I remember growing up with the saying, “Stick and stones may hurt my bones, but words will never harm me.” Now I am not sure in what context this saying arose, but it certainly ‘ain’t true’! Words are powerful, both negative words spoken, and positive words spoken. Think about it, God spoke the universe into being! Jesus spoke the word and the sick were healed, the dead raised, and even the wind heard him and obeyed his command. Poems, and songs, and books are written, using words to communicate truth. Lover’s whisper into each other’s ears, using carefully chosen words to describe how they feel. Words of correction and discipline need to be prudently chosen so the right message comes across. The Apostle John said it all in the opening line of his gospel, “In the beginning was the Word.” Words are eternal, ‘in the profound moment of being heard,’ they can shape us forever. Words have an immense, vast, immeasurable power to shape and form and influence, whenever they are spoken John goes on to say, “The Word was with God and the Word was God.” Words have their powerful origin in God. A scary thought that we are entrusted with a power to speak that comes from God! And I am not just meaning spiritual words spoken in a spiritual context; I mean all the words we speak! Words spoken, language used is all sacred text. Put like this, and I think we can and we should, highlights the absurdity and danger of the loose words we speak, the words of hate, judgment, anger, sarcasm, bitterness, violence and revenge that all too easily flow from our mouths (and hearts). I think the Bee Gee’s got it right… You think that I don't even mean A single word I say It's only words, and words are all I have to take your heart away