“The Shepherd Psalm”
©Thomas B.
Cundiff
Psalm 23 THE SHEPHERD PSALM
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not
want.
2 He makes me lie down in green
pastures;
he
leads me beside still waters;
3 he restores my soul.
He
leads me in right paths
for
his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the
darkest valley,
I
fear no evil;
for
you are with me;
your
rod and your staff—
they
comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in
the presence of my enemies;
you
anoint my head with oil;
my cup
overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall
follow me
all
the days of my life,
and
I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
my
whole life long.
John 10: 1-10, 11 and 14
1“Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter
the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit.
2The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3The
gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his
own sheep by name and leads them out. 4When he has brought out all
his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his
voice. 5They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him
because they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6Jesus used this
figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to
them.
7So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you,
I am the gate for the sheep. 8All who came before me are thieves and
bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. 9I am the gate.
Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find
pasture. 10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I
came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. Vs. 11
“I am the good shepherd”, says Jesus, who lays down his life for the sheep…..Vs.
14 “I am the goods shepherd”, says Jesus
who knows each of the sheep by name
INTRODUCTION
In building
on my last sermon, one of the themes that flows through both Old and New
Testaments, is “shepherding”. The most
popular phrase that comes to mind from the Old Testament Psalm 23: “THE LORD WHO IS MY SHEPHERD!” ……and from the
New Testament Gospel of John Jesus saying:
“I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD”. There are
over 200 references to shepherding and sheep in the Old and New Testaments.
Something I
have found interesting. I have looked
back to find out I have done over a dozen sermons on the 23rd Psalm
yet it was the number one requested topic when I asked you what you wanted me
to preach.
Could it be
I’m either not doing a very good job in preaching this Psalm or simply, there
is a timeless, ongoing desire to nurture a closer relationship with the one
called the “Good Shepherd” who stands by us taking care of us through all the
ups and downs, the trials and pain and grief that are part of life….like a
shepherd should! One thing is for sure,
the 23rs Psalm will always be an important of our spiritual culture in thinking
about our relationship with God!
Also, this
is scripture that can take us to the “sacred & hallowed places” we need to
be in remembering loved ones who have died.
This Psalm is a timeless source of comfort and calm and peace at some of
the gloomiest, sorrowful and darkest times in our lives.
The
“Shepherd Psalm” is one of the most consequential pieces of literature and theology
ever written that shows us a compassionate God who holds us, hugs us with a perpetual,
parental embrace of love. Like a
shepherd cares for his sheep, so does God take care of us as his children.
Digging
deeper, briefly, three points in thinking about the 23rd Psalm.
Point One: Sheep are precious!
Life is precious!
In biblical
times more so than now, sheep were a precious commodity. Domesticated some 11,000 years ago, there are
over 800 varieties of sheep providing shelter, clothes and food for people of
all cultures around the globe.
“The Lord is my Shepherd”? God ultimately
and intimately cares for my every need.
God is concerned about our welfare and wellbeing. God is concerned about our bodies, minds and
souls. This image of being “God’s sheep”
is valuable because it helps to close the gap between God and each of us. God isn’t some distant God. God is with us to care for us like a shepherd
cares for his sheep—like mothers and fathers care for their children!
We are
priceless, precious, respected, cherished and loved by God – beholders of all
God has given us including life itself. And
as God is our caretaker, our shepherd, we too are called to be shepherds of all
in life God has entrusted our care!
Point Two: God is our Shepherd
Gatekeeper and Protector
As life
under the care of our “Shepherd/God” is precious, Specifically, God is the
keeper of the gates….the protector from harm.
From the gospel of John:
“….the one who enters the gate is the shepherd of the
sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for
him, and the sheep hear this voice. He
calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the
sheep follow him because they know his voice.
They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they
do not know the voice of strangers.”
If you have
heard or read any history about the old city of Jerusalem
A few words about these ancient gates
into Jerusalem Damascus
Something of
significance of all this is the fact that sheep follow the voice of their
particular shepherd. This is how they
are kept from mixing between different flocks.
Of course this begs of me the preacher:
Whose voice do we follow?
Do we go along with the tide and flow of popular whims and cultural
ideals listening only to the voices of the world? Or do we follow our shepherd, Jesus our Lord,
whose one and only purpose is to keep us from harm.
Here we are
today. We want a closer relationship
with God. Our mission as followers of
the great shepherd: TO FORGE A LASTING
ALLIANCE WITH GOD IN PLACING OUR LIVES IN THE HANDS OF THE ONE WHO PROTECTS US – JESUS OUR LORD,
THE SON OF GOD WHO GUIDES AND PROTECTS US AS OUR SHEPHERD.
Which leads to point
three: The Shepherd calls us
To live beyond our
Comfort Zones
Just as
sheep need to leave the protective walls of the city, circumstances in our
lives often take us well beyond that which is comfortable…when facing the
realities of the world around us….the realities we face as a church with the
comfort of these sanctuary walls.
There is a
long list of realities and/or issues – situations and circumstances that take
us out of our comfort zones. The
shootings and violent crimes in our city is one that comes immediately to
mind. The hunger and blight in our
neighborhoods and health care is another.
The budget crisis in our cities and school systems is an issue that
touches us all. This list of societal
predators can seem overwhelming…..but not for the Good Shepherd.
And let’s
remember this fact::
WE
ARE NOT SHEEP!
WE
ARE CHILDREN OF GOD!
AND
JESUS IS OUR LORD AND SAVIOR.
AS
JESUS’ DISCIPLES WE ARE COMMISSIONED TO ADDRESS THESE
REALITIES
/ ISSUES IN OUR LIFE THROUGH FAITH IN THE DIVINE SHEPHERD, GOD
ALMIGHTY….KNOWN TO US THROUGH JESUS CHRIST.
Perhaps
this Psalm 23 is timeless because within it we find comfort and hope and solace
through faith in Jesus. Jesus holds us
in times of stress when horrible things happen.
Regardless what befalls us, Jesus leads us by still streams of solace
and peace. And it is this flock, the
church, that assures us collectively: We
can get through anything!
The Gospel
of Matthew gives this clear charge:
“ I am sending you out like
sheep into the midst of wolves.”
(Matthew 10: 16)
Amidst all
that happens to us through life we are called to recognize that Jesus[1]
“…. is the Lamb
of God, who takes away the sin of the world; the willing sacrifice that silently submits
himself to the pain of death for love of God and the people he came to
save. But the image is not only one of passive submission to the violence
and hatred and fear of the principalities and powers of the world.”
We have
been, now and always, called to live proactively in the context of this
community as the Warren Avenue Presbyterian Church. Though we come to this church for comfort
and spiritual nourishment, we are also called to be proactive in serving this
community and world in addressing the violence and hatred and fear that
surround us. We are sent as God’s sheep
and members of this church to do Christ’s work in the midst of wolves….with the
“Lamb of God” who takes away the sins and brokenness and despair of the world. We are called as Christ’s disciples to engage
the principalities and powers of this world with tools that God has entrusted
our care.
So finally,
We are not
weak, timid or mindless sheep. We are
just the opposite. We are God’s
hopeful, faithful children. As members
of the Warren Avenue Presbyterian Church we are unyielding in our obedience to
God who leads us, always with Jesus the “good shepherd” protecting us as one of
his own.
We know the
voice of the shepherd….quoting from this paraphrase from John 10:3-4:
“…THE
SHEEP HEAR HIS VOICE….WE HEAR HIS VOICE!
THE SHEPHERD CALLS EACH OF US, BY
NAME….AND LEADS US INTO THE WORLD TO DO THE WORK OF JESUS AS HIS DISCIPLES….AND
WE WILL FOLLOW JESUS, ALWAYS, BECAUSE WE
KNOW HIS VOICE!”
We know the
voice of God. God is not going to
abandon us. Our greatest strength is the
power we receive through Jesus Christ to be a vibrant church and a community of
faithful servants doing Christ’s work throughout this community….doing the best we can with resources God
has entrusted our care…
Nobody can
take our faith away from us! Nobody can
separate us from the love of God. The
“Good Shepherd” is always here for us.
So my
friends, fed in Christ’s Spirit,
The LORD is
my shepherd, I shall not want.
He
makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters
he
restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even
though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff—
they comfort me.
You
prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely
goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the
LORD
my whole life long.
AMEN
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