First Baptist Church of Herndon

See Something Say Something

Linda Soller | Dec 11, 2017

Communication – definition: “The imparting or exchanging of information or news”. We think we communicate all the time. But too often we are just making noise. Consider for a moment the conversations you had today. How would you categorize say, 50% of them? Were they small talk, work related, scheduling logistics, or some other category. There is nothing wrong with those categories. I just want us to think about how often, or seldom, we communicate something important?

The “see something, say something” expression is promoted to make us all more observant and ready to speak up if we see something dangerous. If we see a package out of place, or a vehicle or person not following the accepted norms we are encouraged to alert someone. Who you alert will depend on the circumstances. It’s absolutely communication; imparting potentially important information. You can’t control what the recipient will do with that information, but you can provide all they need to know based on your observation to make an informed decision.

The shepherds in Biblical times routinely communicated. Their nomadic lifestyle lent itself to spreading news between locations. Spread out in the fields, they didn’t have much time for conversing with other shepherds. While the sheep were great listeners, conversations with them were a bit one sided. Shepherds applied “see something, say something” in the Christmas story. They saw the heavenly host and went to see the child in the stable. The shepherds understood the impact of their news and the urgency. In this case, they were not relaying danger, but excitement and joy.

This Christmas take a minute to observe what goes on around you. When you see something like kindness, generosity, love, or joy, say something. When you see God at work, say something. When you see a person, who could use a kind word, say something. Perhaps the real danger is in not saying what we see that is good and right in this world.

Communication – synonyms: “Dissemination, promulgation, and broadcasting”.  The shepherds were way ahead of the trend. They understood the value of the spoken word. They saw something amazing, and they said something. Now it’s your turn.

Be not afraid! Good tidings of great joy! A Child is born! :o) Linda