This past Sunday we celebrated Good Shepherd Sunday. In worship, we focused our attention on Jesus’ call for us to listen to his voice as our shepherd and to be ushered into fullness of life along with those in the fold of God (John 10:1-10). Great stuff. But, in doing so, we only gave lip-service to Psalm 23, our appointed psalm for the day.
Often, Psalm 23 is a psalm that we recite at funerals. And, appropriately so. Psalm 23 offers a word of comfort, and promises us that even in the valley of the shadow of death, our Lord does not leave us, but walks with us so that we might dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalm 23 leads us into Christ’s presence, even after our death. But rather than seeing this psalm as just something recited at funerals, what would happen if we also looked at this psalm as a psalm written for those of us who are still living? Where might this psalm lead us? Well, as the psalm suggests…
- it would lead us to green pastures: to places of sustenance and nourishment;
- it would lead us to waters of rest where our soul, indeed our very life, would be restored;
- it would lead us to a table of abundance: to a feast of goodness and mercy;
- and it would lead us to a place in which we are anointed – blessed – by our Good Shepherd who calls us Beloved.
Psalm 23 leads us to these promises. But…how do we get there?
At the close of the psalm, often translations state “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” (vs. 6) Follow. The word seems rather passive. But in the Hebrew translation, the impetus behind the action for “follow” is much stronger than a sauntering walk. It’s a full-blown pursuit. This is an active, chase-you-down, nothin’s-gonna-stop-me-’til-I-get-you-in-the-groove sort of pursuit.
So, how do we get to where Psalm 23 leads us? Not on our own. Instead, it’s our Good Shepherd – our Lord Jesus Christ – who pulls us into the groove, into the path that leads us to abundant life.
So this week, pay attention to the pursuit of your Good Shepherd pulling you into his groove – his path – of righteousness. And if you’re willing, allow Jesus to take the lead for a bit…drawing you into the life God has in store for you. For in following the pursuit of our Good Shepherd, it’s there – even now, in the land of the living – that we will dwell in our Lord’s presence our whole life long.