Words, Words, Words...

Apparently I speak ‘American’, not ‘English’, or so I have learned here in ‘Norn Iron’. My experience has proved true George Bernard Shaw's observation that America and the UK are ‘two nations divided by a common language.’ Of course it has taken time to get used to the Belfast accent—when I first got here I was shocked to find that people spoke an entirely different language. Now I understand that it was just a different accent, not a difference language, but there remain important differences that keep me on my toes. When Liz was first describing the over-60’s lunch club, she mentioned that the pensioners enjoy the ‘really good crack’ that the church provides. I mean, I figured Christianity would be expressed differently in a different culture, but I firmly believe that the line should be drawn at hard drugs. Later I discovered she was actually using a word that comes from Gaelic, craic, meaning atmosphere, conversation, or banter. It turns out that the dialect of English used here is a combination of the British, Irish and Scottish dialects. I have compiled a short list (below) of words that tend to make my everyday life quite confusing. You can find a more thorough translation of Norn Irish, or ‘Ulster’ as some call it, at http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/voices/atilazed/a.shtml.

'American' = 'Norn Irish'
cookie = biscuit
biscuit = scone
scone = danish
supper/dinner = tea
snack = supper
lunch = dinner
gas station = garage (gare-oj)
garage = garage (guh-raj)
gas = petrol
natural gas = gas
bun = bap
butt cheeks = buns
oh = ack
yeah = aye
what’s up? = what’s the craic?
how are ya? = ‘bout ye?
at six-thirty = for half-six
pants = trousers
underwear = pants

In large part, the American and Norn Iron dialects of English are the same, and that similarity makes differences all the more noticeable. I have to watch every word I say, because a blunder is always only one word away. People here think its funny when I talk about ‘my pants’, or having my burger on a ‘bun’. And just when I think I’ve gotten used to the most common idiomatic phrases here, I run into something that throws me for a loop. Even basic conversations can require the utmost concentration.

All this thinking about my words has led me to reflect on language in general, and on the words we say without even thinking. Sometimes, in the middle of conversation, often when I am lost among the strange vocabulary, I am struck by the humor of the situation, where we make noises in recognizable patterns to communicate, often times poorly. What is this strange phenomenon where noises and sounds can actually communicate feelings, desires, hopes and dreams? Speaking even simple words can make us incredibly vulnerable, opening up lanes of intimacy right to the heart of another person. Thanksgiving often reminds me of the importance of expressing thanks to people in my life, as opposed to simply assuming that people know I am thankful for their words of encouragement, their gifts of time and energy and resources, their very existence as fellow pilgrims passing through this tumultuous world. Speaking those words of thanks challenges my heart at the same time—am I really thankful? Do I really want to express these words or am I simply doing it out of convention? Then there are those times when I can’t help but say the words, and articulate the goings-on in my soul. So often I miss the divinity and holiness shining through the simplest utterings, the praise of a child or the prayers of an old man. What a gift it is to be able to express our feelings to our Lord with actual spoken word!

Working in a church with all this reflection going on in my head has made me aware of the words we say in church. Growing up I would read the call and response printed in the bulletin, try (poorly) to sing the hymns, and bowed my head for prayers, but how often did I really think about the meaning of the words I was hearing and speaking? Did I really mean it when I said 'Your Kingdom come, Your will be done'? How easy it is to get into a routine of worship where minds wander and words become meaningless! How tempting it is to want to say the right words, to be ‘theologically sound’ or uber-Christian sounding with our prayers or sermons. But what does the Lord require? Only that we be humble and genuine, honest with ourselves and honest with Him. That's why Christ praises the faith of a child. Many times children are shockingly honest, if only because they are unaware of social convention and expectation. How much more honest would we all be, unaware of social convention? It is sad, but understandable, that many Christians find church the absolute last place where they would confess anything to anyone, except perhaps the pastor or priest. Those are the utterances that make one vulnerable, that make one’s sin real to someone outside of oneself and forces one to confront the reality of that sin. I myself fall into this trap of fear all the time. How can we authentically reach people through all of this—the fluff, the meaningless repetition, the stubborn walls of our fearful hearts?

Both in the US and Northern Ireland, I have found consistently that those who simply speak from their hearts are those who inspire and reach people. That takes vulnerability on the part of the preacher, a willingness to expose one’s soul, that others might do the same. This willingness comes not with a certain 'type' of person; it springs from confidence in the sufficiency of Christ. By that I mean, since Christ has atoned for everything- our sins, our doubt, our fear of actually following Him- we should have confidence to be honest with those sins, doubts, and fears. Who among us has never lusted after someone, or felt the strong pull of greed? Who has never experienced terrifying moments of doubt that God exists or that the Bible is true? Is there anyone who has not had to face, as CS Lewis puts it, 'hours when it seems obvious that this material world is the only reality'? Is there anyone who has begun to grasp the Gospel's claims on our lives and labor, and not been the least bit fearful that it will turn our worlds upside-down? These experiences are not unique to one person or one era. Rather than denying that these experiences are real, or simply denouncing them as 'un-Christian' and moving on, we must ask 'Why?'. We must care for the hearts of the people who- like us- struggle with these experiences everyday, and deal with the underlying problem, of which the above are merely symptoms.

It is not easy to speak from our hearts, and it is even harder to do so in a coherent manner—to sum up the dreams and doubts and pleasures that intermingle in our souls. But that is the work to which we are called, to speak in such a way that people leave with a clear message, with the encouragement that Christ can transform their families, neighborhoods, churches, and even their very own hearts. Only when we speak plainly from our own experiences, with honesty and truth, will the church begin to fulfill its role as the messenger of Christ in this world. Until then many will remain locked in fear or apathy, and the church will remain one of the biggest detractors from its own message.