Sermon for September 11th, 2016

Psalm 46

To the leader. Of the Korahites. According to Alamoth. A Song.

1 God is our refuge and strength,
   a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
   though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
3 though its waters roar and foam,
   though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
   the holy habitation of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved;
   God will help it when the morning dawns.
6 The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter;
   he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
   the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

8 Come, behold the works of the Lord;
   see what desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
   he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear;
   he burns the shields with fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God!
   I am exalted among the nations,
   I am exalted in the earth.”
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
   the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

Selah: Ancient Songs Our Souls Still Sing

Psalm 46 is about remembering the Lord in times of trouble. I'm reminded of another story about Bubba and Tiny--the time they took a shortcut across farmer Jim's field. They went past the "no trespassing" sign, climbed under the fence with no trouble, but they hadn't gotten too far across the field when they saw the farmer Jim's prize Angus Bull. And the bull saw them. And the bull was angry. And the bull began to run. And Bubba and Tiny began to run. And as they ran, with the bull in hot pursuit, Tiny yelled out to Bubba, "you better pray for us, Bubba!" Bubba yelled back, "I only know one prayer, Tiny, but I don't think it's the right one!" By this time, the bull is almost right on top of them, and Tiny yells back, "I don't care, Bubba--just pray something!" So Bubba, still running, lowers his eyes and folds his hands and says, "O Lord, for what we are about to receive, make us truly thankful."

Written on a dry erase board in my office, in large capital letters, is some advice I wrote to myself four years ago when I first came here as your pastor. Since it's written in dry erase marker, sometimes it gets erased, and I forget to do these things. But eventually, I always remember, and write it out again so that I will see it and live by it every day.

I call it the "pastor's haiku" although it's not really a haiku, and I suppose it's probably good advice for just about any profession. It consists of three short sentences, each one written in a different color. And if I accomplish even two out of these three things on any given day, I consider it to be a successful one. Here's the advice, my pastor's haiku:

Chill out. Love the people. Trust the Lord.

Those of you who know me well probably understand that for me, that first part is the hardest. I am not prone to chill out, especially in the midst of all the crises and challenges that are an everyday part of church ministry. Loving the people is a lot easier for me, but even that one is sometimes challinging--although I imagine that in every profession there are those special people who work really hard at making themselves difficult to love. And trusting the Lord, by definition, means not placing my trust in my own instincts and inclinations, or in the voices of power, wealth and prestige in our culture, which beckon all of us to put our trust in them and them alone.

So...every day I remind myself to do these three things: Chill out. Love the people. Trust the Lord.

The people of ancient Israel reminded themselves of these things too (although much more poetically) with the words of Psalm 46. The instructions at the beginning of the Psalm, the refrain at the end of the second and third verses, and other features of this psalm indicate that it was likely used in temple worship services, perhaps as a call-and-response liturgy, or perhaps for a chorus of female voices.

Like my "pastor's haiku," Psalm 46 is divided into three parts, each verse ending with the untranslatable Hebrew word "Selah." We'll talk more about that word later.

The first part of Psalm 46 declares that God is present in the midst of what we would call "natural disasters."

Though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. These things were all real fears and dangers to people in the ancient world, and they still are to us today: Earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, avalanches, volcanic eruptions. Things which, despite all our technology and knowledge and progress, are still vastly beyond our ability to stop or control. These things used to be called "acts of God" not so much because we believe God intentionally inflicted them upon us (although some have believed that!) but to distinguish them from man-made calamities like warfare, persecution, and exploitation.

On that note, the second part of Psalm 46 declares that God is present in the midst of man-made disasters. "God is in the midst of the city," even as "the nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter."

-A mighty fortress is our god (Luther) -jess nelson -selah -september 11 (Billy Graham preached this text in National Cathedral after 9/11) -Pastor Neal's Haiku

Verse 1: Natural disasters (flood, hurricane, earthquake, cancer) Verse 2: Political disasters (war, terror, violence)

-God of Might -God of Mystery -God in our Midst (Immanu El)