May 1, 2016
Psalm 23
Cincinnati Church of the Brethren
Hear the Word of the Lord this day as translated from New International Version.
Psalm 23
A psalm of David.
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.
As you are well aware today is Youth Sunday and I hope that as you have sat and listened to the youth of this congregation take ownership of the multiple ways we honor and glorify our Lord that you have felt the spirit move in this place as well as within your own selves. For the past few weeks during the Sunday school hour Meghan, Ysabel, Anna, Emma, and Tonio have been hard at work putting together the elements of this worship service and making sure everyone had a part and no one was left out.
Now I am not going to lie I have struggled to put this message together. Constantly repeating Psalm 23 throughout this entire week hoping that if I said it enough that a sermon would pop out of thin air, but no this wasn’t the case. For me writing poetry comes much easier than writing sermons. What dawned on me on Thursday night is I had to tear this Psalm apart in a responsive kinda form if I was going to preach it. So this is what ask of you today put yourself within the Psalm and as I read verse by verse think about if it holds true in your life.
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.
Which verses stuck out to you? Gave you a hint of doubt? Gave you comfort? A glimpse of hope or peace? Earlier this week I had asked the youth when have they felt that their souls had been restored and here were some of the responses. Emma said she felt God's restoration when she was baptized, Tony said he feels God's restoration when times get tough in his life, Anna felt God's restoration when she had a serious bike accident and God was there with her, and Ysabel said I am only 13 and really haven't had any major traumas in my life so far. I would then have to say he restores my soul every day I wake up or go to bed because I feel blessed I have successfully made it through another day. I feel blessed just to be alive.
For me, the verse that really sticks out is verse four. 4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff,
they comfort me. I believe that we should care just as much for the people outside our church doors as we do within them and beyond our borders. My heart has been with the Nigerian people and EYN since the kidnapping of over 200 schoolgirls in April of 2014. My heart breaks every time I read there's been another attack on our brothers and sisters among God's children. I wonder when will they be set free, when will the pain and suffering that Boko Haram tear that this group is inflicting on a country cease. I watched annual conference last year and as the EYN Nigeria's Women choir sang I felt the hope and saw a glimpse of God. This Psalm holds true not only for us but for those beyond the borders, for those that are lost and trying to find their way home again. For God’s love has no borders for his love is like a cup overflowing restoring our souls day in and day out. AMEN.
Sara
