Aside from those unfortunate instances where a baby is born mute, everyone is born with a voice.

Some people seem particularly gifted with a beautiful voice and a mind tuned to using it well. The old actor and President Ronald Reagan had such a voice.

For a variety of reasons, some people have voices they rarely use.

But a Christian… every Christian is born again…

Christians are born again with a silver tongue.

There is no such thing as a Christian without a beautiful voice and a compelling story to tell.

It’s true, some Christians still struggle with certain anxieties when it comes to using their New Voice.

But a quick look at Psalm 51 reminds us that God deals with all of our human weaknesses with the result that our lips are opened and our New Voice is unlocked.

God Opened David’s Mouth

Next time you read Psalm 51 (go ahead, I’ll wait…) remember the story of Bathsheba.

David has certainly given himself plenty of reason to disappear into a dark corner and spend the rest of his life in anonymity.

He had one of his closest friends and allies murdered simply so that he could appear to “legally” take the man’s wife for himself.

Nothing shuts down our desire to publicly interact faster than humiliation over sin and the shame attached with it.

In some respects, confession and absolution (admitting your sins to God, then hearing His Word of forgiveness) is almost like a mini-born-again experience.

Sin is death. Death is the end. Forgiveness is a new life again.

David’s guilt could have shut his mouth forever, but the reassurance of God’s continued mercy enables David to continue.

O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare your praise!

Let the record show: a forgiven David, despite the fact that he had done terrible things, was able to continue to serve God in many wonderful ways.

Especially, David used his voice… his New Voice. Psalm 51 is a profound example.

Because when God opens your lips, the voice He puts into you will always sing his praise!

Christians have a Miracle Voice.

We may still struggle with various anxieties to use our voice.

It’s not that being born again turns us all into professional orators. No.

That’s not the silver tongue I’m talking about.

The “silver” on a Christian’s tongue is the content of the message, not the technique of the messenger!

A Kingdom of Priests

Both old and new testaments describe the Christian Church as a massive assembly of people who all have one thing in common: they are priests.

(For more on this, see Exodus 19:6, Isaiah 61:6, 1 Peter 2:9, or Revelation 1:6)

Now I don’t want you to think of a Roman Catholic Clergyman… not that kind of “priest”.

Not every Christian is called into the office of public ministry. Those are the Pastors and Clergy.

But every Christian is called to be a priest in a very important way.

The Latin word for priest is “pontifex” (where we get the word “Pontiff”).

Pontifex literally means “bridge-builder”.

The Christian church is populated by people from all walks of life, every one of whom is a bridge-builder.

Some people are “white collar”, some “blue collar”. There are old and young. Christianity is the most diverse people-group in the world.

According to the artificial intelligence program on my computer:            

“The Christian Church stands out for its remarkable breadth and depth of diversity, making it difficult to find a group that matches its scale and complexity.”

In other words, God intentionally built his community on earth to reflect the entire human population.

And so there is a bridge-builder for everyone!

No matter who you are in your everyday life - and few of you are actual builders of actual bridges - you are a pontifex… a bridge-builder.

And one of the most important - if not the most important - tool in your bridge-building trade is the New Voice you have from God.

O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise!

From Here to There

Bridges connect.

So if you are going to build a bridge, it’s of utmost importance that you pay close attention to both sides of the span.

This is a problem for some Christians. They do a good job of declaring God’s praise, but they give no thought to where it’s landing.

As bridge-builders, we absolutely must become good listeners before we use the voice God has given us. We need to know as much about “there” as we know about “here”.

Let’s consider two of the nearly infinite possibilities.

Scenario #1: My neighbor often wonders, “In view of the mess our world is in, how can there be a god?”

Scenario #2: My neighbor often wonders, “Can I really be a Christian if I’ve had an abortion?”

These are two very different bridge-building challenges.

In the first scenario, I may find myself in conversation with someone who is angry about certain people groups who my neighbor might feel superior towards.

Perhaps this neighbor has identified himself so closely with a particular political party that he sees all of the biggest problems as being caused by a select group of people - the other party.

Or maybe that neighbor isn’t so political. Maybe his concern is more about the seemingly endless and unsolvable problems in our world such as poverty and injustice.

Before I begin “declaring God’s praise” with my New Voice, I MUST listen to my neighbor.

I am not ready to speak until I know my neighbor, understand his dilemma, decipher the terrain of his thought-world. I need to know how this bridge I’m building is going to connect.

Now let’s take the second scenario. I may find myself in a conversation with someone who has, in fact, had an abortion.

Guilt may be wrecking her conscience.

On the other hand, I might find myself speaking with someone who wants to know if she can “get away with” having an abortion without offending the God of the Bible who has made no bones about how we are to avoid murder.

Again, these would be two very different bridge-building challenges.

In brief, we really need to learn to listen before we speak. Don’t be in a hurry, God’s in control of the clock.

Building the Bridge

I’d like to suggest three building materials that help us build bridges.

We dare not rely on any one of these exclusively, we should endeavor to become skilled with all three.

1. God’s Word.

If we’re really honest, we rarely know “exactly what to say”.

However, we are confident that God does. We are confident that no matter what kinds of people we find as our neighbors, God’s Word knows what to say.

So bridge-builders are wise to study God’s Word. It’s the “blueprint” for our own speech.

Learning God’s Word well gives you confidence to build a bridge that actually connects.

2. Life Experience

Because the church is so diverse, some of us are philosophical, some are practical, some are emotional, some are passionate, some are intelligent, some are… well, the list goes endlessly on.

You are you! And you have a host of life experiences derived from education, family, and circumstance.

These life experiences create solid foundations for connecting. You may need to become comfortable sharing them…

3. Presence

Much of the bridge-building we must do comes from a voice without words.

When a Christian takes the time to simply “be” with a neighbor, a bridge is being built.

For the Christian, it is usually a sacrifice of time or some other precious resource (like comfort).

It can also be difficult not to speak at a time when words may do more harm than good.

But we remember how God worked with David. He used David’s humanity to accomplish great things.

God will use you too.

Let’s build bridges together! O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise!

Closing Prayer

O Lord, how often I want to close my lips and remain silent. I don’t like to talk about my own faults. I often want to avoid people with whom I disagree. I don’t know your Word as well as I should. Open my lips. Unlock a love and concern for my neighbor so that I can be a bridge-builder for you. Let my mouth declare your praise! Amen.