My Shepherd

Psalm 23, page 240 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. Sermon The Lord is my Shepherd. Whether it’s sung by the choir, read in the pew Bible, or spoken aloud at a funeral, the words are as powerful as any in the history of human language. These words are the foundation of faith for so many. I imagine that Psalm 23 is one of the most frequently memorized passages in all of scripture, because these few verses have the power to bring comfort in death, encourage perseverance during hardship, and they sum up the most central truth of our faith – that ours is a religion that promises not only green pastures and still – but, when you walk through the valley of the shadow of death Christ is there with you. He told us he would be. In our first scripture lesson he tells us that he is the Good Shepherd, but its one thing for Christ to tell you that he is yours and it’s another thing for you to say that he is mine. It’s the same with a child – you know that you are his mother, but its one thing for you to tell everyone that you are and it’s another thing for him to introduce you saying, “She is mine – my mom.” I take pride knowing that two little girls will grow up saying that I am theirs just as they are mine, just as I am thankful when they say that this is their home, across the street is their school, we drove in their car to get here, to their church. To say that something is mine – my shepherd – means something powerful. There are nine children who come here every Tuesday afternoon for a program we call Time Sharers. They are tutored and fed by members of our church, and they don’t call this place First Presbyterian – instead little boys and girls who aren’t here any time besides Tuesday afternoon point to this place and say, “that’s my church,” and why wouldn’t they? Here they are loved, cared for, valued, and listened to. The men and women who pick them up from school, give them a snack, and help them with their homework want them to think of this place as theirs but doesn’t it mean something for them to say it. Of course, saying that this place is mine can be dangerous. That kind of ownership might make others feel excluded – to say that its mine may communicate to others that it can’t be theirs and jealousy can rise up. That happens. And it’s not too much farther down that road and one says to the other that “mine is better than yours.” I’m not above such feelings. Watson Pulliam will be putting up a new piece of playground equipment in our playground for his Eagle Scout Project, and I don’t really care what Susie Baxter picks out for Watson to install so long as it’s better than anything that the Methodists have. But I shouldn’t think that way. That way of thinking leads to competition and before too long it’s not who’s better and who’s best, instead people start thinking that there is really only one right and all the rest must be wrong. It’s not just that he is my shepherd. He is the only shepherd. People think that way, and I believe it’s a dangerous way to think. But it’s not just dangerous – it’s a big undertaking to convince everyone that there’s really only one option. I’ve seen cars driving around town with a license plate on the front – Vanderbilt on half, UT on the other, and the words “a house divided” underneath. This license plate proves that it is hard to get people to agree on one anything – one college sports team, one pizza topping, or one religion. To convince people that there’s only one religion seems to me a true challenge. Especially when you consider how mini vans all over Maury County can’t compromise on a college team to support. Still Muslims and Christians especially fight and kill in defense of what they believe is the truth. There must be another way. And there is. Though not completely satisfactory either, another option is to say that there are plenty of shepherds out there and one is just as good as any other. There’s plenty to like about that way of thinking – there’s no reason to get upset then about that Mosque in Murfreesboro. No reason to worry about evolution being taught in science class – there is diversity of thinking in this country and diversity isn’t something to be afraid of. But then if everybody is right – who is wrong. And if I’m on everybody’s side, what do I really stand for? A good question for politicians who want to make everyone happy. Judge Soggy Sweat epitomized taking a stand by not taking a stand in his whiskey speech of 1952: “My friends, I had not intended to discuss this controversial subject at this particular time. However, I want you to know that I do not shun controversy. On the contrary, I will take a stand on any issue at any time, regardless of how fraught with controversy it might be. You have asked me how I feel about whiskey. All right, here is how I feel about whiskey. "If when you say whiskey you mean the devil's brew, the poison scourge, the bloody monster, that defiles innocence, dethrones reason, destroys the home, creates misery and poverty, yea, literally takes the bread from the mouths of little children; if you mean the evil drink that topples the Christian man and woman from the pinnacle of righteous, gracious living into the bottomless pit of degradation, and despair, and shame and helplessness, and hopelessness, then certainly I am against it. "But; "If when you say whiskey you mean the oil of conversation, the philosophic wine, the ale that is consumed when good fellows get together, that puts a song in their hearts and laughter on their lips, and the warm glow of contentment in their eyes; if you mean Christmas cheer; if you mean the stimulating drink that puts the spring in the old gentleman's step on a frosty, crispy morning; if you mean the drink which enables a man to magnify his joy, and his happiness, and to forget, if only for a little while, life's great tragedies, and heartaches, and sorrows; if you mean that drink, the sale of which pours into our treasuries untold millions of dollars, which are used to provide tender care for our little crippled children, our blind, our deaf, our dumb, our pitiful aged and infirm; to build highways and hospitals and schools, then certainly I am for it. "This is my stand. I will not retreat from it. I will not compromise." That was Judge Sweat, but what about you? Which way is yours? In our world today there are so many who fear differences in opinion as though me being right depended on you being wrong. Political discourse is not discourse if one side already thinks the other is without wisdom or merit, and how can there really be friendship if one thinks the other is so wrong as to deserve the fires of hell? It is instead our duty to be comfortable in disagreement. Life in a world that disagrees is nothing new, especially for Christians. Why then would we be afraid, and why would we oppress those who disagree when we ourselves know exactly what it feels like to be discriminated against? I tell you today that nothing matters more than your convictions – not the convictions of the majority or the minority – but that you yourself know what you believe and can hold that belief strongly enough that you are not afraid when others disagree with you. What matters today is that you know who your shepherd is. Who leads you to the green pastures and beside the still waters – the one who keeps you, provides for you, and watches over you while you sleep. What matters today is that you know what he did for you – that rather than avoid suffering he faced it head on that you might never be afraid thinking that hardship is God’s punishment or that because you suffer you must have done something to deserve the wrath of God – remember that he, though sinless went to the cross with all its pain. What matters today is that you know that when you walk though the valley of the shadow of death – when you suffer hunger down deep but the cupboard is bare, that when you have bills to pay and have no way to pay them, that when your shoes are worn out and your feet are sore but you still have miles to go – you need not be afraid, for he is with you. There is room for tolerance. There is room for disagreement, compromise, and understanding. But when it comes to who will walk through the darkest valley with you there must be something sure and certain. So hear me say this and be so bold to say the same: I am his, he is mine. Thanks be to God. Amen.