Showing posts with label Psalm 23. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Psalm 23. Show all posts
Monday, March 31, 2025
Psalm Meditation 1294
¶Fifth Sunday in Lent
¶April 6, 2025
¶Psalm 23
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2023&version=NRSVUE
(NRSVUE)
¶As a child, I remember asking my dad why I would not want God as my shepherd. I interpreted the first verse of this psalm as meaning that I did not want God as my shepherd. My dad assured me that I had misinterpreted the meaning. Some newer translations have the second part of the verse as, nothing do I lack. Once I understood, I could get on board with the meaning of the psalm. With God as my shepherd, mentor, kahu, I have everything I need.
¶Just as important to me, is the assurance that God has a place for me at the heavenly banquet. It may be at a table with people I don’t know, or with people I have never liked, however it will be my place. One of the interesting things about being put in a situation with people I don’t particularly like, is that I may discover that we have some things in common that will make our time together tolerable if not downright pleasant. It could be seen as a test, it is much more likely to be an invitation to expand my horizons, interests, and circle of friends.
¶Recently, I read that how full the host had one’s cup filled was a mark of the esteem in which a person was held. I have no idea if it is true or not, however, it is a fine description of the love God has for each of us. Our cups are not simply filled to the rim, they are filled to overflowing as a reminder that God’s love fills us beyond our ability to contain it.
¶March 31, 2025
¶LCM
Monday, September 26, 2022
Psalm Meditation 1163
¶Proper 22
¶October 2, 2022
¶Psalm 23
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+23&version=NRSVUE
(NRSV)
¶In high school I helped in a daycare center during my long lunch break. There was a brother and sister who would not lie still for nap time. I volunteered to help them get to sleep. I laid on the floor had one of the siblings lie on either side of me with a head on my bicep. I put a hand on each chest and held them still until they wearied themselves off to sleep. It rarely took more than a couple of minutes. I slowly moved one arm so the child’s head did not bump on the hard floor and then lifted the other head gently while I moved my arm. I could then go back to school with plenty of time before my next class.
¶As adults we rarely have to be made to take naps. As children we resist naps for reasons available only to children. So when the psalmist says, “He makes me lie down in green pastures,” I think of the reluctance children have to nap as I read that line of the psalm. I know other versions translate the line differently, however we have ‘makes’ in this case. God not only provides us a place, God makes that place safe through watching care. Knowing that God is with us allows us to rest peacefully and find restoration in the pastures to which God leads us.
¶No matter what, we are in the presence of God. God does not keep us from the dark valleys or the presence of evil. God does give us comfort as we face the less than perfect, less than desirable parts of our lives. Each of us will come to the end of life at some point, even then we are not abandoned by God. We continue to enjoy God’s providence and to live in God’s presence. “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.”
¶September 26, 2022
¶LCM
Tuesday, December 26, 2017
Psalm Meditation 915
First Sunday After Christmas
December 31, 2017
Psalm 23
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters;
3 he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.
4 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.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6 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.
(NRSV)
The task of a shepherd is to relinquish some control in order to allow the sheep to find the tasty morsels available in the area while at the same time keeping a watchful eye over the sheep to protect them from dangers and predators. It is tempting for some to keep their charges too close together for the sake of safety and protection, not realizing that the sheep will quickly run out of things on which to graze and will damage that small area. The other temptation is to let sheep graze too widely and not be able to keep watch over all the sheep at once.
Some who call themselves shepherd expect the people around them to travel in lock step with them. Ranging outside the tight group is frowned upon and discouraged. It is a great way to control folks, to keep them safe, and to keep them from having questions and opinions that take them out of the tight held control of the shepherd. To question or to second guess the leader is seen as dangerous and evil. Folks are expected to be docile, to go where and to believe what they are told without question or comment. While there are times in which conformity is important, if that need never changes there is a problem.
God allows us to range freely within a set of boundaries. Some of us will never notice the limits because we are content where we find ourselves. Others of us will be in contact with the shepherd on a more regular basis as we wander on the fringes of the group. We will purposely or inadvertently push the limits of our range and be called back, perhaps even feel pushed back. We will feel put upon at the time, however in time we may notice that we were wandering into dangerous places and the prod was for our protection rather than any other reason. Through it all God is with us “and I [we] shall dwell in the house of the LORD my [our] whole life long.”
December 26, 2017
LCM
First Sunday After Christmas
December 31, 2017
Psalm 23
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters;
3 he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.
4 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.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6 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.
(NRSV)
The task of a shepherd is to relinquish some control in order to allow the sheep to find the tasty morsels available in the area while at the same time keeping a watchful eye over the sheep to protect them from dangers and predators. It is tempting for some to keep their charges too close together for the sake of safety and protection, not realizing that the sheep will quickly run out of things on which to graze and will damage that small area. The other temptation is to let sheep graze too widely and not be able to keep watch over all the sheep at once.
Some who call themselves shepherd expect the people around them to travel in lock step with them. Ranging outside the tight group is frowned upon and discouraged. It is a great way to control folks, to keep them safe, and to keep them from having questions and opinions that take them out of the tight held control of the shepherd. To question or to second guess the leader is seen as dangerous and evil. Folks are expected to be docile, to go where and to believe what they are told without question or comment. While there are times in which conformity is important, if that need never changes there is a problem.
God allows us to range freely within a set of boundaries. Some of us will never notice the limits because we are content where we find ourselves. Others of us will be in contact with the shepherd on a more regular basis as we wander on the fringes of the group. We will purposely or inadvertently push the limits of our range and be called back, perhaps even feel pushed back. We will feel put upon at the time, however in time we may notice that we were wandering into dangerous places and the prod was for our protection rather than any other reason. Through it all God is with us “and I [we] shall dwell in the house of the LORD my [our] whole life long.”
December 26, 2017
LCM
Monday, January 18, 2016
Psalm Meditation 814
Third Sunday After Epiphany
January 24, 2016
Psalm 23
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters;
3 he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.
4 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.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6 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.
(NRSV)
It is a humbling thing to admit to the need of a shepherd. A shepherd leads without consulting the sheep as to route, destination or duration of stay. A shepherd has limits past which the sheep are not to go. A shepherd offers protection to the sheep, especially those that stay within sight, hearing and some long, quick steps that get the shepherd between the sheep and danger.
We have a desire to have some say in where we are going, how we get there and how long we stay. When we accept God’s claim on us as our shepherd we have to give up some of that control over our itinerary. It is part of the human condition to push past the limits, to see what happens and to see what is out there. Some of our limits are flexible, changing as we mature in a variety of ways while others are not. We want to be protected from our own foolishness as well as from the others who intend to harm us. The ways God protects us are beyond our understanding.
When we join the psalmist in accepting God’s claim on us as shepherd, we make some choices and decisions. We decide to follow, even when it is not the way we would have chosen, especially when it is not the easy, popular or the ‘we’ve always done it like this’ way. We decide to follow, acknowledging that some of the limits we accept change from time to time. Good and bad, acceptable and unacceptable, moral and immoral have been known to switch poles as our understanding of both God and the world change. We decide to follow knowing that God may or may not intervene for us in any given situation, knowing that it has everything to do with God, not us. We decide to follow for the perks because we are human and tend toward selfishness. We decide to follow because God calls us to follow and we respond to the love in God’s voice.
January 18, 2016
LCM
Third Sunday After Epiphany
January 24, 2016
Psalm 23
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters;
3 he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.
4 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.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6 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.
(NRSV)
It is a humbling thing to admit to the need of a shepherd. A shepherd leads without consulting the sheep as to route, destination or duration of stay. A shepherd has limits past which the sheep are not to go. A shepherd offers protection to the sheep, especially those that stay within sight, hearing and some long, quick steps that get the shepherd between the sheep and danger.
We have a desire to have some say in where we are going, how we get there and how long we stay. When we accept God’s claim on us as our shepherd we have to give up some of that control over our itinerary. It is part of the human condition to push past the limits, to see what happens and to see what is out there. Some of our limits are flexible, changing as we mature in a variety of ways while others are not. We want to be protected from our own foolishness as well as from the others who intend to harm us. The ways God protects us are beyond our understanding.
When we join the psalmist in accepting God’s claim on us as shepherd, we make some choices and decisions. We decide to follow, even when it is not the way we would have chosen, especially when it is not the easy, popular or the ‘we’ve always done it like this’ way. We decide to follow, acknowledging that some of the limits we accept change from time to time. Good and bad, acceptable and unacceptable, moral and immoral have been known to switch poles as our understanding of both God and the world change. We decide to follow knowing that God may or may not intervene for us in any given situation, knowing that it has everything to do with God, not us. We decide to follow for the perks because we are human and tend toward selfishness. We decide to follow because God calls us to follow and we respond to the love in God’s voice.
January 18, 2016
LCM
Monday, October 1, 2012
Psalm Meditation 642
Nineteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
October 7, 2012
Psalm 23
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters;
3 he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name's sake.
4 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.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6 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.
(NRSV)
As a child I asked my dad why this psalm would say that the Lord is my shepherd and then say that I do not want that relationship. As gently as he did just about everything, he explained that it did not meant that I did not want the Lord as my shepherd, it meant that I had everything I would ever need. Once I understood that part I was ready to ask God for all the ‘stuff’ I ever wanted. It turns out that the psalmist does not have that in mind either.
With the Lord as my shepherd I find myself content with where I am and what I have. I may continue to strive for more and better in various aspects of my life. If, however, I never achieve anything and continue to have the Lord as my shepherd I will have a sense of contentment that folks who strive for and achieve all the other desires of their hearts, except having the Lord as their shepherd, I will probably have a richer life than they.
Given the choice between having all the stuff one would ever want, except a relationship with God, and having it the other way around, it seems one would be far better off with a relationship. Add in a relationship or two with loving people and the sense of contentment far eclipses that of anyone who has all the ‘stuff’ they have ever thought they needed for any reason.
October 1, 2012
Nineteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
October 7, 2012
Psalm 23
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters;
3 he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name's sake.
4 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.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6 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.
(NRSV)
As a child I asked my dad why this psalm would say that the Lord is my shepherd and then say that I do not want that relationship. As gently as he did just about everything, he explained that it did not meant that I did not want the Lord as my shepherd, it meant that I had everything I would ever need. Once I understood that part I was ready to ask God for all the ‘stuff’ I ever wanted. It turns out that the psalmist does not have that in mind either.
With the Lord as my shepherd I find myself content with where I am and what I have. I may continue to strive for more and better in various aspects of my life. If, however, I never achieve anything and continue to have the Lord as my shepherd I will have a sense of contentment that folks who strive for and achieve all the other desires of their hearts, except having the Lord as their shepherd, I will probably have a richer life than they.
Given the choice between having all the stuff one would ever want, except a relationship with God, and having it the other way around, it seems one would be far better off with a relationship. Add in a relationship or two with loving people and the sense of contentment far eclipses that of anyone who has all the ‘stuff’ they have ever thought they needed for any reason.
October 1, 2012
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