Difference between revisions of "Sermon for August 16th, 2020"
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The flight attendant replies, "Well, they should be. After all, they *are* complimentary." | The flight attendant replies, "Well, they should be. After all, they *are* complimentary." | ||
| − | Psalm 12 is about flattery, | + | Psalm 12 is about flattery, boasting, and other types of deceitful or reckless speech. There's an old saying that most of us grew up with: "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never harm me." Of course, the mere existence of that rhyme, the fact that children need to hear and say things like this to comfort and console themselves, hints at the fact that words really do have the power to wound us emotionally, to destroy relationships and reputations alike. |
Revision as of 14:14, 15 August 2020
Psalm 12:1-8
To the leader: according to The Sheminith. A Psalm of David.
1 Help, O Lord, for there is no longer anyone who is godly;
the faithful have disappeared from humankind.
2 They utter lies to each other;
with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.
3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,
the tongue that makes great boasts,
4 those who say, “With our tongues we will prevail;
our lips are our own—who is our master?”
5 “Because the poor are despoiled, because the needy groan,
I will now rise up,” says the Lord;
“I will place them in the safety for which they long.”
6 The promises of the Lord are promises that are pure,
silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
purified seven times.
7 You, O Lord, will protect us;
you will guard us from this generation forever.
8 On every side the wicked prowl,
as vileness is exalted among humankind.
Psummer of Psalms III: Psalm 12
A Prayer for help in evil times.
A man is on an Southwest airplane flight from El Paso to Dallas, and he opens the bag of peanuts that the flight attendant recently handed out to all the passengers. As soon as the bag is opened, he hears a voice coming from what sounds like the peanuts, and the voice says to him, "Hey man, you're looking great today!" The man looks around, but no one else seems to notice, and not wanting to be rude, he says to the voice, "Thank you."
The peanuts reply, "Also, I really love your outfit!"
"That's...uh...nice of you to notice," says the man.
Next, the bag of peanuts tell him, "You are one of the coolest guys I have ever met!"
At this, the man is quite flattered. He waves down the flight attendant and tells her, "Ma'am, these peanuts are really nice and thoughtful!"
The flight attendant replies, "Well, they should be. After all, they *are* complimentary."
Psalm 12 is about flattery, boasting, and other types of deceitful or reckless speech. There's an old saying that most of us grew up with: "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never harm me." Of course, the mere existence of that rhyme, the fact that children need to hear and say things like this to comfort and console themselves, hints at the fact that words really do have the power to wound us emotionally, to destroy relationships and reputations alike.
