The likeness of God

 James 3:8-10

But no one can tame the tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so.

“Did God say…” the serpent whispered to the woman

sowing a seed of doubt and of mistrust

so that in every age, those born women 

have been doubted and viewed with suspicion

The whisper continues… denying the likeness of God

in all who are different 

an insidious toxin that worms its way into the fissures 

created by discrimination

Those soft whispers are amplified 

until they become voices raised in anger and hatred

The seeds they sow take root and flourish

until whole sections of community

are riven by discontent

that acts as kindling

for conflagrations of violence

And those who stand on the sidelines

are recruited to a cause

that sweeps up all in its path

to resist any who are different

Blinded to the likeness of God

that resides at the core of every human being

We who blithely share the poison

in humorous memes on our ‘influencer’ pages

continue to perpetrate the ‘othering’

by providing fuel for the fire of prejudice

And we who are silent 

fail to dampen the flame of intolerance

that denies our shared status: Beloved of God

How shall we raise our voices

from a whisper

to a thunderous roar

that asserts the wisdom of God

who created all in the likeness of God?

Liz Crumlish September 2024