Psalm 23
Mike Banister
The Shepherd
“It is God’s companionship that transforms every situation. It does not mean there are no deathly valleys, no enemies. “ - Walter Brueggemann
When I was a child I would pray a lot at nighttime, lying in bed with my face turned toward the
window to catch the breeze created by our window fan. My parents who had mental health and
addiction problems would reserve the time right after putting me to bed to have their loudest and angriest quarrels. I suppose in their minds they were protecting me. I couldn’t make out all the words
but I could sense the waves of anger in the house. It saddened me but mostly it frightened me. Then I would focus on my memory of a picture of Jesus carrying a lamb on his shoulders, Jesus with strong
shoulders and a smiling face. It was a picture I saw every week in Sunday School class. I pictured this
Jesus in my imagination and asked him to protect me. I would feel immediately, completely comforted and calmed. I would drift off to sleep.
I share this story, not because it is unique to my experience but because it is exemplary of a million other stories of people finding comfort and strength in this simple poem.
I know very little scripture from memory but I know this Psalm word for word and pray it in
times of stress and grief and find it hasn’t lost its power. Again I would be willing to bet there are
millions of other folk who could confirm that practice. It is part of our heritage as the Church Universal
that reminds us that the great ancient library of books, that all too human book, that flawed
masterpiece, we name Bible, simply cannot be given away to the care of Christians who wish to use it to
forward an agenda of selfishness and mindless nationalism. It is a book for liberals, full of comfort for
the afflicted and eloquent pleas for justice and peace. Read it with the eyes of Jesus. Develop a Jesus
hermeneutic. If you don’t find Jesus’ spirit in it, skip it, if you do, treasure it. I believe it is an
indispensible book for Kingdom people.
Again from Walter Brueggemann:
“It is almost pretentious to comment on this psalm. The grip it has on biblical spirituality is deep and genuine. It is such a simple statement that it can bear its own witness without comment.”
And again:
“It is God’s companionship that transforms every situation. It does not mean there are no deathly valleys, no enemies. “ - Walter Brueggemann
1 Peter 1:17-23
Bible Miner
I hear many people say, “That’s the way I was raised” when it come to sexism, racism, homophobia, and the other “ism’s” and “phobia’s” that are in the world. Sometimes people want to blame others for their prejudices, rather than actually getting to know those they don’t understand.
1 Peter 1:18 states: “You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors.” Preachers can have a field day describing the futile ways inherited by ancestors. Educate your congregation on the history of prejudice in your country. Challenge parishioners to be “born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God.” (1 Peter 1:23) and to ” have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart.” 1 Peter 1:22) Love is the key to Christianity.
