San Lorenzo Community Church, United Church of Christ Sermon from Rev. Annette J. Cook Preached on Sunday, June 10, 2018

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Solomon Thomas
5 years ago
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1 SCRIPTURE READING A Variation of Psalm 23 Hear now a reading of Psalm 23 A Trail Guide The Lord is my trail guide, I shall not lose my way, He leads me along the straight and narrow path, He goes before me and beside me with each step, He gives me new strength to continue on. He allows me to see panoramic scenes of His creative majesty. Whether my path winds through brilliantly colored meadows of flowers Or upon perilous rocky mountain peaks, I will find peace and not be afraid, Because He is with me. His Holy map and indwelling compass show me the way. He prepares an awesome lookout for me in the midst of my hike. He anoints my head with clear mountain stream water Filling my canteen to the brim and overflowing. Certainly His guidance and care will be with me All the days of my journey And I will swell with Him on His holy mountain forever. This ends the reading from Psalm 23. Thanks be to God. Page 1 of 5

2 We are bouncing around on a road trip this summer. It s quite lovely, I think, to imagine that we are all packed into the car, taking off on the open road. You will hear scriptures from the Hebrew Bible and stories from the New Testament. You will hear personal stories and the voices of others. So many stories of journey and travel. Can t you hear Willie Nelson in the background? On the road again, just can t wait to get on the road again. I hear Willie. As I mentioned this week in my mid-week connection, this idea of journey is a cornerstone of my faith and understanding of God. There is direction, there is forward-movement; there are pit stops and destinations. And there is hope, there is always hope. Yet our collective journey this past week has brought us very sad news first Kate Spade, the designer, businesswoman, wife and mother, and then Anthony Bourdain, chef, author, television host and producer, boyfriend and father. Sad news of their death. And it has led me to be thinking about this journey yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Do you remember way back in 1981 when Rabbi Harold Kushner s book was published When Bad Things Happen to Good People? I was in my senior year in college and our campus ministry did a faith study using this book. My friend Anne kept calling the book, Why Bad Things Happen to Good People. But that is not the title. It s not about why bad things happen, it s about when bad things happen. Because bad things happen to all of us, to each of us, no one is left out. If you are alive and living, bad things happen. Rabbi Kushner wrote this book after the death of his son, who was only 14 years old and had been born with an incurable illness. When the memorials were done, he found himself asking how it could have been possible that he and his wife got through that. You would think that such an experience would shatter the faith of the average person. Where did they find the strength and ability to raise this child, to comfort him when he was sick and scared and ultimately to lose him? The only answer that came to him was that, when they had used up all of their own strength and love and faith, then God replenished their supply and offered more and more love and strength and faith. You see, I want to believe in a loving God. And when I see children dying, when I see innocent people suffering, and when I see young parents stricken with an illness, when I hear of people who take their own life, how can I believe in a God of love and compassion unless I am prepared to say, Some things happen in the world that God does not want to happen. You see? God is good. All the time. God is good. Nature, on the other hand, nature is blind, without moral compass. Fires burn and bullets wound and falling rocks injure and diseases infect everybody, whether they deserve it or not. Every one of us has valleys in our lives. We may have been born into poverty or abuse or disability. Some of us are born into green pastures and then proceed to dig our own valley of drugs or alcohol or violence or prejudice. Or, during our life, external events and internal circumstances create vast swath of valley of the shadow. It occurs any time every time we cannot see beyond the moment, when we are stuck and shackled by external or internal forces working against us. You know there are people who get stuck in life they get stuck in the valley of the shadow and they don t know how to get out. I have been there. Oh yes, I have been there, more than once. This Page 2 of 5

3 Psalm 23 is speaking to that. Psalm 23 is answering the questions How do you live in a dangerous and unpredictable world? How do you live through the pain of loss, depression, or anxiety? How do you live? 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; I think this is why Psalm 23 is known, memorized and revered by Christians, Jews and a far broader part of our culture than ever imagined. This is an intense and deep prayer that hopes for an inner wellspring of God-given peace. When you are in the throes of hardship, grief, depression or fear, these are the words that spring to mind as the counter-balance. These are the words that bring comfort. Or at least that is the story a young woman shared about her mother who has a fear of tunnels driving through or riding through a tunnel. This is not an unusual fear. Some people I know drive through the tunnel, emerging to the other side, only to exhale, not realizing that they have been holding their breath the whole time. Anyway, one spring day this Mother had to drive the Pennsylvania Turnpike to visit her daughter at college. Knowing the mother's fear of tunnels, the daughter was a little concerned about the trip. When Mom arrived safely the daughter asked: "Did you have any trouble?" "Just the tunnels," Mom replied. "One of them was 2 1\2." Puzzled, the daughter asked if she meant 2 1\2 miles or 2 1\2 minutes. Mom answered, "Neither - 2 1\2 times through the 23rd Psalm." Have you ever done that? I have. Repeated the words to a Bible verse or maybe it was song lyrics or maybe a favorite hymn in order to get you through a time of distress? David the author of the Psalms had been there. He writes from the knowledge of loss and grief and despair. David has walked often in the valley of the shadow when Saul pursued him, when his first child died in infancy, when his family fell apart in murderous competitiveness, when his beloved rebel son, Absalom, was slaughtered. Yes, David is speaking from the place of experience. I can imagine that David wrote these verses as his own antidote to the pain and suffering. He wrote them as an acknowledgement of our God who does not explain or justify the circumstances in which we find ourselves but, instead, promises to be here with us, present with our pain, offering a different and peaceful center. I was surprised to learn this week that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 17% of students in grades 9 to 12 have seriously considered suicide within the past year. A shocking statistic. It signals a lot of despair that is not being discussed, shared or cracked open to the light of day. It speaks to the volume of pain young people carry inside. And it raises the stakes in making sure people who need help can get it. Page 3 of 5

4 I also listened to more than one radio news story talk about how a celebrity suicide and the subsequent media coverage may send an unintended message that this is a glamorous end. But that is not how this works. That is not how their families are feeling or will feel far into the future. The family and friends left behind from a death, and a suicide in particular, are deep and long lasting. In the case of a suicide it is compounded by feelings of grief, guilt and anger for being left behind, not being given an opportunity to fix it, maybe not even seeing it coming, and not understanding the why of it all. Hear the Psalmist again: Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death Though I walk through the valley of the shadow Though I walk through the valley Though I walk through I walk. I walk and walk and walk. Or as Winston Churchill once said, If you are going through hell, keep going. This is how God leads us. This is how God give us comfort. This is how God enables us to find joy again. You keep walking. Or, in a written version of Psalm 23: The Lord is my trail guide, I shall not lose my way, God leads me along the straight and narrow path, God goes before me and beside me with each step, God gives me new strength to continue on. God allows me to see panoramic scenes of this creative majesty. Whether my path winds through brilliantly colored meadows of flowers Or upon perilous rocky mountain peaks, I will find peace and not be afraid, Because God is with me. God s Holy map and indwelling compass show me the way. Page 4 of 5

5 God prepares an awesome lookout for me in the midst of my hike. God anoints my head with clear mountain stream water Filling my canteen to the brim and overflowing. Certainly God s guidance and care will be with me All the days of my journey And I will dwell with God on this holy mountain forever. Keep walking, good people. Keep walking. And when you can walk no further, know that God is walking with you. God wants you to find someone who can help. Life is not meant to be lived alone. Find someone. Be that someone for somebody. Because God is not done with you yet. Not then, not ever. Amen. Page 5 of 5

Scripture Memory BIBLE

Scripture Memory BIBLE VERSE (CORE 0) THE 23RD PSALM (PSALM 23) NLT Oh, the Lord is, oh, the Lord is The LORD is my shepherd; I have all that I need. (Repeat) He lets me rest in green meadows; He leads me beside his peaceful