Mercy in Motion: Psalm 23 - Fourth Sunday of Easter

 ¹The Lord is my shepherd;
  I shall not be in want.
 ²The Lord makes me lie down in green pastures
  and leads me beside still waters.
 ³You restore my soul, O Lord,
  and guide me along right pathways for your name’s sake.
 ⁴Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil;
  for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 
 ⁵You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
  you anoint my head with oil, and my cup is running over.
 ⁶Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
  and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (NRSV)

At my high school graduation, I was given, as a gift, a framed picture of a tree-lined pathway, with Jeremiah 29:11 inscribed below:

For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. Plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

 

Coming Through! by United States Forces Iraq on flickr.  CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Over the years, I’ve found that certain Scripture passages pair very well with occasions in one’s life.  We decorate our children’s rooms with murals of Noah’s Ark. We read 1 Corinthians 13 at weddings, the famous “Love is patient, love is kind” passage…  We hold up signs that read JOHN 3:16 at sporting events. 

And when mourners are huddled at the graveside, we read Psalm 23.

And that is a good thing.  This is one of Scripture’s most beautiful passages; a word of comfort from God when we need it most.  And yet, would you read it at a wedding?  Or an infant baptism? 

In my summer as a hospital chaplain intern, I learned to be very careful with Psalm 23 after reciting it to parents whose son was in trauma surgery.  His mother thought I was telling her that her son was dead (which he wasn’t, he was fine). 

That’s the problem—for God to truly speak to us through this Psalm, we must take it back from the funerals and hospices; from the Hallmark cards and Christian gift shops—lest you lose God’s word to the feelings you have—and that’s not good!

Psalm 23 paints a picture of real life.  There’s scarcity and uncertainty.  Enemies and evildoers are all around.  Death and darkness are closing in.  The sheep go astray.  Their lives and souls are battered and broken.

Surely, you can relate to this!  Nobody knows this better than Christ, our Good Shepherd, who cried out from the cross the words of Psalm 22, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Yet Psalm 23 beautifully reveals the God whom Christ cries out to.  Though there is great trial and tribulation, there is also great trust.  God’s goodness and mercy are stronger than evil and death.

Psalm 23 is a forward-looking, forward-moving Psalm.  After all, a good shepherd must keep the flock moving—leading it toward pastures to graze and waters to drink.  The shepherd leads the flock along the pathways and through the darkest valleys.  The shepherd stays with the sheep. The shepherd keeps the flock together; the shepherd keeps them safe. 

Though the sheep and the shepherd are in motion, the enemies and evildoers are not.  They don’t go in pursuit of God’s sheep.  What does pursue the sheep is goodness and mercy.  The enemies seem to watch from the sidelines as God anoints their heads and their cups overflow.

Faith, after all, is moving forward while trusting in the promises of God.  Had the sheep not known hunger, thirst, enemies, and death along the way—they never would have known the goodness and mercy of the Shepherd.  With Jesus, all roads lead to the Lord—no matter what you encounter along the way.

In these troubling times, we need our faith to be renewed in the promises of Psalm 23; to learn how to be sheep and how to be shepherded. 

Sometimes, it’s not enough for the Lord to be your shepherd!  How do you move forward when you’ve lost a loved one; lost a job; lost your health?  It feels a little foolish to speak optimistically about the future of our church while our membership rolls and bank accounts are shrinking!  How can you even envision a bright future when it won’t look like the glories of old?

It’s hard to follow Jesus when suffering and evil come your way.  If given the choice between following Jesus through suffering or taking matters into our own hands, we’d choose the latter!  You want to be in control.  You want to call the shots.  You don’t want to be shepherded. 

The Christian life is all about living simply so that you can give yourself away for others in need!  Well, who wants to post that on Facebook?  The world has a lot to offer that you don’t want to miss out on!

Do you really want to be part of the flock!  Wouldn’t be so much easier just to look out for yourself?  If Jesus were just your personal Shepherd rather than the Shepherd of all God’s children?

The promise for the sheep of the Shepherd’s fold is life—even in the face of suffering and death.  Psalm 23 paints a picture of the life God wants for you.  Faith is about moving forward into the fulfillment of that promise. 

So what’s holding you back today? 

I believe that the best occasion for reciting Psalm 23 is when tomorrow becomes today—and God invites you to embrace that new day with hope.  If there is something you lack, your Shepherd will lead you to where your hunger and thirst can be satisfied.  If sin and sorrow have shattered your soul, your Shepherd will restore it.  If you don’t know the way, your Shepherd will lead you—even in darkness.  Only goodness and mercy will pursue you; and your enemies will look on as your cup overflows. 

For whatever tomorrow holds that holds you in dread, there your Shepherd will be.