Psalm 23 & John 10:11-18
May 11, 2003
Sermon preached by Rev. Donald Ng at the First Chinese Baptist Church in San Francisco.
There once was a great actor who was asked at a country gathering to recite the 23rd Psalm. So with great drama and flair, he mounted the stage and artfully articulated the vivid imagery of this familiar poem. The people were entertained, but not moved. Later, in the same program, an old woman was asked to make some kind of contribution to the evening. She apologized, explaining that she could think of nothing else to do but recite the 23rd Psalm, the portion of Scripture she knew best. Her voice cracked as she started…”The Lord is my shepherd…” She stumbled over many of the words and the people had to strain to hear her low, uncultured voice. Yet, when she finished, there was not a dry eye in the audience. The great actor climbed up onto the stage, hugged the woman, and expressed his conviction about what had made the difference: “I know the psalm,” he said, “but she knows the Shepherd.”
Psalm 23 has been called “an American secular icon.” All of us have heard of Psalm 23. And many of us can still recite it from memory. When our communities and our congregations gather in moments of grief and loss, Psalm 23 emerges as the one Scripture a pastor can read in confidence that most everyone, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindu or otherwise will nod and say, “Yes, Pastor, that was a fine Scripture.”
Loving Shepherd
Yet as urbanized modern people, it’s a stretch to identify with this pastoral image. We don’t have sheep running around Chinatown! One time when I was an editor of youth curriculum, I received a letter from a Sunday school teacher. The lesson was on Psalm 23. But the Sunday school teacher wrote that the picture illustrating David as the shepherd looked like he was with pigs instead of sheep. I rushed to grab a copy of the student book and sure enough the animals looked more like pigs than sheep. I inadvertently selected a picture of the Prodigal Son in the pigsty thinking that they were sheep! As a city boy, both sheep and pigs have ears that flopped down.
Rather than the familiar “Good Shepherd” image, we want to get to know the “Loving Shepherd” today. Today’s Scripture lessons bring together both Psalm 23 and John 10 revealing to us that the “Loving Shepherd” is first seen in God’s relationship with the people of Israel and then made known to us in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Out of love, the Shepherd acts for his people.
There are three ways that the “Loving Shepherd” loves us. First, the Shepherd provides “guidance.” “He leads me beside still waters; he leads me in right paths.” The Shepherd guides us toward the restoring of soul. Guiding involves tenderly reminding the person whose resources that now absent or weak, that they will return.
The Loving Shepherd may give instruction and information, but the aim is to show the person cared for that his soul would be restored even in this time of lostness.
The Loving Shepherd involves presence. “I fear no evil; for you are with me.” Sometimes the only contribution that one can make in a difficult situation is to say, “I’d be there.” Being present is something we do out of love. In a hospital setting, being present means being supportive, helpful, and not in the way, all at the same time. That’s not easy to do, but finding the best way to “be with” is the shepherd’s task. The Loving Shepherd is present with us in times of trouble.
And lastly, the Loving Shepherd feeds and nurtures. “You prepare a table before me.” The word nurture comes from the verb, nurse—the feeding of an infant. The care of the shepherd is based in that fundamental human experience. Now because of gender stereotypes, many men have been deprived of this important part of being human for both women and men. Not everyone needs to be a parent to a child, but all of us to actualize our full humanity needs to experience the nurturing of others. And we see in Jesus, the Loving Shepherd that he fed and nurtured his disciples.
The Loving Shepherd guides, is present, and nurtures. But the motivation behind why the Shepherd guides, is present, and nurtures is genuine love. The love of God, the most genuine love there is, is demonstrated in the death of Christ and vindicated in his resurrection. In the gospel of John, the Loving Shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.
Jesus spoke about the counterfeit love in the hired hand. The hired hand doesn’t own the sheep and so when a wolf shows up, the hired hand throws up his hands, doesn’t protect the sheep at all but runs off. The hired hand with counterfeit love lets the wolf eat the sheep and scatter them away.
The genuine love in the Loving Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep—he puts his body between the wolf and the sheep and if necessary dies to protect the sheep. This is God’s genuine love and is the purpose of the Loving Shepherd’s life.
In the campus church at Georgia Southern University, there’s a symbol of a pelican on the altar. The naturalists tell us that a pelican will go out searching for food for her young. If her search is unsuccessful, she will return to the nest and tear a hole in her breast and feed her young her own blood. Because of this instinct, she has become a symbol of the genuine love of God.
Crises in Leadership
The Loving Shepherd is a biblical figure whose concern for the sheep becomes a metaphor for leadership. And my God, there is a crisis of leadership today! The resignation of last fall of Archbishop Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston amid sexual abuse scandals reaching back for decades and spreading to places as close to home as in California reveals a lack of genuine love.
After the September 11th terrorist attacks, the president appointed a commission to investigate the tragedy. He initially chose Henry Kissinger and George Mitchell only for them to resign in a couple days because of their apparent lack of integrity and genuine love.
This past week, we heard about the virtue and moral writer, William Bennett confessing to his gambling habit where he has lost as much as one million dollars. We have a leadership crisis in our world today.
The crises of leadership can be seen in Iraq, in Israel and with the Palestinians, and according to most Californians even in Sacramento. When leaders are seen to be corrupt or potentially torn in their allegiances of siding with this group or with that group, or out of touch with the people they are trying to lead, or cruel and unjust, they are neither loving nor good. Today we have a yearning for leadership with integrity, leadership with a heart, leadership that demonstrates love and concern for the well being of the people.
We know that human leadership will ultimately fail us, except in the most rare and remarkable instances. But the love of the Shepherd, who proved his love by laying down his life for the sheep, will never fail us. God’s love is ultimately satisfying because God alone has the unlimited power, forgiveness, grace, resources, and pure motive to sustain an eternally loving relationship. When life is filled with despair, God our perfectly loving Parent, has the capacity to guide, sustain us by being present, and nurture us in positive directions.
Loving Mothers
Today is Mother’s Day or perhaps it is more politically correct to say, “Festival of the Christian Home.” I know that we all have mothers. Some of us know our mothers well and others not as well; or perhaps for some of us not at all. Some of our mothers are with us here today and others are far away or have returned to be with the Lord. We focus on mothers as a way to ponder the connection between the love of mothers and the love of God.
In the current political global situation, the mothers of Israel, Palestine, Iraq, mothers of US service men and women, and other conflicted places, are having their love tested at a deeper level. When children are subjected to suffering, it’s like seeing sheep preyed upon by the wolf. Mothers find their love tested at a level that many of us could not begin to imagine. The challenge of motherhood is always great, but it may be even greater when social change, economic stress, the ordinary problems of adolescence, and the mobility of and estrangement of the modern world threaten relationships.
One of the ways that we can see the love of God in our mothers is the sacrifice they make for us. We know this when a young mother would burn the bottom of her lip to find the right temperature of the food before feeding it to her baby. We know this when a mother would stand in long lines or argue with school administrators in order to enroll her child in the best school she knows.
We know this when mothers and fathers would forfeit or delay their need for medicine so that their children can have clothes, school supplies, and tuition cost.
While organ donation is controversial and perhaps bone marrow or stem cell donation is frightening, it is a beautiful illustration of genuine love. The imparting of life to another through organ, marrow, or stem cell donation is a way to show selfless love, and a gift that can save or enhance a number of lives.
To be a loving mother also means that your love extends outside your own particular family and home. When we were living on Tallwood Drive in Daly City in the 1970s, there was a family who lived up the street from us. We noticed that there was this little girl who was hanging outside sometimes when it was cold and foggy. The little girl had very thin hair and almost looked like she was undernourished. Joy invited her into our home and fed her food. She started to come by every day to eat breakfast. We suspected the parents were neglecting this little girl. Joy tried to speak with the mother and eventually reported the situation to the county health department. We’re not sure whatever happened to this little girl and her mother but we pray that they are well.
The important point here is that a mother’s love is not limited to her own family but extends to neighbors, strangers, and even enemies. Joy was being a loving mother outside our home and into the neighborhood. To follow the Loving Shepherd, we know that God’s love transcends the narrow confines of our imagination. In Psalm 23, we read, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” God feeds and nurtures us at the same table that he feeds and nurtures those who are our enemies.
To the Jewish disciples, the thought that God’s love might also extend to Gentiles was a radical notion, yet Jesus hints at it here when he refers to the “other sheep that do not belong to this fold, I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice.” We might say it’s a stretch for us to identify with sheep and shepherds, but the thought that the Kingdom of God, the new community, might be broader than they think must have been a real stretch for the disciples too!
To follow the Loving Shepherd is to perform acts of love that goes beyond those we are familiar with to those outside of our communities. How might we do that here at FCBC?
Being Loving Shepherds
When you and I are mingling outside after worship, notice the Sunday school teacher shepherds as they lead the kids down the sidewalk to play in the playground. These loving shepherds will guide the children’s playing and be present in case when they are needed to comfort in times of trouble.
For six weeks this summer, there will be Day Camp counselor shepherds who will lead 100 kids onto MUNI busses on field trips and prepare free lunches before them. And as they partake of food and practice Christian values, these kids who were once strangers will become friends.
And throughout the year, we have fellowship group shepherds who guide the 23 groups to understand the 23rd Psalm! Count them—22 squares and with the new Xplorers group, we have 23 groups today! These shepherds tenderly guide their members through life. They focus on reminding them that although the resources that have been present are now absent or weak, they will eventually be returned to them. By trusting in the Loving Shepherd, God will restore our souls.
Jesus has taught us through his life and ministry how to become loving shepherds too. From the examples of our mothers, we have also seen how genuine love is sacrificial. Being loving shepherds means that we don’t run away from our children and family when life becomes difficult. Being loving shepherds means that sometimes we put ourselves in danger for the sake of our loved ones and for our community. Being loving shepherds means that we love our enemies and we welcome them to our table and into our homes.
Know the Shepherd
There’s a story that was circulating around the internet that’s worth sharing with you today. A man stopped at a flower shop to order flowers to be wired to his mother who lived two hundred miles away. As he got out of his car he noticed a young girl sitting on the curb sobbing. He asked her what was wrong and she replied, “I wanted to buy a carnation for my mother. But I only have 25 cents, and a carnation costs one dollar.”
The man smiled and said, “Come on in with me. I’ll buy you a carnation.” He bought the girl her carnation and ordered his own mother’s flowers. As they were leaving he offered the girl a ride home. She said, “Yes, please! You can take me to my mother.”
She directed him to a cemetery, where she placed the carnation on a freshly dug grave. The man returned to the flower shop, canceled the wired order, picked up a bouquet and drove the two hundred miles to see his mother.
Today I hope that you will take time to know your mother in person or in spirit. In doing that you may also remember how she gave of herself to you in examples of genuine love. Our loving mothers guide us along the right paths. They were present when we walked through the darkest valley. Our loving mothers nurtured us at the table and our cups overflowed.
Remember the story of the woman who really knew the Lord as her Shepherd in her heart? We can also know Jesus Christ as our Loving Shepherd in our hearts when we begin to live like him. Let us become loving people as the Loving Shepherd taught us to love one another.
Let us pray.
Loving Shepherd God, thank you for being ever-present in our lives that we have come to know you as our Lord. With gratitude and appreciation, we remember our mothers, fathers, and care-givers who have nurtured us into Christian maturity. Guide us today to becoming loving disciples to spread your love and mercy to our neighbors, strangers, and enemies. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ who lay down his life for his sheep. Amen.