Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd (period, full stop, exclamation point). It is a statement of assurance that ought to follow us all the days of our lives. What we believe guides what we do. When we believe that every person is important, when the church is a person centered care center for spiritual life, we recognize that we are all in relationship with the good shepherd who watches over us, leads us, in green pastures, beside still waters, and through deep valleys of change. How we handle change has a lot to do with our perspective.
I recently saw a video of a blind man sitting on the sidewalk with a small can beside him, hoping as folks passed by they would donate a coin or two. One young woman stopped and knelt down and wrote a sign and placed it beside him so that those approaching would see it. As the walkers passed, coins fell into the can, onto his mat, into his lap. When the woman returned, she stopped again to check on him and he asked her what did you do? The camera zoomed in on the sign which read: “It is a beautiful day, I just can’t see it.”
We are all in process, a journey of becoming. We live in a technology revolution that changes how we communicate. We post the written text of sermons on the web site, but most churches have the video version so that the emphasis on words and phrases comes across. The web gives us an opportunity to engage one another in meditation, reflection as we did in Lent.
In a culture of development that affirms we are all living lives and acknowledge that life changes, we honor each person wherever he or she is on the journey. In so doing we can choose to empower others rather than constrain them, we value relationship over task achievement, and we choose collaborative governance over a hierarchical one. We make these choices because we believe all persons need a chance to live a meaningful spiritual life.
We live in a world shaped by tides of change. Technology brings great challenges, rapid communication, social networks, and news in real time. If you see a picture of the election of the pope in 2005 people are lighting candles to announce the election and two thirds of the group are standing in the dark. In contrast in 2014 the picture shows everyone in the crowd holding a bright light: it is their cell phone. Technology will revolutionize not only communication but business practices, banking, new therapeutic possibilities in medicine, development of drugs and vaccines that make it possible to live not only longer but better. Institutions are changing: the old rules of success and failure based on competition are changing. The strategy is more global and the focus more personal. Demographics are shifting: do you know that ½ of all the people who have ever reached the age of 65 are currently living in our world? The environment is changing, raising sea levels, causing severe variations in weather, too much rain or snow in some regions, too little in others. Social values are in flux: expectations are highly variable about what we consider to be good.
The pace of change at times feels both chaotic and erratic. When change tempts us to despair we need to remember the image of the good shepherd, guiding, providing, being present, and moving us onward and upward. The good shepherd is the unifying vision: one flock, one shepherd. The good shepherd cares for all the sheep, the rich and the poor, the women and the men, the over educated and undereducated, the employed and the underemployed. The good shepherd knows the sheep.
When we crave relationships that are trustworthy and committed, we should pray the 23rd Psalm. When we feel vulnerable, disappointed, or fragile, remember and pray the 23rd Psalm. Remember and know that we can trust the one who knows us just as we are and offers us companionship and presence. If we can perceive and trust that presence, we can risk something good because we have a shepherd that will bring all the sheep into one flock. None will be lost. All will be well.
When we hear or pray the 23rd psalm we may remember it being read at funerals where it is indeed appropriate. We suffer small deaths in the ordinary days of our lives too and it is appropriate when someone disappoints us or fails to meet our hopes or expectations. Ps 23 is not just for funerals.
Read the psalm again. Who is the subject of this psalm? It opens with a statement directed to the Lord and shifts to talking with God. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. He leads me beside still waters, makes me to lie down in green pastures, restores my soul, comforts me with his rod and staff, feeds me in the presence of enemies and makes me to dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Expressing our wants and needs is common. Presence is affirmed: goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. I am not alone. The goodness of divine being is wherever we go, in every place and any place. Mercy is that quantity of divine passion for us that accepts us even in our imperfect state. We need mercy to counter the harm we do. It is comforting to know that we live between these two pillars of provident presence: goodness and mercy.
I heard a minister say that his dogs were named goodness and mercy to remind him every day of the promise of our Lord to shepherd us as his sheep and to form us into one flock. The last time I preached this text here, I called myself the sheepdog, keeping an eye on the sheep, watching for strays, nipping at their heels and keeping us moving. Listening to the good shepherd is the job for all of us.
We are Easter people who know that on the other side of death is new life. As God’s people assembled in this place, we might experience new life in the transition from my time with you to your new rector. Transitions can be exciting and I hope it will be so among you. If I have in any way hurt anyone, I beg your mercy and forgiveness. If any have been aided in the journey, I am grateful for your companionship. Know that having companions to walk with day by day has increased my awareness of divine presence with us and among us.
Today is the Sunday that we do the healing liturgy, praying for those who are sick, those who suffer separation from loved ones, those who have family members serving our country in foreign lands, and our trust is in the one good shepherd who cares for all the sheep. Pray for this time of transition that we may all know divine presence in predictable and surprising ways.