Let’s be a bit mischievous this morning by reflecting on a realistic description of a shepherd as we read the following poem, “The Good Shepherd” by Stanley Moss. For more reflection on this poem, please check out this link.
The second and third stanzas show us how this poem’s depiction of the shepherd starkly differs from that of the gospel lesson and Psalm 23. The lost sheep’s view of the shepherd is not always a good one that “makes me lie down in green pastures and leads me beside still waters” but a butcher. So says the sheep, “I knew there was only a thin line / between the good shepherd and the butcher.” These lines capture the most realistic job description of a shepherd. This thin line that the lost sheep sees can be applied to our context this morning. Where does this shepherd of our own lead us? Psalm 23 explicitly illustrates where the Lord as the shepherd provides. In the gospel lesson, on the other hand, it’s unclear since the image of the shepherd who sacrifices oneself for the sheep is repeatedly emphasized. Then, we want to ask, "What prompts this good shepherd to lay down his life for the sheep? What puts into that situation? Again and again, we must not lose sight of Jesus’ good news for his sacrificial image: the kingdom of God, the presence of God is within you. This is too simple of teaching but radical and dangerous enough to have him killed on the cross. His teaching empowers everyone because it directs them all to experience and realize God’s inner presence which is deathless. No human authority can get in between people and divine authority. This free access to God, we can imagine, can be politically threatening to those in power. (Historically, the spirit of Protestantism lies in this intimately personal encounter with God.) Jesus as our good shepherd then leads us to the inner presence of God. All the comforting metaphors and illustrations of Psalm 23 can become much more real to those who meditate. In the presence of God, we shall not be in want that we’re satisfied. We no longer depend on external factors to fulfill our wants. They are accessible internally. Green pastures and still waters become the state of our mind in which our soul is revived, renewed, and restored. This surely tells us we’re on the right pathway to the depth of God. However our external circumstances are, as if we’re walking through the valley of the shadow of death, we’re not consumed with fear but can see the light of God’s peace. We may finally realize that our encounter with God’s inner presence leads us back to the symbol of baptism in which we’re anointed with oil and nourished with the body of the resurrection. The rebel sheep's cry to return “back to the mortal fields, my flock, my stubbled grass, and mud” echoes the Psalmist's assurance of dwelling in God's house forever, a reality experienced within our own bodies. |
Paul"...life up your love to that cloud [of unknowing]...let God draw your love up to that cloud...through the help of his grace, to forget every other thing." Archives
January 2025
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