| |
|
|
| |
Easter IV April 24-25, 2010 Psalm 23, John 10:22-30 "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." This Psalm, the 23rd, is probably the best known of all the Psalms, it is a Psalm of David, written several thousand years ago. It has probably been memorized by many of us, maybe during Sunday school, or perhaps during our confirmation years, or maybe for our own comfort. We may not remember exactly how it goes, but we know it is there. In the ten or twelve years that I have been conducting funerals and memorial services, it has been the single most requested passage of Scripture. In fact, it is nearly always chosen for such services. Today we are confirming twenty of our young people. We did not have you memorize the 23rd Psalm during your confirmation years, but I want you to think about it now. A "Psalm" is a song, in fact that is the literal meaning of "Psalm." So think of this 23rd Psalm of a song, a hymn that can accompany you, your whole life through. Think of it as a song, a hymn of your life. It is a Psalm of comfort for those who are beset by death or illness, or simply feeling down for whatever reason. It can be a comfort for those who are depressed. It is a Psalm of praise, reminding us, and telling others, of what God has indeed done for us. It will also be a reminder to you that no matter what, you do not walk through life alone. Confirmands, you are my sisters and brothers, not "younger" sisters and brothers, although you are indeed younger, but full-fledged sisters and brothers, and over the past two years, many of you have become friends as well. We have established relationships that, given a chance, will stand the test of time. In your end of confirmation interviews, some of you met with Stacy, some of you met with me. I have been moved by your faith stories, I have been moved by some of what you have shared and now I want to share with you the comfort, the strength, that this Psalm can give you in the years to come. There is wonderful imagery here, given to us by God. It is not the image of someone using a whip, nor is it the image of someone trying to train us by rewarding us or withholding from us. It is not the image of someone using fear to motivate us. Instead it is the image of a shepherd, the Father Himself in the Old Testament, Jesus in the New Testament. In our Gospel today, Jesus identifies himself as a shepherd when he tells us "My sheep hear my voice. I know them and they follow me." He identifies himself as a shepherd elsewhere in the Gospel of John as well, and in the 15th chapter of Luke in the parable of the lost sheep. We have an image of Jesus in a pastoral scene with sheep all around him, we have an image of Jesus cradling a lamb in his arms, we have an image of Jesus holding a sheep on his shoulders, shoulders made wide by a cross. Jesus tells us elsewhere that he knows his sheep by name, which reminds me of Isaiah 43:1 where we hear God say: "I have called you by name, you are mine." He tells us that his sheep know his voice and follow him, we have the image of a shepherd calling to his sheep separating them from other herds, merely by the sound of his voice, something that shepherds have done for thousands of years, and continue to do to this day. We are invited to drink, indeed, watered from the waters of life everlasting. We shall not be in want, our needs are supplied; our "wants" of course, are another matter. We lie down in green pastures and we are led by still waters. Sheep drink from still waters, seldom from running waters. It is the nature of sheep that once they are on a path, they will walk through the green verdant pasture to a desolate wilderness, we often do the same, refusing to be diverted from our self-appointed tasks, sometimes walking into the wilderness. He restores our soul telling us "Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46), guiding us on paths of righteousness for his name's sake, not for mine or yours, for his glory, not for mine or yours. Sheep are known by whose voice they follow; we are Christians and we wear Christ's righteousness before God and before man. You are affirming this today, before your parents, families, friends, this congregation, and before God. Consider that it is part of your witness, our witness. It is your calling, our calling, as disciples of Christ. We walk through the darkest valley, no longer fearing death, nor fearing evil, we live in sin, we are born in sin, we are separated from God by sin. But this separation, this divide, is crossed by the cross Jesus bore, even before it bore him, even as he bears us, in his arms, on his shoulders. You, my Lord, my Jesus, are with me constantly and will fear no evil because your rod and your staff comfort me. Your rod guides me, your staff supports me, it supports us as we minister to each other in your name. You prepare a table for me, for us, as Christians in a world that is not fond of Christians. We are anointed in our baptism, and our cups overflow with grace and faith, mercy, love, forgiveness and salvation. Surely you and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever because he has gone there to prepare a place for me, for you, for us! AMEN Lutheran Church of the Cross, Nisswa, Minnesota |
|
|
See the index of our online sermon collection |