Sermon for July 14th, 2019

Psalm 11:1-7

To the leader. Of David.
1 In the Lord I take refuge; how can you say to me,
    “Flee like a bird to the mountains;
2 for look, the wicked* bend the bow,
    they have fitted their arrow to the string,
    to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart.
3 If the foundations are destroyed,
    what can the righteous do?”

4 The Lord is in his holy temple;
    the Lord’s throne is in heaven.
    His eyes behold, his gaze examines humankind.
5 The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked,
    and his soul hates the lover of violence.
6 On the wicked he will rain coals of fire and sulfur;
    a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.
7 For the Lord is righteous;
he loves righteous deeds;
    the upright shall behold his face.

Psummer of Psalms II - Psalm 11

• triumphant answer of faith to cowardly counsel.
• Psalm of Trust, along with 16, 23, 27
• Throne is in heaven, temple is on earth -- or, God is active in the world, and yet God also transcends the world. God is with us, and yet God is over us.
• Summary of this Psalm: Wait. Trust. Keep the faith.
• This Psalm is an affirmation of faith, not unlike the Apostle's creed.
• Courage.

One Sunday morning, Satan appeared before a small town congregation. Everyone started screaming and running for the front church door, trampling each other in a frantic effort to get away. Soon, everyone was gone, except for an elderly gentleman who sat calmly. Satan walked up to the man and said, "Don't you know who I am?" The man replied, "Yep, sure do." Satan asked, "Aren't you going to run?" "Nope, sure ain't," said the man. Perturbed, Satan asked, "Why aren't you afraid of me?" The man calmly replied, "Been married to your sister for over 48 years."