On the Camino – James 3:1-12

On the Camino
I found a fountain
with two taps
Vino
and Agua.
Cheap local wine from one,
rough on the tongue.
Water from the other.
Two liquids.
Two sources.

James says
it should be as clear as that.
Fresh water
does not come
from a salt spring.
A fig tree
does not bear olives.
And yet
our mouths confuse the sources.

We bless God
and curse
those made
in God’s likeness.
We sing praise
then gossip.
We pray
then belittle.
We speak gently
in public
and harshly
behind closed doors.

Two kinds of speech
flowing from one mouth.
James says,
this should not be.

Because words
do not begin
on the tongue.
They rise
from somewhere deeper.

From fear
or love.
From resentment
or grace.
From pride
or humility.
From contempt
or compassion.
The tongue
only reveals
the spring.

A sarcastic remark,
a rumour,
a cutting joke
small things,
but James knows
how far they travel.

A spark
can warm a fire
or burn a forest.

A rudder
can steer a ship
toward harbour
or onto rocks.

So the question
is not simply,
Did I say
the right thing?
It is,
What source
did that come from?

If someone walked
beside me all week
heard my Sunday words,
my private words,
my jokes,
my complaints,
the way I speak
about people
who are not there
would they discover
one spring
or two?

We cannot tame
the tongue
by willpower alone.
The source
must change.
The heart
must be made new.
Then perhaps
another kind of speech
can begin to flow
truth
without cruelty,
correction
without contempt,
gentleness
without weakness,
words that comfort,
restore,
bless.

On the Camino
the taps were clearly marked
Vino.
Agua.
You knew
what source
you were drinking from.

Perhaps James asks us
to make our lives
just as clear.
One spring.
One source.

A life rooted in Christ,
and words
that taste
like living water.

Original message by Lily Strachan
The Bridge Church Macquarie Park NSW
31 May 2026