Loving God, as you opened the tomb and raised Jesus to new life, so open our hearts and minds by the power of your Holy Spirit that as your Word is proclaimed, we may hear with joy what you say to us, and in confidence go forth to live what you show us. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.
The 23rd Psalm is probably the best known, most loved, most quoted portion of Scripture. It is so familiar that people who seldom if ever read a Bible or go to church can often still quote a portion of this Psalm.
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 paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for you are with me.
Your rod and thy 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 for ever.
One problem, though, is since this Psalm is so often requested at death-beds and funerals, we too often associate the 23rd Psalm with death and dying. But the Psalm is really for the living. It speaks to the living - those who are fully alive in the true sense of the word.
Roy Campanella, a baseball player, was in an bad accident many years ago that left him as a semi-invalid. In his autobiography he talks about the many nights he cried himself to sleep, about the pain that racked his body and his sinking into deep depression.
He writes:
All my life whenever I was in trouble, I had turned to God for help. I remembered my Bible and asked the nurse to the get the one from the drawer in the night table. I opened it to the 23rd Psalm: `Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me.'
"From that moment on", he wrote, "I was on my way back. I knew I was going to make it!"
There are hundreds and thousands of testimonies like this - of how persons have found in this simple Psalm the comfort, strength, and the assurance that they are going to make it!
I'm sure many of you can tell your own stories about what this psalm has meant to you.
Psalm 23 not only gives comfort to the dying, it also gives courage, strength, and hope to those who are alive.
One of the things we realize, though, is that the 23rd Psalm is steeped in the language and customs of shepherding and sheep in Palestine back in Biblical times. If we don't know anything about the customs of shepherds and the unique relationship between the good shepherd and the sheep, then much of what this Psalm has to say simply passes us by.
What I am going to do this morning is focus on just one small part of the Psalm - verse 4:
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Tradition tells us that the Valley of the Shadow of Death is a real place in Israel.
It is a valley, or a mountain pass, that got its name from shepherds because of it's steep sides and sheer rock walls. But is was a pass that enabled the shepherds to lead their sheep from one mountain pasture to another. However it was a terrifying place for skittish, defenceless, fearful sheep: for in the steep cliffs on both sides of the valley there were numerous caves and rocks and crevices that were perfect hiding place for animals of prey - and for people who meant harm to passing travellers. Sounds would echo and amplify in the valley, making it a terrifying place for sheep.
We look at the Psalm and hear:
The Lord is my shepherd.... He makes me lie down in green pastures.... He leads me by still water.... He leads me in paths of righteousness.
But now the sheep are in the Valley of the Shadow of Death.
Question: How did they get there? We have to assume that the Good Shepherd has led the sheep into the valley.
Now, the images in this Psalm are clear. The shepherd is the Lord. Indeed, from our Gospel reading, we hear that Jesus identifies himself as the Good Shepherd. The shepherd is the Lord. And, of course, we are the sheep.
And what is the Valley of the Shadow of Death?
It is those terrifying, dark, lonely, frightening times in life - times of sickness, tragedy, emotional stress, tension, economic disaster, loneliness, when God may seem far away.
But we see here that it is the Good Shepherd who leads the sheep into the Valley of the Shadow of Death.
But we must remember that the shepherd has a purpose: The shepherd takes the sheep from pastures that are now eaten up and barren, where food is scarce and the land is parched, to new lush, green meadows. But to get there, the shepherd and the sheep have to pass through the valley.
The sheep don't understand this. The sheep cannot comprehend the purposes of the shepherd. All that the sheep experience are the frightening, terrifying surroundings.
But the shepherd knows. The shepherd has a reason, a purpose. And the sheep have learned to trust the shepherd.
As Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand."
Yes, the sheep have grown to trust the shepherd. The shepherd has proven trustworthy and so the sheep follow the shepherd even through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, "fearing no evil."
And so it is the Good Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ, who leads us through troubled and difficult times of life. But he has a reason, a purpose - to lead us to greener pastures, to deeper faith. He calls us to trust in him, to put our faith in him, even when we cannot always see his plan or purpose.
But we trust the Good Shepherd, because we know the shepherd is trustworthy.
Another thing we need to realize is that there is a world of difference between death and the shadow of death. The shadow may be frightening, dark, and cold, but they are just shadows, not the real thing.
What is death?
Death - real death - is separation from the awareness of God's love and grace. Death is being afraid of God.
It doesn't matter how strong or healthy and safe or secure you may think you are, if you live outside of the love of God, if God is someone you do not know or have come to fear, then you are among the living dead. You are living in death.
But St. Paul tells us that Christ has taken up our death into life! Into the resurrection life prepared for all who trust in him.
Do you remember when Jesus came to the tomb of his good friend, Lazarus, and he met his sisters, Mary and Martha, how Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, yet shall they live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die."
The promise that we Christians have every day of our lives is that we will never die. We will never be separated from the love of God that we have through Jesus Christ.
But there will be those times when we experience the valley of the shadow of death. There will be those times when we might feel forsaken, abandoned, alone, rejected, those troubled times when we may wonder where God is.
The valley of the shadow of death are those times when we feel forsaken, but by faith we know that we are not, because we have both God's promise, and the experience of God's grace and love for us throughout the past.
When we are in the Valley of the Shadow of Death, we may feel as if God is far away, but deep down inside we can know that God is very near. God promises us life - life in this world, and life in the world to come. Christians don't die. God simply calls us from one life to another.
But as long as we live in this world of sin and suffering, we will experience the shadow of death.
And that can be a terrifying experience for us. At that time it is good to recall how the Good Shepherd is leading us to green pastures where he will restore our souls. To remember that he is preparing a table for me - a table that contains the bread of heaven and the wine of everlasting and abundant joy..
Listen to the voice of the shepherd when you are in the valley of the shadow of death. Listen and know that he is leading to a better place.
Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for you, O Lord, are with me. Your rod and your staff comfort me.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Blessed be the name of our God - now and forevermore. Amen
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