"The Good Shepherd"
Who am I? Who are we?
Who is God?
Where is the Church?
Where does God want us to be on our spiritual journeys?
Each one of us is on a spiritual journey. And as with any journey,
there
is always the possibility that we are going to get lost. So it's best
to
have a couple of things with us to help us get there. Each journey
should have the following: a companion who has been there before, a set
of travel instructions where each turn or fork in the road is clearly
described and mapped out, and a cell phone with 911 and GPS programmed
into it.
Your life and the journey you are taking through it doesn't have any of
these. No one that you know has lived your life exactly the way your
life is going to go. So you can't have a companion who's been there.
There's no set of instructions and maps from the AAA to tell you what
turns and forks to take. You can get a cell phone with 911 and GPS. But
that will only bring the state police. And the state police can only
rescue you from a few of what the anonymous author of Amazing Grace
calls "dangers, toils and snares." Any police official will tell you
that their jobs are full of frustration because they can only help
people "so much." Police can't help people with most of the "dangers,
toils and snares" that are out there.
Each one of us is on a spiritual journey and if we can't find someone
who has walked these exact steps, at least what we need is a companion
who has walked similar steps - someone who can give us general guidance
based on a realistic appraisal of life - someone who will give us
directions and answers that are honest. And, if possible, someone who
will help us journey with courage to be hopeful, faithful and good
under
the guidance of a Good Shepherd.
We are all on a spiritual journey and in the 23rd Psalm we find some
(not all) of the instructions, directions and road maps we need in
life. In just 57 words of Hebrew (about twice that in English
translations), we find a lot of practical Godly wisdom for how to live
in this world, how to conduct your spiritual journey.
The words are given in simple but powerful, beautiful images. The view
of the world is honest and optimistic. We are encouraged to be
courageous. We read of movements to "green pastures" and "still
waters." We also read of travel through "the valley of the shadow of
death," an image so vivid that it has resonated with troubled souls for
thousands of years. We read of "comfort" and the restoration of one's
soul. We learn in these few words a great deal about how to live amidst
great change, how to travel and not get lost on our spiritual journey.
And that's important, because we need to be careful that we do not lose
our way. The paths are many through this life, and we can't afford to
become lost, having been blinded by valleys of the shadow of death that
lead to bitterness and despair; or the valley of the shadow of death
will become our destination rather than something that we pass through.
Do you know why sheep bleat? Most of the first people who read this
psalm understood it better than we do today because they were more
familiar with sheep. Sheep feed with their heads down and their eyes
fixed on the grass. Not all grass-eating animals are like that. Many
animals eat grass while keeping an eye out for predators and the rest
of
the herd. But sheep look down when they eat. They also eat in a
straight
line and they don't always keep track of where the other sheep are. But
this is where the bleating comes in. Often a sheep will go off eating
in
a straight line later look up and bleat in the expectation that some of
their sisters will bleat back at them. This usually works and the
little
one will head back to the flock and start eating again. But
occasionally, a sheep (like many of us when we are really hungry and
are
given something truly great to eat) will get so engrossed in the
magnificence of the meal that they will eat a straight line over a hill
or into a valley - and when they look up they are alone. Predators know
this. So do shepherds. Both keep an eye out for straying sheep.
This speaks rather loudly to our consumer culture. I don't like it when
people are referred to as "consumers." Is that all we are? If so, then
we are, indeed, little more than sheep who are most appreciated by the
powerful of this world as sheep who consume with our eyes close to the
ground - fixed on the products we consume. The analogy works today just
as it did in ancient times. The consumer can eat a straight line right
over the hill and into a valley and one day look up and realize that
they are alone, disenfranchised from family and friends because these
relationships have not been nurtured. And all the bleating in the world
is not going to get you back into a good relationship with spouse or
children.
Are you only a consumer, only an economic being? If so, you are in a
wilderness now. And bitterness and despair are all you are ever going
to
know unless you can find a way back to the rest of humanity, unless you
can find a way back to who you were before you became lost in
consuming. You are an intelligent, discerning, intentional person and
you don't have to end up in a wilderness, vulnerable to solitude,
bitterness and despair. Psalm 23 and John 10 provide a road map and a
Good Shepherd to get you to a better place - both in this life and in
the next.)
I suspect that you already have much of Psalm 23 memorized. Really. I'm
not much of one to memorize things. And I admit that I've memorized
less
of Scripture that I probably should - being a preacher and all. But one
day an event occurred that made me realize that I knew every world. I
was up in New Hampshire in the neighborhood of Mount Washington hiking.
I made my camp at Franconia Notch and began my ascent of Mount
Lafayette
at a trail head just across the road. It took all morning to make the
top of the mountain. It was tough climbing, but I was a little like a
sheep, I guess. I kept my eyes to the ground and worked my way up to
the
top. From there I got a lovely view of the so-called "Presidentials" a
series of mountains that led from where I was to Mount Washington in
the
distance. My goal that day was to hike over to the next mountain, Mount
Lincoln, stop for a rest at a little shed that they had there and then
begin my descent down the side of that mountain and back to camp before
nightfall. Connecting Mount Lincoln and my perch atop Mount Lafayette
was a high rocky ridge known locally as "the Knife Edge." There was a
path along the top of the ridge so I headed towards it and within an
hour I found myself halfway along it. The ridge top was no more than
six
feet wide with very steep drops on both sides. Still, six feet seemed
plenty wide enough and I kept my eyes to the ground, not wanting to
look
down into the valleys that spread away on both sides of me. On an
average day, it takes a hiker an hour to traverse the ridge. About a
half hour into the crossing, I heard a rumbling sound come from my
left.
I looked up from the ground and saw a large storm cloud moving rapidly
in my direction. It announced itself with thunder and filled the valley
with rain and echoing noise. Then it started rolling up my side of the
ridge. I was, at first, above it and was fascinated and terrified at
the
same time. Like a solitary sheep in the wilderness suddenly surrounded
by wolves, I had no where to go. I hunkered down and prayed while rain
pelted down and lightening bolts - to many to count - struck the ridge
all around me.
I remembered every word of the 23rd psalm. Every word of the 23rd psalm
changes meaning when you're stressed like that. I remember that part of
me was thinking "I really know these words? Amazing." You probably have
the 23rd psalm memorized deep in your brain's memory cells just waiting
there for when you're going to need it.
The anonymous author of Psalm 23 offers an encouraging look at the
world
and the situations that we sometimes find ourselves in . The author
also
offers us an honest look at the world through which we travel. The
world
of the 23rd psalm is not a rosy one. We are on spiritual journeys
through a tough world. Through Psalm 23, we see it clearly and without
illusions. You get the sense that the author of Psalm has been through
a
lot and that the challenges have made him wise, stronger, and hopeful
(not bitter.) And we are encouraged to respond courageously with
actions
that better ourselves and others.
One example of a courageous response to adversity can be found in the
story of the great baseball player, Roy Campanella. Roy, as baseball
fans know, played for the then Brooklyn Dodgers in the late 1950's just
before they moved to Los Angeles. In 1958 when he was playing at his
peak he was involved in an automobile accident, one that would leave
him
permanently disabled. His first days in the hospital were filled with
pain. But he said later that the worst part of that period was dealing
with the shock of learning that he'd never walk again. One long night
at
the hospital, he remembered how much the 23rd psalm had meant to him as
a child. He asked for a Bible and read the words.
If you have ever been in as much trouble as Roy Campanella was at that
moment, you will be able to understand how meaningful the words were.
These few words expressed his life at that moment. He was lost in the
valley of the shadow of death. But he was also comforted by the Lord's
rod and staff. He was encouraged to be courageous - to find his way,
with the Lord's help - to the still waters and the restoration of his
soul.
He left the hospital and worked hard to recover what he could of his
shattered body. He used his fame to start and build the Roy Campanella
Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to helping others. He
worked on this project for the next 40 years. He played ball for 10
years - and was a titan of the baseball diamond when he did. But it is
the next 40 years of work with his foundation that he's most admired
for.
We cannot control what happens to us. But we can control how we respond
and who we call to when in trouble. We can sink into bitterness and
despair about how life is not as rosy as we would like it to be. Or we
can lift our heads and respond with courage and hope. We can find our
way back to the flock and re-connect with the people around us. We can
read the wisdom of the 23rd psalm and listen for the voice of the Good
Shepherd.
In the end, these are more than just words written in a book. The Lord
is, indeed, our Shepherd. And it is up to us to lift our eyes and look
for Him. He is looking for us.
There's a story about a dinner party given some years ago in England
which several famous actors who were guests were asked to recite their
favorite lines. The last to speak was Charles Laughton. He asked his
fellow dinner guests to suggest something for him to recite. Someone
asked him to recite the 23rd psalm. The story goes that he agreed, but
only if one of the other guests would say the words first. There was an
embarrassed silence. Then elderly woman who was not an actress
volunteered. In a quiet, but firm voice she said the familiar lines.
Charles Laughton, we are told, then went to the woman and took her
hand.
"I, too, can recite these words," he told the guests. "But I cannot say
them better, for it is clear that she knows the Shepherd."
May the same be said of us when lightening strikes and bitterness and
cynicism rear their ugly heads like wolves. May we be among the ones
brought back into the fold of the Good Shepherd.
Who am I?
I am on a spiritual journey in a real world. I live with many "many
dangers, toils and snares" and sometimes I lift my head, bleat, and I
find myself alone.
Who is God?
God knows about the dangers, toils and snares. He is in the wilderness
looking for us.
Where is the church?
The church is helping me learn how to recognize God's presence and
listen to His voice.
Where does God want me to be on my spiritual journey?
Though the dangers, toils and snares are many, He wants us to walk our
spiritual journey with courage, faith and hope. He wants to walk
through
shadowy valleys and carry us home.