The Shepherd of my soul (& body and mind)
Psalm 23, Mark 6: 30-34; 53-56
Earlier, instead of someone reading the 23rd Psalm, I asked whether we could, together, remember the 23rd Psalm. You might wonder why I would try that?
The answer is that I wasn’t just testing our memories, but trying to show us how ingrained those words can be.
In a church I was serving about 20 years ago, I got a message one afternoon that one of our church members had gone into a nearby hospice. It was a bit unexpected, Muriel had known she had cancer for a while, but she had suddenly gone downhill. I went straight round to visit her, finding her much more comfortable than she had been latterly, as they had given her morphine, but quite a lot sleepier. She gave me a lovely smile as I walked in and asked “will you read me something from the Bible?”. I hadn’t got a Bible with me, there wasn’t one in her room, it was in the days before my phone could do anything as clever as browse the internet.
But thanks to a fairly traditional junior school education I had been made to learn the 23rdPsalm at the age of about 8 and I hoped it was still somewhere in my memory. “OK, Muriel, let’s see if we can remember the 23rd Psalm together”.
We began “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…” and we got right through to “I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”.
“That was lovely” said Muriel, and drifted off to a peaceful sleep.
They were great words to remember with Muriel, facing the ultimate ‘valley of the shadow of death’ – but I think they are words for all of us, for everyday.
The Psalm is very clear in declaring, and each of us can say for ourselves:
‘The Lord is my shepherd’.
‘He makes me lie down’ – there is rest for body, mind & soul
‘He guides me’ – there is direction for the heart and mind
‘He is with me & cares for me’ – everything we need – all our bodily needs are met.
The Psalm finishes with
‘Surely your goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life’.. this sums up all that it means to be in relationship with the God who created us and cares for us: body, mind and soul.
When God comes to earth in Jesus Christ, Jesus picks up the image of the Shepherd and describes himself as the Good Shepherd.
In fact, the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd is one of the oldest images made by Christians – in the catacombs of ancient Rome, as persecuted Christians gathered to worship and seek the comfort and protection of God, one of the most common images was of Jesus the Good Shepherd. The oldest discovered image of Jesus – in a church from about 235AD, near what is now the Syrian-Iraqi border – is an image of Jesus as the good shepherd.
And we heard in the Gospel reading how Jesus behaves just like the loving shepherd in the way he relates to, and cares for, his disciples and to all those around him.
The apostles have been out, in twos, sharing the message of God’s kingdom, and healing people in Jesus’ name. Now they return to Jesus to tell him all that they have been doing.
Jesus’ first response it to make them rest.. come away to a deserted place (he makes me lie down in green pastures and walk beside still waters).
But as they go they are followed by a large crowd, who all need Jesus, too.
Jesus has compassion on them and say he feels this way towards them because they are like sheep without a shepherd. So Jesus then behaves as their shepherd – the care of Jesus is for all and is total, like that of the shepherd for the sheep.
Jesus the Good Shepherd, begins to teach the crowd – (he guides them in the right pathways).
And then, as they gather the sick and come to ask for healing, Jesus shows that his love and healing is with them and is for them all. Everywhere he goes, his healing powers is for those he meets. (I shall fear no evil for you are with me)
And in the part of Mark’s gospel which is left out of our reading for today, Jesus feeds the 5,000 – he prepares a vast banquet for all the people who gather – instead of the cup running over, as in the Psalm, it is basketfuls of bread that are abundant.
To be in the presence of Jesus is to be in the presence of the Good Shepherd, to know the love and care of God for all our ways and all our days.
What does this truth mean for us?
The Lord is your shepherd.
Telling you to rest
Guiding you
With you and providing for you.
Surely this will be true for ever.
I have bookmarks to give to everyone – to remind you not only of words of 23rd Psalm but remind you to turn to the Lord, our Good Shepherd in all life’s events and difficulties.
I wonder which parts of Psalm are particularly relevant for you today – and how does the story of Jesus and his followers bring home what God’s shepherding means to you?
When you need rest
Jesus says ‘come away and rest a while’
When you need guidance
Remember Jesus’ teaching
When you feel isolated or lacking something in life
Allow Jesus to feed you and heal you.
When you worry that things are crumbling around you.
Remember that goodness and mercy will follow you all the days of your life – and that Jesus has promised ‘I will be with you, always’.
Allow the compassionate care of Jesus to speak to your souls and care for your mind and body today.. and always.
I'm now going to give you time to look at the words of the 23rd Psalm, and see which part speaks to your soul today...
In the name of God – our shepherd & our Lord. Amen.
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