What’s the 23^rd Psalm Worth?

    “I am the good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep … whose sheep know my name.”

    “The Lord is my shepherd I shall not be in want…. He leadeth me beside still waters… He restoreth my soul.”

    I’m not sure I could live very well if not for those words of relationship with God,  nor am I sure I could make it at all well in this life  without knowledge of the depth of God’s care for me.  The words of Jesus himself describing just what kind of Savior/Shepherd of souls he was,  and the spirituality expressed in the 23^rd psalm assure me in moments of doubt, uphold me when I’m sinking, and refresh me when I’m spent.  “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life…”   What are those biblical words about the Good Shepherd worth to me?  They are beyond a price, they enrich the soul beyond measure.

  Now, several years ago I was approached by a nice guy who valued greatly the 23^rd psalm too.  He felt strongly that everybody, that every soul ought to know the 23^rd psalm by heart.   I feel the same.  Though I’m not a bible thumper or real good at quoting chapter and verses AT people,  I feel strongly that all us need to have a ‘go to’ verse of assurance IN us, within our grasp - just to find our way through any given challenge or a day in the life.  The 23^rd psalm is one of those ‘go-to’ verses in my estimation.  I’m not sure I could live very well without it.

  So this nice guy, a member of my church approaches me and says , “Look I want to be sure every child in this church gets out of here knowing the 23^rd psalm.  It’ll help them in life.  They’ll need those words of guidance and assurance to rely on as they get older.”     I then told him that I wished every parent felt the way he did.  And I told him that I’d be sure to keep images of the Good Shepherd in the classrooms and that I’d encourage parents to teach it to their kids and I ask different classes at different times to try to memorize psalm 23 and such.    BUT HE DIDN’T THINK THAT WAS ENOUGH.   And he then told me that he had sought me out with a proposition:  Every child that learns the 23^rd psalm and can say it to the priest out loud would get a $5.00 prize which this guy would pay for anonymously.   

  I have to tell you that I was not expecting that particular encounter.  He had caught me off guard with that one.  Rarely does anyone approach me offering  extra cash for the Church and I’ve never had anybody before or since offer to give me $ for the purpose of bribing kids to learn the basics of faith.     But…. I did have to stop for a minute to think about it before I respectfully declined his offer asking him instead to consider multiplying 5 times the 40 children in the Sunday School at the time  and raise his pledge by $200. that year to help support the Sunday school and everything else we do around here in the name of the Good Shepherd Jesus Christ. 

     I don’t know if he took that advice, but I do know he was pleased the next year when we trotted out a class of 4^th graders who had learned the 23^rd psalm pretty much by heart and they shouted it out at sermon time.  We’ll do that again next program year as well.   How many of you know the 23^rd psalm by heart today?   It’s like having a trusted friend at your side all the time isn’t it. It’s part of the voice inside that you can trust.

   Why is it so powerful?  Why are the images of the faithful loyal shepherd from the Hebrew scriptures, which were then embodied in the life of Jesus,  such a  present power for our lives?  I think it’s because they promise and deliver a relationship with God that  is available to everyone for sure,  but that is also YOUR relationship with YOUR SHEPHERD in particular.  
    The Good Shepherd knows every single one of his flock by name ,  and cares for each one, and would do anything it took to protect them when threatened, to find them when they got lost, to defend them from harm even if it meant putting his life on the line.  I’m talking about the God Jesus was talking about  and came to embody.   I know the God Jesus knew.  Today you are being invited into relationship with the Holy One who hears your prayer, who knows your name, who cares how you are doing, who wants to help if you are willing, who will seek you out when you get lost,  who won’t quit on you no matter what. 

  I can certainly tell you that my Shepherd has revived my soul more than once, has shown me where those still, calming waters are found.   And I know for certain that God who  IS God knows my name and  knows yours too.   Yes, The Lord IS my Shepherd.

  So… pretend no-one is looking and try this, Say this to yourself now.  “The Lord is MY Shepherd.”  Say it again.

Say it again.

     Do you know your shepherd’s voice in your life?  I think you do.  I think you can tell the voice of God from the tone of ego, greed, control and temptation.  I think you can listen for the voice of the Holy who seeks you out and wants you to be whole and free, centered and loving.

For  it is imperative to your well being in this world of anger, wars, family strains, personal failures , fear, and yes, threats of flu and too many addictions,  that you not  lose your way or wear your spirit thin.   AND WHEN YOU DO (we all do) ENTER  the Good Shepherd to the rescue.  “The Good Shepherd seeks out the lost –calls you back to solid ground – PICKS UP AND CARRIES YOU IF NEED BE - invites you back to a path that leads to someplace meaningful + good.  “Yes Lord , you are with me , thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou annointest my head with oil. My cup runneth over.”   It is important that you let the Shepherd lead you in the way of love, so that one day your cup will be full of grace + blessing too, running over to restore the next guy who hungers and thirsts for fresh life on your path.

   So Yes, I know why the parishioner wanted to offer the $ for the memorizing.  His motives were good if not his method.  We all need a solid spiritual foundation on which to stand throughout the course of our lives.  And we all the guidance of Christ in our lives to take our next steps forward.   BUT PLEASE, just be sure, as the wise saying goes, ”That if you ask the Good Shepherd to guide your steps that you are willing to move your feet.” 

   Go ahead now, one more time, pretend no-one is looking and say to yourself,  “The Lord is my Shepherd”.   Say it again.   Say it again.

  See, you have the first part memorized already.  And best of all on this Sunday morning in Spring-like New Hampshire, some seriously important seeds of faith have been planted that will now blossom in you through the grace of Jesus 
Christ, the Good Shepherd – who loves + feeds his sheep,  who welcomes you to dwell in the household of the Lord forever.   Amen