The Lord is My Shepherd

The Rev. Steven D. Paulikas
March 22, 2020
Lent 4-A
All Saints’ Church
Watch the Sermon here
 
​In this strange, new time, the Holy Spirit is directing us through the lectionary to perhaps the most comforting text from the Bible: Psalm 23. I invite you to listen to these familiar words with fresh ears, to hear them while mindful of the world around us. For maximum comfort, I’ll read from the old King James Version:
 
The Lord is my shepherd;
            I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures;
            He leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul;
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his Names’ sake.
Yeah, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil;
For thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies;
            Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
            And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
 
If you are anything like me, your mind and your soul have been filled with new and unwanted things this week. It’s possible your body has been filled with unwanted things too. That’s especially true if, like me, you’ve been stuck at home with all that food you stocked up on. Stress eating is a physical response that mirrors what can happen to our souls at a time like this. We seek comfort through a diet of news and social media. Pretty soon, those things give rise to frightening thoughts, and things can start to seem out of control.
 
So look at the gift we have been given this morning: the 23rd Psalm. Simple, classic, and holy. God will cleanse and guide us this morning through these words. So take a deep breath. Take another. As you do, breathe in the Spirit of God, and exhale everything that’s out of your control. Now let us hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church in these beautiful words.
 
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
 
Jesus is our Lord. Sometimes the word “lord” can sound unpleasant. It reminds us of power and control. Yet at a time like this, when there is so much confusion and misinformation, isn’t it comforting to know that we have a gracious and loving Lord? The Lord is our shepherd. He is our ultimate authority. Yet he exercises his authority with grace and love. He knows us and looks over us. Unlike any earthly ruler, he leaves us without want or need.
 
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters.
 
Because we are all confined to our homes for the moment, we are not able to lay eyes on the green pastures or the still waters outside. But they are still there. I imagine that wherever you are right now, you’ve been looking at the same four walls for a week or so now. So try something with me. Close your eyes. Settle your mind. Clear your head, and invite the Holy Spirit into your midst.  Look for the green pasture and the still water in your midst, wherever you are. Do you think the psalmist was looking at an actual green pasture or still body of water when he wrote these words? No. It was a spiritual vision. So you, too, can look at the same valley and lake the psalmist saw, by the Spirit.
 
Now is the time to draw on our inner spiritual resources. Jesus said, “the kingdom of God is within you.” You can trust him and take him at his word. You don’t need to go outside to find the peace of God’s kingdom. Wherever you are, there it is too.
 
He restoreth my soul; He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his Names’ sake.
 
God is a constant source of restoration. Whatever your trouble or fear, God will restore your soul. We need that refreshment right now. The paths of righteousness are wide and crowded—but they are also exhausting. I’ve had the privilege of being in contact with so many of our parishioners this week. I know that you are all fighting the righteous fight. You are health care providers on the front lines. You are compassionate souls checking on one another and giving comfort to the downtrodden. You are volunteers responding to the needs of the vulnerable. You are the patient who are enduring isolation for the sake of all God’s people. These are the paths of the righteous; we walk them, but God is the one who is leading us. We walk these paths for the sake of God, and when we are dismayed, God will restore our souls.
 
Yeah, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil;
For thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
 
Friends, we do not know what the future holds. We are under what truly does feel to be a shadow—a shadow of something large looming over us all. It’s such a scary feeling. This is not a valley any of us enjoy walking through.
 
And yet, the psalmist reminds us: there is nothing to fear. Nothing! No evil, no uncertainty, no shadow is greater than God’s goodness toward us. Jesus said, “let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God.” Now is a good time to do as he says. A troubled heart is calmed by faith. For comfort under this shadow, we can feel our Lord’s rod and staff, gently nudging us forward. They hold us together as one flock under his loving care. There is nothing to fear.
 
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies;
            Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
 
One of the cruelest parts of this time for me is being unable to break bread with others. You can’t have a friend over for dinner, or eat in a restaurant, or, most painfully, share together in the sacrament of Christ’s body and blood. Your table is no larger than your household right now.
 
But God is present, even at this table. These days I am so grateful for every bite of food before me, even as I dine in spiritual solidarity with those I cannot be present with. It is God who has prepared this table, even in the presence of this silent enemy around us. So let your head be anointed and your cup run over with the simple goodness of this life. Let the restrictions placed on us make us awake and alive to the blessings we have.
 
​Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
            And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
 
Even in the worst of times, goodness and mercy are following us. Even if you are confined to your own home, you are dwelling in the Lord’s house. As much as we desperately need science and facts right now, there is no way to prove these spiritual truths. We simply believe them. The Christian faith is a hopeful faith. We believe that the same lord who leads us and comforts us endured the pain of the cross. He knows suffering because he has suffered. And yet, he still leads and guides us. That is hope. That is love.
 
Friends in Christ, there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God. We may be separated at the moment, and the future may look uncertain. But our God, who is gracious and loving, has built a house large enough for us all to dwell in. So, on this strange morning, I greet you, from one room of God’s house into another—wherever you may be.
 
Be strong. Be patient. Keep your faith. Let your heart, mind, and soul be filled with the love of God. God is our shepherd—therefore we shall never want. Amen.