Rev. Richard Smith – April 18, 2024
Ecclesiastes 3:1, 7
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens…a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak.
You don’t need me telling you that everywhere we turn, someone has an opinion; and quite often persons don’t hesitate to share that opinion. What’s worse, far too often opinions are shared with unchecked passion and little humility.
There are, I think, two fundamental points we followers of Jesus need to heed as we receive and give particular opinions.
First, we need to be willing to truly listen. Truly listening is a discipline grounded in one’s awareness that each person is a child of God whose opinion matters. I might find absolute distaste for a given idea but I certainly don’t need to let my disagreement keep me from giving an open ear to what another has to say. After all, I can never claim that my views and my discernments are absolutely in sync with God’s will. No human being can make that claim. There are some significant issues in our time so each of us should want to hear varied opinions on today’s cutting edge matters; whether religious or political or social or cultural. None of us are served by refusing to hear divergent voices on significant ethical and social positions.
Secondly, silence can be golden. Too many in our contemporary setting feel, again, a need to speak; to express an overt opinion. If I’m always speaking, then I’m not necessarily reflecting and discerning. The writer of Ecclesiastes is on target when he says, There is a time to be silent and a time to speak. Mature believers will want to spend time reflecting and discerning. Maybe we need to read more fully about an issue. Perhaps we need to spend more time in prayer seeking deeper spiritual insight. Maybe we need to just meditate more. The key is that a healthy response comes most often from intentional reflection.
Now, these thoughts do not by any means dilute our need to speak strongly against injustice and evil. Our voices must be offered so they can be heard. Yet, when our voices are grounded in reflection, prayer, and humility, we are more likely to be speaking in tune with God’s desires.
