As we continue our journey through the 23rd Psalm I want to check in with you to see what the Spirit of God may have given you during our reading. [The 23rd Psalm was read in the style of Lectio Divina.] As a reminder, you were asked to consider what aspect of the Psalm resonated for you today, how the second verse, “God maketh me to lie down in green pastures and sit beside still waters” informed the rest of the passage, and what greater meaning this psalm might have for your life and for ours together as God’s people.
All of that together may be too much to unpack, but I’d like to hear from a few of you if you are willing. We’ll need to pass the microphone around so that those worshiping online can hear, but let’s start with the first question. Was there a word or phrase that connected with you today from the Psalm? You don’t need to say why. Just let us know what it was. [Pause for answers.]
Wonderful! Thank you! What about the next question? How does v2, “God maketh me to lie down in green pastures and sit beside still waters” add to your understanding of the rest of the passage?[Pause for answers.]
Outstanding! Look at us, doing theological reflection together! I’m going to step in on that third question, although I dearly hope God gave you something that is more precious to you than anything I have to say.
Before that, I do want to remind you that last week we focused on v1, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want,” and we acknowledged God as our shepherd – our caretaker. We talked a bit about what it means to be without want, but not so much about our want for material things. We talked about the vulnerability of God expressed in Jesus, and the fact that while we may – at times – be founding wanting of God’s grace and mercy… they are never in short supply.
Today we read that God does not just invite us into spaces of grace and mercy, God makes us lie down in them! That was the thing that struck me during our reading. Now I don’t know about you, but most people I know are not super into being made to do anything, especially by an all-powerful, supernatural being!
Most of us don’t mind saying that “God is in control” in a more general sense – especially in times when we are clearly not – but few of us want God or anyone else to tread on our free will. Personally, I prefer to talk about God inviting us into a way of being in the world and about the importance of our choices as stewards of the gifts God has given us.
But there it is. God makes us lie down and take sabbath rest – for our own good. Jesus speaks to this in Mark’s gospel 2:27 when he says, ‘The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath.’ In this case, he was chastising the Pharisees for their disregard for suffering, but it seems to bear witness to the important fact that Sabbath keeping moves us toward restoration.
The sheep in the field lay down in the grass that they will enjoy. They lay beside the waters that can safely sustain them. Fun fact. Did you know that wool is very absorbent and gets very heavy when it is wet? When sheep encounter a current it does not go well for them.
What about us? Are there times when we seek what we think is life-sustaining only to be overwhelmed? Absolutely! Does God still come to us in our time of need? Absolutely. Does God expect us to do the same for one another? Yes.
Hopefully, that is why we are here today. We are here to receive rest for our souls beside the still waters of baptism that remind us of God’s never failing love for us. We are here to listen to stories about the life and ministry of Jesus, who offers the restoration we seek!
Sometimes that means just being here, together, no matter what the preacher has to say. Sometimes the act of coming together for worship is enough to give you a break from all the heartache of social media and the 24hr news cycle. Certainly, that is one of the gifts that keeping the sabbath offers us, but the caution of scripture is this – does it lead to restoration?
In Mark 2 Jesus confronts the Pharisees for being Pharisees and caring more about the rules than the people they impact, and I think sometimes we are too quick to assume that their only function in the story is to be the bad guy. The Pharisees were keepers of tradition and identity because they believed it was right and good and faithful. The question this text asks of us is whether or not we are falling into the same trap.
I’m not suggesting that we are pushing people out with our traditions. Really we just want people to come to church by any means possible. We don’t care who you are!
It seems to me that the important thing to remember is the way that Jesus understands and interprets sabbath keeping. Some of his interpretation is a bit of dramatic storytelling to connect him to the house of David, but the larger point he is making is that his disciples were so hungry that they were chewing wheat pods! Then he immediately cured a man with an injured hand to show that the point of the Sabbath is compassion.
Compassion means to “suffer with” someone, and it implies a desire to bring healing and restoration. There are, of course, great and heroic examples of this – Jesus being the foremost – but sometimes it is as simple as letting someone know that you hear them and you see them.
One can never tell how staged videos are on the internet, but I saw a fabulous one the other day that I believe to be true. A person walked up to a woman who was working security for an event and gave her a note. It read, “Dear Stranger, For all the times you felt that you weren’t enough, I want you to know that you are more than enough.” She seemed a bit confused, but also a little shaken. It was hard to tell.
Then they went to a construction worker and gave him flowers and a note that said, “Make the most of your day.” He rolled his eyes a bit, smelled the flowers, and got a big grin. A man on a bench reading a book was given one that said, “Ignore what others think. Just be yourself!” He looked a little confused at first. Then he straightened up a bit and became really thoughtful – like he was re-evaluating his whole existence! My favorite was the older guy who was selling handmade jewelry on a street. She asked him to hold some flowers while she tied her shoe and then she said, “Those are for you!” and walked off. There was a note tucked inside that said, “You deserve every good thing that comes your way today!” After reading it he was shaken, almost to tears.
My point in sharing these is that you never know how far the smallest kindness can go. You never know what someone else’s story is, but attending to your own story as God’s beloved child can help you extend the grace you have received. Your story, and my story, is that there is a God who loves us. There is a God who provides for us, and God only makes you do what is good for you and for those you love.
God not only has compassion for you. God is the source of compassion if it is to exist at all. As we move forward in our exploration of the 23rd Psalm, I want to encourage you with this. The One who creates, restores, and sustains all that is, was, and ever shall be, has an interest in your well-being.
God’s love is long-suffering and invitational and dare I say providential – and it moves us toward restoration; restoration in our lives through sabbath rest; restoration in our community through our ability to love as we have been loved; and restoration throughout all creation extend the love we have received as stewards and caretakers of the abundance of God’s good creation.
We can do all these things, just maybe not all at once, but often they are as simple as a smile, or a note, or a text. Just remember to take a beat before you feel overwhelmed. Let the weekly practice of being here shape the rhythm of your days, for there is rest beside these waters and there is restoration in God’s love. Amen.
All of that together may be too much to unpack, but I’d like to hear from a few of you if you are willing. We’ll need to pass the microphone around so that those worshiping online can hear, but let’s start with the first question. Was there a word or phrase that connected with you today from the Psalm? You don’t need to say why. Just let us know what it was. [Pause for answers.]
Wonderful! Thank you! What about the next question? How does v2, “God maketh me to lie down in green pastures and sit beside still waters” add to your understanding of the rest of the passage?[Pause for answers.]
Outstanding! Look at us, doing theological reflection together! I’m going to step in on that third question, although I dearly hope God gave you something that is more precious to you than anything I have to say.
Before that, I do want to remind you that last week we focused on v1, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want,” and we acknowledged God as our shepherd – our caretaker. We talked a bit about what it means to be without want, but not so much about our want for material things. We talked about the vulnerability of God expressed in Jesus, and the fact that while we may – at times – be founding wanting of God’s grace and mercy… they are never in short supply.
Today we read that God does not just invite us into spaces of grace and mercy, God makes us lie down in them! That was the thing that struck me during our reading. Now I don’t know about you, but most people I know are not super into being made to do anything, especially by an all-powerful, supernatural being!
Most of us don’t mind saying that “God is in control” in a more general sense – especially in times when we are clearly not – but few of us want God or anyone else to tread on our free will. Personally, I prefer to talk about God inviting us into a way of being in the world and about the importance of our choices as stewards of the gifts God has given us.
But there it is. God makes us lie down and take sabbath rest – for our own good. Jesus speaks to this in Mark’s gospel 2:27 when he says, ‘The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath.’ In this case, he was chastising the Pharisees for their disregard for suffering, but it seems to bear witness to the important fact that Sabbath keeping moves us toward restoration.
The sheep in the field lay down in the grass that they will enjoy. They lay beside the waters that can safely sustain them. Fun fact. Did you know that wool is very absorbent and gets very heavy when it is wet? When sheep encounter a current it does not go well for them.
What about us? Are there times when we seek what we think is life-sustaining only to be overwhelmed? Absolutely! Does God still come to us in our time of need? Absolutely. Does God expect us to do the same for one another? Yes.
Hopefully, that is why we are here today. We are here to receive rest for our souls beside the still waters of baptism that remind us of God’s never failing love for us. We are here to listen to stories about the life and ministry of Jesus, who offers the restoration we seek!
Sometimes that means just being here, together, no matter what the preacher has to say. Sometimes the act of coming together for worship is enough to give you a break from all the heartache of social media and the 24hr news cycle. Certainly, that is one of the gifts that keeping the sabbath offers us, but the caution of scripture is this – does it lead to restoration?
In Mark 2 Jesus confronts the Pharisees for being Pharisees and caring more about the rules than the people they impact, and I think sometimes we are too quick to assume that their only function in the story is to be the bad guy. The Pharisees were keepers of tradition and identity because they believed it was right and good and faithful. The question this text asks of us is whether or not we are falling into the same trap.
I’m not suggesting that we are pushing people out with our traditions. Really we just want people to come to church by any means possible. We don’t care who you are!
It seems to me that the important thing to remember is the way that Jesus understands and interprets sabbath keeping. Some of his interpretation is a bit of dramatic storytelling to connect him to the house of David, but the larger point he is making is that his disciples were so hungry that they were chewing wheat pods! Then he immediately cured a man with an injured hand to show that the point of the Sabbath is compassion.
Compassion means to “suffer with” someone, and it implies a desire to bring healing and restoration. There are, of course, great and heroic examples of this – Jesus being the foremost – but sometimes it is as simple as letting someone know that you hear them and you see them.
One can never tell how staged videos are on the internet, but I saw a fabulous one the other day that I believe to be true. A person walked up to a woman who was working security for an event and gave her a note. It read, “Dear Stranger, For all the times you felt that you weren’t enough, I want you to know that you are more than enough.” She seemed a bit confused, but also a little shaken. It was hard to tell.
Then they went to a construction worker and gave him flowers and a note that said, “Make the most of your day.” He rolled his eyes a bit, smelled the flowers, and got a big grin. A man on a bench reading a book was given one that said, “Ignore what others think. Just be yourself!” He looked a little confused at first. Then he straightened up a bit and became really thoughtful – like he was re-evaluating his whole existence! My favorite was the older guy who was selling handmade jewelry on a street. She asked him to hold some flowers while she tied her shoe and then she said, “Those are for you!” and walked off. There was a note tucked inside that said, “You deserve every good thing that comes your way today!” After reading it he was shaken, almost to tears.
My point in sharing these is that you never know how far the smallest kindness can go. You never know what someone else’s story is, but attending to your own story as God’s beloved child can help you extend the grace you have received. Your story, and my story, is that there is a God who loves us. There is a God who provides for us, and God only makes you do what is good for you and for those you love.
God not only has compassion for you. God is the source of compassion if it is to exist at all. As we move forward in our exploration of the 23rd Psalm, I want to encourage you with this. The One who creates, restores, and sustains all that is, was, and ever shall be, has an interest in your well-being.
God’s love is long-suffering and invitational and dare I say providential – and it moves us toward restoration; restoration in our lives through sabbath rest; restoration in our community through our ability to love as we have been loved; and restoration throughout all creation extend the love we have received as stewards and caretakers of the abundance of God’s good creation.
We can do all these things, just maybe not all at once, but often they are as simple as a smile, or a note, or a text. Just remember to take a beat before you feel overwhelmed. Let the weekly practice of being here shape the rhythm of your days, for there is rest beside these waters and there is restoration in God’s love. Amen.
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