Easter 4A; Psalm 23; John 10:1-10 St. Paul’s Episcopal Church,
Smithfield, NC - 5/15/2011
Jim Melnyk: “All I Nee to Know"
“A
Sunday school teacher decided to have her young class memorize one of the most
quoted passages in the Bible – Psalm 23.
She gave the youngsters a month to learn the passage.
Little Bobby was excited
about the task, but he just couldn’t remember the Psalm. After much practice, he could barely get past
the first line. On the day that the kids were scheduled to recite Psalm 23 in
front of the congregation, Bobby was extremely nervous. When it was his turn, he stepped up to the
microphone and said proudly, ‘The Lord is my shepherd – and that’s all I need
to know!’” [1]
Have you ever noticed how the
simplest answers are often the most profound?
Yet even the comfort of this truth leaves us asking the question,
“How?” How is God my shepherd? And ultimately, what does that mean for me?
For centuries Psalm 23 has
been a word of comfort spoken to us or by us in times of struggle, confusion,
fear, or despair. There is a sense of
presence offered in the Psalm that speaks to our hearts of God’s love for
humanity – of God’s presence in our lives in ways that make a difference in how
we live out our lives. Theologian Walter
Brueggemann speaks of transforming presence – of vitality of relationship and
confidence in God as the source of new orientation – as hallmarks of this
moving faith-poem.[2]
The Psalm recalls that Israel
is ever the sojourner – ever the traveler – ever the stranger – ever in search
of a home – in search of the presence of God.
Even when settled in the heart of Jerusalem, Israel can never forget her
journey through the wilderness or her time in exile. Yet even with those haunting memories, the
Psalmist reminds her always of God’s transforming and vital presence in the
life of God’s people.
For transformation is what
the Psalms – and especially what this Psalm is all about. There are words and images of action in the
Psalm. Words or images like “lead,”
“comfort,” “prepare,” “revive,” and “feed.”
Words and images like “restore,” “being with me,” and, “anoint” fill the
verses of the Psalm. God finds a way to
minister to, and be present with, the people of God. Brueggemann points out that “the imagery of
leading and feeding shades in a pastoral direction, the action being those of a
shepherd tending sheep. The imagery,” he
writes, “bespeaks tenderness, gentleness, and attentiveness.[3]”
The words of Psalm 23 suggest the caring love of a mother or father. There is a sense of God’s constancy – of
God’s presence and communion with God’s people – and the suggestion of human
beings as partners with Yahweh in the ongoing work of Creation.[4]
No wonder Psalm 23 speaks so
powerfully to us – especially in times of confusion or trouble. It is a Psalm of hope and promise. In fact, one of the most significant breath
prayers I use when troubled is simply, “The Lord is my Shepherd,” on the in-breath,
and “I shall not want,” on the out-breath.
It causes me to wonder how
present the words of Psalm 23 were for Jesus when he used the imagery of the
Good Shepherd we read from John’s gospel today.
We know he was well versed in the scriptures – and the depth of meaning
from the psalm must have at least subconsciously informed his use of the
shepherd imagery in his teaching.
“Very truly, I tell you, I am
the gate for the sheep.” Later he will
say, “I am the good shepherd.” In the
midst of it all, Jesus tells us the meaning of his life is to bring life to
others. “The thief comes only to steal
and kill and destroy. I came that they
may have life, and have it abundantly.”[5]
This, in essence, is Jesus’
own spin on the need for relationship spoken of so poetically by the
Psalmist. Transforming presence,
vitality of relationship, and confidence in God as the source of new
orientation, are also hallmarks of Jesus’ life-giving ministry. The relationship offered by the Good Shepherd
is not offered in some sort of one-on-one, just-you-and-me-God, vacuum. It’s offered to all that care to listen – “I
came that They – that all – that all – not just you or me – that they – that all
– might have life, and have it abundantly.”
Moreover, the very sense of Jesus’ life and ministry – of his call for
us to follow, and the gift of the Holy Spirit in our lives – reminds us that we
are called to be partners with Christ – and partners with Yahweh – with God –
in the ongoing nature of creation.
And we are, for the most
part, able to have a sense of God’s ongoing presence in our lives – a sense of
the abundant life promised us by Jesus – until the bank comes calling, or a
spouse packs a bag, or a teen doesn’t come home, or the insurance or food money
dries up, or a pandemic suddenly surfaces…then it’s a bit harder to sense…and
perhaps we find ourselves praying, “The Lord is my shepherd….”
Psalm 23 has always had deep
meaning for those in trouble. It’s one of the “go-to” psalms in the burial
office – a plea for a sense of God’s presence and healing power in times of
deepest need. It doesn’t negate our grief or our fear – in fact it outright
names those emotions – and then it promises us that God will be with us. “The image of God setting a table in the
midst of violent pursuers” honors those who trust in God’s promise and puts the
pursers to shame. Rather than the
psalmist being pursued by enemies who wish to do violence, Psalm 23 proclaims a
God whose “goodness and mercy” pursue the psalmist – whose “goodness and mercy”
pursue us to give us peace.[6]
In the midst of a pandemic we
never thought would actually happen we struggle with all our emotions. Many of
us know people who are or have been sick. Many of us may already know people
who have died as a result of COVID-19. Many of us have loved ones working on
the front line – in hospitals or in nursing homes, in grocery stores or
first-responder vocations. We may have relatives living in retirement
communities, nursing homes, or rehab centers. There are some among us who have
had surgeries delayed – and others who have had to brave hospitals for
surgeries that could not wait.
We live with information
overload and angry voices who wrestle with issues as serious as loss of
livelihood and loss of life. And perhaps we can look to Psalm 23 and John 10:10,
not just for them, but for us as well. “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not
want.” I can certainly imagine people around the world this morning praying this
psalm as we continue to face today’s challenges.
As we at St. Paul’s move
through this time of physical separation and pandemic frustrations and fears,
we live with the knowledge that not only are we called to abundant life by
Christ, but we are called to make that hope real for our neighbor as well. And if Jesus’ shepherd imagery in John 10
has any grounding at all in the Psalm we read this morning, we have the basis
for understanding how to live out that abundant life for ourselves and
others. Think of the words from Psalm 23
and the life to which they call us – words like lead, comfort, and prepare;
words like revive, restore, anoint, and feed – always reminding us of a God who
chooses to be with us – to lead strengthen us and to lead us.
Indeed, the whole of Torah
with its 613 mitzvot, or commandments, is meant to be a response to a God of
grace who is both our shepherd and our host at heavenly banquet. We are called
to emulate the shepherd – called to emulate the host. Our acts of good deeds
and following God’s commandments is our response to a God who loves us into
existence.
"I came that they may have
life, and have it abundantly” is Christ’s call to action. It is our high calling well – our call to
action – so that “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want” will not be only
a prayer of hope, but also a celebration of reality. “The Lord is my shepherd – and that’s all I
need to know!” Amen.
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