By Rev. Dr. Dezo Schreiner

When I was growing up, my mother used to say something that made us laugh. Before we would say, she’d tell us, we needed to do something with our tongue seventy-seven times. At the time, it sounded like one of those strange parental sayings meant to slow us down.

But the older I get, and the more I read Scripture, the more I realize my mother was preaching James long before I knew his name.

James tells us plainly: be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger. Not as good manners. Not as polite behavior. But as discipleship.

And I’ll be honest, I still struggle with this. I come from a family where silence sometimes can get uncomfortable. Being slow to speak can feel inefficient, even annoying. But James isn’t interested in efficiency. James is interested in faith that is real.

Living in an Age of Noise

We are living in a time of constant noise. Opinions are everywhere. Anger travels fast. People talk past each other instead of listening to one another. Everyone wants to be heard, but very few are willing to hear.

Into that chaos, James speaks with clarity: be quick to listen and slow to speak.

Friends, this is not about etiquette. This is about obedience. James refuses a faith that lives only in words. He refuses a Christianity that sounds good but does nothing.

That’s why his words still cut so close to home.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

I was reminded of this recently when I asked someone what their favorite quote was. They said, “It’s not really a quote–I just believe that actions speak louder than words.”

That’s James in a sentence.

Faith that does not show up in how we live is not faith at all. God is first a giver–a giver of light, without shadow. God gives life through the word of truth, and through that word we are born and claimed as God’s own. Scripture calls us first fruits. We belong to God.

So the question James presses on us is simple and uncomfortable:
Will we live like who we are?

Listening as an Act of Love

James calls us to listen because listening is humility.
Listening is love.
Listening is justice.

To truly listen is to say to another person: your life matters, your pain matters, and you matter to God.

So let me say that clearly here: your life matters, and your life matters to God.

As we reflect during Black History Month, we are reminded how often voices crying out for dignity and justice were ignored–even by the church. James has no patience for a faith that refuses to hear suffering. A faith that turns away from pain is not the faith of Jesus Christ.

If we want to follow Jesus, we must be willing to hear suffering.

Be Doers of the Word

James does not stop at listening. He pushes us further: be doers of the word, and not merely hearers.

Faith is not proven by what we say in worship.
Faith is not proven by smiles or kind words alone.
Faith is proven by what we do when injustice stands in front of us.

James calls us to care for the vulnerable.
James calls us to resist being shaped by a broken world.

This is not partisan language. This is Jesus’ language.

The question before us is not whether we have heard the word. The question is whether we will live it. Will we listen deeply, speak carefully, and act faithfully?

Listening That Changes Us

My prayer is not just that we listen–but that we do something with what we hear.

When God hears our prayers, God acts. And when we truly listen, God begins to shape us.

Listen to pain, even when it is uncomfortable.
Listen to truths that challenge what you grew up believing.
Listen to voices you were trained to ignore.
Listen to people you were told not to speak to.
Listen even when you don’t like what you hear.

Through that listening, God shapes our hearts, our communities, and even our country into God’s beloved community.

My prayer is that God will give us ears to listen, tongues shaped by love, and lives that bear fruit–fruit worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Because the people that this text was written for were not living easy lives. They were under pressure. They were scattered. They were marginalized. They were struggling.

Which leads us to the urgent question we must carry with us:
What does real faith look like when life is hard?

Q&A Summary

Q: What is the core message of this sermon?
A: Real Christian faith listens deeply, speaks carefully, and is proven through action–not just words.

Q: Why does James emphasize listening before speaking?
A: Because listening is an act of humility, love, and justice that honors the dignity of others.

Q: How does this apply to today’s world?
A: In a culture of noise and anger, discipleship calls us to slow down, hear suffering, and respond faithfully.

Q: What does it mean to be a “doer of the word”?
A: It means living out faith through justice, care for the vulnerable, and resisting the broken patterns of the world.

Q: Is this a partisan political message?
A: No. It is rooted in the teachings of Jesus and the call of Scripture, not partisan ideology.

Q: What question should readers take with them?
A: What does real faith look like when life is hard–and am I willing to live it?