping people to overcome some unfortunate remark in their past - that dug deep to the bone and scarred the life that followed.

There is always a danger of an inflated self image - but for the majority our self image is fragile, and a stray remark will bring it undone. And clergy and other Christians can be the worst offenders when they decide to "speak the truth in love" which is their sanitising of taking the high ground with an unkind and unloving remark.

So aware was James of the problems that this type of thinking would cause in a fellowship, that he urged his readers to bridle their tongues; - to keep silent, if to speak ran the risk of hurt to another and the breaking of fellowship. Perhaps this is one of the positives of the movement for politically correct speech - to soften the comments - for we all know that it is far preferable to be horizontally enhanced and vertically challenged than it is to be short and fat.

It is our language that often brings us undone, and yet it can be our greatest witness. For the tongue not the eye is the window of the soul. It is the revealer of that which is within. It is the tongue that will betray our minds, our thinking. James notes "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."

It is our tongues that will betray our thinking and our tongues that will show how much God has control of us. Think of those who you have perceived as godly, and you will find that they were never negative about others. I think of a friend who would never describe an action as unkind - only as less than kind. Judgement, for which the tongue is most of used, was left to God. The action was described as falling short of an ideal, rather than as a negative. This is not just a trick of language but revealed an attitude that we as Christians might think about. It is easy for us to judge the world into saints and sinners - after all, saints are those who live their lives like mine, - sinners are those who fail to live like me - or do things I wouldn't do. But if we see the world as - potential saints, some of which are not living up to their potential, then our outlook is quite different. Terry Fulham, whose ministry and teaching has influenced me greatly, said that he would treat those he met who said they were Christian, as if they were Christian, until they proved otherwise - would that all our clergy in this diocese did the same. There are some who are so convinced in their own righteousness, that they will put down any one who is different (including clergy).

But as James says, unless we are prepared to respond to the words of Scripture, we are like those who look in a mirror and then walk away and forget what we look like. James with his practical theology has hit the nail right on the head. Until we overcome the problem of the tongue, we will be continually undone. As God's people here, you and I need to think of our words that we speak and ask the question, are they building the kingdom or not. And parents have a particularly large responsibility.

When I was at St James in New Town, I would pray and talk with the Baptist Minister who lived across the road. We would share our problems and concerns and talk them through. I remember him describing the dissension in part of his church. How that there was the ground swell amongst certain young people about the nature and structure of the service - but that this was not universal.

He had done some thinking about it, and those whose children had the problems, were also those with strong opinions and would tell him when he failed to meet what was their expectation for the service as well. Those who found the service as adequate had parents that were supportive and encouraging of his ministry. He concluded that the children learnt their dissatisfaction in the home and the language of the home had translated into attitude of the children. As parents we have an important role in the atmosphere we create.

But back to the main plot. James, I believe, offers us two points of entry into the Scripture. Like a mirror, he asks us to consider our language, our use of the tongue and secondly - he asks us to turn inwards, and to think of the hurts that we carry from the tongues of others.

In the first part, it is wise that we look at the hurts we may have inflicted on others. Even if the remark was the truth, was the timing of it appropriate? Have we said something that we regret? Have we commented in a moment of tiredness or frustration, when silence would have been a better option? Have our hearts passed judgement and tongues revealed it to the detriment of others. Take a moment now to think on these things.

Perhaps it is appropriate to go to another and ask forgiveness, but let us begin here and now to ask God to forgive us and give us the strength and guidance to do the right thing.

But there are the hurts that we carry as well. These scars are points that will weaken our faith. I cannot justify any hurtful remark, but unforgiveness is a poison with the potential to destroy our relationship with God. Those who have hurt us must deal with it, but we must not harbour the hurt, but rather, with the guidance of God, seek healing.

Many of those who write about health and wholeness speak of a link between emotional hurt and physical illness. I read the story of a surviving twin, who could only be brought to wholeness when they went back to the delivery room and forgave the nurse who passed judgement, with the remark - "This one is dead and the other does not look like much either". It was only when this was dealt with that she could move forward and receive the wholeness that Christ promised her.

In your life, I am sure that the ill-timed remarks of others have left scars. But also there are some remarks that remain open wounds. Healing cannot come until we face up to these issues and close the wounds. In as much as we must seek others forgiveness, we should seek to forgive others as well. Perhaps a few questions to think about.

What remarks do you remember more than others that have hurt? Are we hanging onto the hurt and holding the speaker accountable? Are we basing our actions in life on a chance remark of another, rather than the understanding that we are children of God made in the image of God? Do we take pleasure in being the wounded party?

As we say the Lord's prayer this morning let us take seriously the comment - forgive us our sins - as we forgive others who sin against us.

Let us pray with the psalmist - May the words of lips and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight O lord our strength and redeemer,