Sheep

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. ~ Psalm 23

I’ve seen people positively bristle at the comparison to sheep. I've heard Christians complain about it and I’ve heard atheists hurl the analogy as an insult: “Christians are dumb as sheep.” And yet…and yet...the metaphor here in these familiar words of Psalm 23 still strike me as beautiful. And apt.

Several years ago I had regular meetings at the Synod office in Philadelphia. The route I took brought me by a couple of farms which are located just outside the city limits. Many times I saw the sheep were out grazing, and when I was fortunate enough. sometimes in the midst were the newly born spring lambs.

They would bounce – almost dance – amongst the larger sheep. One day in particular this happened on a warm day following several rainy days, and they were soaking in every drop of joy they could get from it. As I waited for the light to change, they caught me up in their exuberance.

And I realized then that there are worse things than being compared to a sheep. There are worse things than being known for being vulnerable. There are worse things than being known for being trusting. There were worse things than finding enough joy in the sunshine that it makes you want to bounce!

Psalm 23 is more than mere sentiment to cling to in times of distress. It in fact lifts up our distress and puts us at odds with the way the world works.

The world says be strong and independent. The Psalmist says that we are vulnerable but that our shepherd’s rod and staff protect us.

The world says “you don’t have enough. You need more. Buy this. Own that. You aren’t good enough as you are. Get more stuff!” The Psalmist says I shall not be in want. I have everything I need.

The world says “go after what you want. Take what is yours.” The Psalmist says: goodness and mercy will follow me – and actually that’s better translated literally as pursue me …Goodness and mercy will pursue me all the days of my life.

The world says: avoid struggle. Numb the pain. The Psalmist says “I WILL walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. I will go through dark valleys and no matter how confusing and frightening that darkness may be, trust and hope and mercy won’t abandon me. GOD won’t abandon me even when things are hard.

The world says: there’s so much to fear. Look at the last half-century. War. Greed. Terrorism. AIDs. Malaria. Famine. Natural disasters. Political polarization. Economic recession. Erosion of rights and cruelty to the most vulnerable. There’s no more room for good news. Death has won.

The Psalmist says, no. The Lord restores my soul. Literally, meaning, the Lord gives me back my life. The Lord returns me to life.

We will indeed face times of suffering and pain. But the Lord tells us that in the midst of it all, joy does not and will not disappear forever. The dancing, the bouncing, the joy will return.

Death hasn’t won. Death will not win. Life will win.

Lead me in your pathways, Holy One, that I may be reminded that your goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life. Amen