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God’s love will pursue us. That is what the psalmist affirms in the Twenty-third psalm we heard read today. God pursues us and leads us to right paths, as a loving shepherd. This is an active and immanent God, interacting with us right in the midst of our everyday lives.
God’s leading towards the right paths is a gentle movement. The rod and the staff are to guide and encourage, to nudge us towards our best possibility. We are safe to lie down in the green pastures, by the still waters because this loving God is always with us; indeed a part of us. Even in the darkest times, God is still there providing sustenance.
The imagery changes in the psalm, from that of a shepherd to a gracious host. The food and drink of the beautiful pasture is echoed by an abundant table God has prepared. We share this meal in the House of the Lord; in community.
The hospitality is palpable as our heads are anointed with oil and our cup overflows. The tense has shifted from the third person “He” to the more intimate, “you”. You are with me. There is an affirmation of trust, that surely this gracious God will continue to follow us. We want to dwell here, in this place of abundant hospitality, love and safety all the days of our lives.
The intimacy and affirmation of this psalm meshes beautifully with the Gospel reading of John. Jesus tells us that he is our shepherd. As part of his fold, we know his voice. This phrase about knowing the voice of Jesus has always resonated with me. It grabs me because it is experiential.
I may not always know chapter and verse to quote, but I have felt this voice deep within me. It is a sure guide, a loving shepherd. The voice of Jesus, and the God whom Jesus reveals to us, always speaks from a place of love and inclusiveness. You can count on it. The inner voice has been a theme or a thread running throughout my life, and I would imagine, through your lives as well.
It is no wonder that Jesus would use language similar to that of the twenty-third psalm. Trust and intimacy with a God of love and open table fellowship is the manner in which he lived his life. It is the way he revealed to us the nature and desire of the God he knew so well. He was so passionate that we should know this revelation of God that he gave his life for the truth of it.I remember being a small child with an intuitive awareness of and connection to a loving presence we call God. Over the years, much doctrine and dogma was laid over top of that natural, initial bond. I was raised not to question the dogma and so it sat on top of the voice. Sometimes it threatened to squelch the voice, but it never really could.
The voice was a good shepherd, pursuing me and leading me, patiently, gently toward greener, more fertile pastures. It urged me on towards a more abundant table of inclusive friendship, where all are truly welcome. All are safe.
Some of the messages spoken to me over the years, in the name of God, have clashed harshly with the voice of love that I know. I was told that my late father is in hell because he hadn’t proclaimed Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.
When I spoke with a former mentor of a prior denomination about moving to a church home that would affirm my call to ministry as a woman, he told me to be submissive and stay in my place. A few months ago someone felt compelled to tell me that he supposed that if no men were available to preach it would be acceptable for a woman to fill in. That would be a dire situation though.
These particular people, who spoke to me in the name of God, were sensitive enough to regret that they were hurting me with their words. I hold forth to you today that words that hurt and diminish a person because their walk involves questions, or because of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or other such criteria are not words aligned with God.
It is the knowing of that voice of the good shepherd that gives us the authority to tell the difference. It’s a natural, inherent gift. It leads us to right paths. It pursues us. Indeed it is right inside of us.
It allows us, and encourages us, to speak against words that diminish and hold people down. I for
one am
tired of people putting unkind, life sapping words into God’s mouth.
When someone’s words are aligned with the spirit of God, the truth of it rings out like the clearest bell. It resonates across time. Dr. Martin Luther King’s words were like this. You could not help but hear the truth of them, so closely united were they to the heart of Jesus.
These words were so infused with the power of God’s vision, they moved to lift humanity to a higher level. John Buford, who created the “God is Still Speaking” campaign, is another modern day prophet whose words grab us with their truth.
Words like these, in synch with God’s spirit and desire for the wholeness of all people, are transformative. They are healing and inspiring. You know it when you hear it.
I dare say we have heard words in tune with the spirit of Jesus many times here at RUCC, from Pastors Sharon and Jeanne, as well as many others . I know I’m not alone in saying that this congregation has been a place of healing and transformation for me.
Each time that it is emphasized here that all are included at the communion table, no matter where they are on life’s journey, it is a balm for me. Those words are so in line with the voice that I know, it is like the anointing with oil spoken about in the psalm, as I share in the abundant hospitality.
The shepherd is mentioned in the Revelation passage for today as well. This time the Lamb, who is seated at the center of the throne, will be the shepherd. Again it is affirmed that the shepherd will guide the fold to waters of life. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.
This is a tender vision of heaven, where God will one day wipe away even our saddest tears. We all have wounds that won’t be healed entirely in this life. Some hurts will have to wait for that ultimate embrace. It is a comforting promise of hope.
God is with us always, from the time we begin the journey of life, with that innate, initial connection within and all along the way. We cannot wait until heaven for tears to be dried though. We must be about the work of healing the hurts of the world here and now.
To dry the world’s tears, as much as we are able in this life, our thoughts, words, and actions must align with the voice that centers us. Heeding and following the voice of love is a joyful walk. It unfolds into pastures so green, you could have never imagined them yourself. The voice of Jesus gives us courage to do things we never thought possible. It’s a gentle, patient, beckoning voice. It will be exciting to see where it leads us next. I can’t wait, can you?
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