“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want…”
Can you imagine the Apostle Paul,
and the community in Philippi,
holding fast to that idea in times of struggle?
Paul, after all,
was writing to his people from prison.
His parishioners were experiencing the harsh effects of holding onto their belief
—their trust in Jesus as Lord.
Now, the 23rd Psalm is often know as the Psalm of Comfort.
Like all good poetry, it is multivalent
—it describes multiple experiences simultaneously.
-The Poet sees sheep with their shepherd,
-and pilgrims traveling up to Jerusalem
-and makes a series of blessed connection between the two,
-and then takes a third step,
-recognizing Pilgrimage as an apt metaphor for our life…
-our life accompanied and led and guided
by God the Shepherd, our shepherd.
And sometimes we just need those words,
“The Lord is my shepherd”
those words of comfort.
Other times its worth having a practice in place
to hold that experience of the Poet in our soul.
I think that is part of what Paul is offering to the Philippians today.
A series of:
communal, prayerful, and lifelong practices
to center our hearts in God
—our Shepherd
—even when the going gets rough.
It is series of practices that can anchor and uphold us
even in times storm and quake.
Even in those times when we are overwhelmed,
we can experience those word
“The Lord is my shepherd.”
Prayer
While imprisoned, how can Paul experience
“the Lord is my shepherd”?
How can he pass such a thing on to the Philippians?
Paul has just affirmed to the Philippians
that God’s kingdom will come,
and here he is encouraging them to stand firm in that.
That it might be true for them.
This is something Luther mirrors in his small catechism
when he describes the Lord’s Prayer:
“God’s kingdom comes on its own, but together we pray it comes for us as well.”
Paul is giving some practical commands
for experiencing the Kingdom,
to be shepherded
even in the midst of calamity and hardship.
He begins by naming this experience as a communal one.
We are not alone,
we are part of a flock…
a clutch of pilgrims traveling up that Holy Hill.
It’s like that African proverb says,
“If you want to go fast, go alone,
but if you want to go far, go together.”
As such, reconciliation ought to be the name of the game.
In Philippi two women are at loggerheads,
and Paul encourages the community
to help these women
to resolve their disagreement.
Imagine two people desiring the same goal,
working for the same cause,
yet causing one another distress,
until their relationship is destroyed…
Paul points them back to that singular calling,
struggling for,
working for,
the good news.
Celebrating too, the good news!
Paul then announces,
“Rejoice always! Again! Rejoice!”
It is good to come together,
to worship together.
To celebrate with one another.
Celebration shifts relationships
—when you are overjoyed on behalf of someone else,
it throws you out of yourself,
it shifts relationships,
strengthens them,
fills them with meaning.
Paul also encourages this community to be gentle
—if two or three gathering together,
is the presence of Jesus
—then there ought to be gentleness there, right?
After all, when Jesus is present:
-the least, last, and lost are welcomed and honored,
-children are lovingly embraced,
-justice comes without breaking a brittle reed or blowing out a tiny candle.
- he is called the “Prince of Peace” for a reason.
Imagine where we’d be,
if Christians were universally known
for our kindness and gentleness.
Paul directs the Philippians to prayer practices
that help them to experience God
as provider of plenty and comforter of our souls.
He encourages them to pray about anything!
Not just the big stuff,
but every little detail…
pray about anything that is giving you anxiety…
God’ll listen!
As Luther writes, and I’m paraphrasing here,
“Pray even if it feels like you’re overflowing and manhandling God’s ears.”
The other side of prayer is equally important
—giving thanks for all that you have!
It’s easy to miss that which is good
—we’re hardwired for tracking threats
and fixating on our misgivings…
And if that wasn’t bad enough,
we’re bombarded with messages of scarcity and failure,
you’re not enough, because you don’t have…
this that or the other thing…
counting your blessings is a counter-cultural act.
If you dig around in the Greek a little bit, Paul is telling the Philippians to make a list
-of what’s important,
-what is good,
-what you are thankful for.
The physical act of recording
pulls it out of the abstract
and onto a sheet of paper… it’s real!
There it is,
the providence of God.
Finally, Paul encourages the Philippians
to be led along right paths…
To live out their faith in the world.
He particularly points them to his teachings,
and his way of life.
That’s gusty, if you ask me.
I’d be very hesitant to tell you all to emulate all that I do…
I’m a sinner, like we all are,
I fall short in all kinds of ways…
yet Paul is getting at something here…
The Methodists talk about this kind of thing better than we do,
the idea that there is a Method to the faith,
and people further along on that journey,
this pilgrimage,
are able to point out safe steps and pitfalls
to the person behind them.
It’s discipleship
—following after…
just as the Disciples follow after Jesus,
and Paul likely follows after Matthew in particular,
so too we follow after them.
A great pilgrim train,
trailing toward the house of the Lord.
How can you recite,
“The Lord is my shepherd,”
while imprisoned?
How can you pass such a sentiment on
to other folk in similar dire straits?
Practice
—practice in community,
the practice of prayer,
and the practice of a lifetime.
Amen!
