Words Matter: The Power of What We Say
Sticks and Stones
"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me."
Most of us learned that little rhyme somewhere along the way — usually right after someone said something that hurt. It's the comeback we reach for when we want to look unbothered. The trouble is, we don't actually believe it. Deep down, we know better. We can all remember a word that landed and stayed — an offhand comment, a careless label, a cutting remark — long after the bruise from any stick would have healed.
Words have power. They can build a person up or tear them down. They can open a door or slam one shut. They can carry truth and grace, or carry damage that lingers for years. And if words can do all of that in our hands, it shouldn't surprise us that words matter deeply to God — the God who spoke creation into being, and who calls his Son the Word made flesh.
A New Series: Words Matter
Beginning Sunday, July 5, Pastor Vicki Harrison opens a new series called Words Matter. Over three Sundays, we'll take an honest look at the things we say — what our words reveal about our hearts, what they do to the people around us, and how following Jesus changes the way we speak.
There's something fitting about starting this series on the July 4th weekend, when we celebrate freedom and remember that some of history's most consequential moments turned on words written and spoken with conviction. Words have always carried weight. Words Matter asks what we're doing with the words we've been given.
Join Us — July 5, 12, and 19
July 5 — "Taming the Tongue" (James 3). Pastor Vicki opens the series with James's strikingly honest picture of the tongue: small, but able to set a whole life ablaze.
July 12 — "Sticks and Stones: Changing the Narrative" (Ephesians 4:29). What would it look like if our words only built others up? Pastor Vicki unpacks Paul's call to let nothing unwholesome come out of our mouths. (Pastor Roberto preaches this message in our Spanish-speaking services.)
July 19 — "More than Words" (Matthew 12:33–37). Pastor Roberto closes the series with Jesus's reminder that our words flow from the overflow of the heart.
The Word That Doesn't Return Empty
Words matter because the people who hear them matter, and because the God who gave us language takes our words seriously. Over these few weeks, our prayer is simple: that the words we speak would start to sound a little more like the One who spoke us into being — full of truth, full of grace, and pointed toward life.
Join us at 9:30 AM beginning Sunday, July 5 — in person or online.
CTA
New to New Hope? Join us Sundays at 9:30 AM beginning July 5 — in person in Brandon or online at findnewhope.com. (New Hope en Español worships at 9:30 and 11:30 AM.)