GOD’S ABUNDANCE
First Congregational Church of Evanston
April 29, 2007 (Fourth Sunday of Easter)
Psalm 23, John 10:22-30
Rev. Dr James E. Roghair, Interim Minister
The Transformational Character of the Psalm
My sister told us that the day before our father died, she went to visit him in his hospital bed. Knowing that his time was short, she did what many of us have done, she took the Bible that was by his bedside, and she told him she was going to read the 23rd Psalm for him – to bring comfort to him in his dark hour. But Dad gathered his strength, pointed his finger at her and asked her get his glasses. “I’m going to read it for you,” he said. And he did.
We will never forget that experience. Her expectation was to comfort him, but that expectation was transformed into an expression of victory by Dad. No longer was he the needy one to seek refuge in the Psalm. He was the blessed one proclaiming the abundance of God’s love.
Psalm 23 “is one of the best-known and best-loved passages of the Bible.” Almost anywhere you go as a Christian, people know this Psalm. Even Arctic people who have never seen sheep in their lives, love this Psalm. Children memorize it in Sunday School, and it is often used in the final words at the grave. It is good for a time of need.
I remember a woman who was ill and feeling pretty down. She was questioning her faith in God. When I asked her if I could read something from the Bible, she asked for this Psalm. And as I read it, she was moved and began to cry. The Psalm brought God’s transformation into her life. She was changed.
Identification and Interpretation
The words of the Psalm itself may not always be easy. People don’t necessarily think of themselves as sheep. Either we know very little about sheep, and have trouble identifying with them, or we know a little about sheep and don’t want to be associated with them. They say that sheep are stupid. Sheep will follow the leader blindly. For instance, a flock of sheep may be going through a narrow opening in a fence and have to go one at a time. If you would stick your foot out so that one of the sheep has to jump over your foot, you could withdraw your foot and watch the rest of them jump over the foot that isn’t there. Shepherds in biblical times kept goats with their flock of sheep. Goats think for themselves and can help lead the sheep. But we may have trouble identifying with either sheep or goats.
Nevertheless, this Psalm is so familiar and so well loved, that it unexplainably does much for our life and spirit. But it is hard to interpret. Biblical scholars over the years have tried to interpret it. Many have been struck with a lack of continuity in the Psalm – as if it were really two Psalms stuck together. It has the images of the sheep and the shepherd in the beginning and the image of the banquet table at the end, but they don’t seem to hang together. Of course that has not been a problem for the generations of people who have gotten comfort and hope from the Psalm, but it may be a spur to continually look at the Psalm with new eyes.
Psalm of a Weary Traveler
I found a new and very different interpretation of this Psalm which is supported by the 1989 New Revised Standard Version of the Bible that we normally read in worship. Where the old 1611 King James Version that many of us still remember says, "He leadeth me in paths of righteousness." the NRSV says, "He leads me in right paths." While the KJV speaks of "the valley of the shadow of death," the NRSV says "the darkest valley."
The Bible translators, who are always meticulous scholars, choose the English words they feel are more accurate and will help us understand the original Hebrew best. Perhaps looking carefully at the newer translation, we can see the logic of this Psalm in a new way – a way of transformation – even as the Psalm is transformed when a dying person takes it on to be the one who blesses instead of being the one who is blessed.
A New Interpretation of the Psalm
So here is the interpretation. I am here relying on the authors of Emphasis magazine. Imagine that the [biblical] narrator in this Psalm is not picturing himself as a sheep, but as a lost and lonely traveler. The blazing heat of the desert noonday is long gone, and the bitter cold of desert night is coming fast. The road has disappeared into the twilight. Provisions of food and water ran out hours ago, and the traveler is parched and hungry. In the distance, a jackal howls. Fears of wild animals and bands of robbers flow, unbidden, into his mind. He regrets having begun this journey, and wonders if it will be his last.
Then the traveler sees a figure on a hillside, outlined against the darkening sky. It is a shepherd -- a common, ordinary man, but a man who knows these hillsides and ravines. He goes down to the weary traveler, and leads him up out of the shadowy valley to a place where the last beams of sun still light the way ahead. He leads the wayfarer to a grassy meadow, and invites him to lie down. The shepherd cups water from the oasis spring in his hands, and offers it. The traveler drinks and drinks.
[The traveler] glances up to see the shepherd's rod, by which he guides the sheep, and also his staff, or walking stick. It is comforting to see these symbols of a man who knows his way through the desert. When the traveler has rested a bit, the two walk on, following "the right paths" this time, to a black goatskin tent set amidst an encampment of other tents. These are Bedouins, dwellers in dry and desolate places – determined people who know how to scratch a living from the desert. They are also outsiders to the rest of society, even outcasts. The Bedouin have their own mysterious ways, unknown to our lost traveler (who would hardly have given them a thought had he passed them in the town). It occurs to him that they may even be enemies who wish to rob or kill him.
The shepherd brings the man into his own tent. It is lit inside with oil lamps, and decorated with carpets that are as intricate and beautiful as the goatskin tent is plain. There is no fear now; the laws of Middle Eastern hospitality are in effect. As long as the traveler is in the shepherd's tent, the shepherd is pledged to protect him from all enemies. The two sit cross-legged at a low table, and the shepherd spreads out a meal – a simple meal that somehow tastes better than any our traveler has ever had: steaming lamb stew, soft pita bread, succulent dates. In a timeless gesture of honor, the host pours a flask of fragrant oil over the guest's head, and pours wine into his cup until it overflows.
The fears of night have been transformed; where there was once aching terror, there is now serenity and trust. Such is the power of desert hospitality. Perhaps it was this hospitality that David – or whoever wrote this psalm – once felt. So moving was this experience for the psalmist, so unforgettable his rescue from the very jaws of death, that he has come to see it as symbolic of God's love. (Emphasis, “Preaching the Psalm,” www.sermonsuite.com)
The Psalm for Us
The psalmist has painted for us an unforgettable picture of God’s hospitality. Perhaps we can feel and understand anew our relationship to God as our shepherd. For like a traveler in the ancient Bible land, we, too, navigate rough and rocky roads – as a part of our life journey.
What are the fears of the night that confront you and I? Do you have fears of advancing age? Fears that I will not be able to take care of myself? That I will have to give up some of who I am? To let go of the things I cherish? Loose my life in meaningless disease and hopeless death? These are the real rocky roads.
The faith to which this Psalm points does not take away the dangers, but it can allay our fears. But those fears may still continue to plague us. But faith reaches out to transform us – to transform our very relationship to God – to transform our understanding of who we are – to help us recognize ourselves in the arms of God’s grace.
A Life of Abundance
The Psalm promotes an image of abundance – the recognition of the gifts of God – even in the midst the personal enemies and the fears they provoke. Our faith says that God provides a hospitality beyond our imagination and deeper than our fears: Green pastures and still waters – Rod and staff to comfort – A Banquet table – Dwelling in God’s house our whole life long.
I am told that During the German bombing of London during World War II, [“Thou preparest a table before us in the presence of mine enemies”] was a favorite [verse] for Communion services – even in one instance while part of the church was hit as the service continued. The Lord's Supper was God's table spread for worshipers, and it continued to nourish them spiritually even while their city was under attack. The Last Supper was such a meal for Jesus (Emphasis, “Preaching the Psalm,” www.sermonsuite.com).
How does God show God’s abundance to this church? What words would you use to tell of God’s hospitality to? Do we find God’s abundance in the gifts we receive?
Abundance in Baptism and Membership
Today we will baptize two adults and a teen – people who have decided on their own that the way of Jesus Christ is the way for them. This faith wasn’t important to their families of origin. But by taking this step, they declare openly to us and to the world that they have received the abundance of God’s blessing within the Christian family. Also, others who have been in and around this church for a few months or even years – previous members of other congregations – declare the abundance of God’s blessing, and come for membership here.
Are you experiencing the abundance of God’s hospitality? If you experience it, don’t hesitate to share the experience with others. Recognizing God’s abundance can be contagious. A congregation living in abundance – accepting the wonder of God’s gifts, will find within themselves resources to do the things God calls them to do. And they will find within them the wisdom to pick their way through the troublesome rocks and valleys.
Abundance in the Budget?
A discussion of the church budget can become a confusing discussion of whether the cup is half empty or half full. God’s transformation is when the discussion is about how our cup overflows with God’s gifts. And when we as individuals live in the assurance of God’s overflowing gifts to us, our own gifts to the church become a natural part of who we are. And the discussion of God’s gifts to the church lead into a discussion of how we will share these gifts with others. That is the transformation that the faith makes in our lives and in the life of the church. It is the witness of the Psalm.
Conclusion
Transformation is when the dying person gives the Psalm to others as a statement of victory, instead of receiving the Psalm as a personal comfort.
Transformation is when the enemies – financial, social, personal – are powerless because we are dining, in spite of them, at God’s great banquet.
Transformation is when we know that the greatest thing about the banquet is to share it with those who are hungry – spiritually and physically.
Transformation is when we stop thinking about the end of our faith tradition, as if our church were dying – and we understand God’s way of life and hope for the future.
Transformation is when we can say without a doubt: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives , and we shall dwell in the house of the Lord our whole lives long.” Amen.
Last Updated: Wednesday, February 6, 2008