Shade Tree Wisdom 2/23/08

“Shoot, if you must, this old grey head,
But spare your country’s flag,” She said.

You may remember the incident. The Confederate army under General Stonewall Jackson was marching through Fredericktown when he gave the order to shoot down a flag, and Barbara Fritsche caught it when it fell, held it aloft, and cried out those words.

The marching troops paused, then came this order.

“Who touches a hair on yon grey head,
Dies like a dog, March on”, he said.

And the troops marched while the American flag waved proudly over their heads.

Words have power. They have taste, evoke memories and make statements. Who, for instance, hasn’t been excited by the sounds of “A Mighty Fortress” sung by a congregation celebrating the victory Jesus Christ won. “The Kingdom ours remaineth”.

And when you heard "The Lord is My Shepherd, I shall not want” you immediately recognize the familiar opening of Psalm 23. How many times have those words, read at a bedside, or during a burial, brought calm and comfort to a weary and troubled heart.

Or Lt. Phillip Nolan during a military trial, said, “I never want to hear or see this country again”, and the judge granted his wish. He spent his lifetime aboard ships, with others under order not ever to mention this country. And you remember the bit you memorized in school:

“Breathes there a man with soul; so dead,
Who never to himself has said,
This is my own, my native land. . .”

Then ends with the sad line.

“Unwept, unhonored, and unsung".

Words do have power. They can sting, they can humiliate, they can upset, they can arouse, but can also soothe, calm, bring quiet, and rest. Words in hymns bring a sense of well-being and belonging. “In the cross of Christ I glory.” And “I lay my sins on Jesus”, reminders always of what the Lord has done, and what lies in store for me.

And the Bible, filled with short expressions to memorize, to meditate on, to share with friends, to call to memory in quiet moments. “God is love”, and “Behold, the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world”. And “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” And who can fail to remember this grand invitation, "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”

Ah, yes, words do have power and meaning. We do well to care, to share, and to use wisely the words we speak often too glibly, or without thought. May God keep your words rich in meaning, filled with peace for others, and influential.

GPD 2/23/08