The Good Shepherd

A blessed 19th day of Easter to all of you in the name of our risen Lord, Jesus!

Week 3 of Easter Psalms continues today.  And we’ve got a beloved one today, Psalm 23::

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters;

he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff— they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.

This Psalm is so beloved, so ingrained in our psyche, that I suspect there were a few lines in the NRSV translation above that didn’t quite sound right.  Darkest valley?  My whole life long?  Fair enough.  We love the image of the Lord as our shepherd.  More specifically, we love the image of Christ Jesus as our shepherd.  Some of our most beloved art depicting Jesus is the image of Jesus as a shepherd.  And we are wise to lean into that imagery, to find comfort in the truth that Christ shepherds us through difficult times.

But the presence of the Lord doesn’t not guarantee the good life.  In fact, we know that this journey we are on – even though we journey with our shepherd – is not without challenges.  Yes, there are green pastures and quiet waters.  But we never seem to stay there long.  We are shepherded on through dark valleys, too.  Tables with plenty – but in the presence of enemies. 

So we can both savor this familiar Psalm today and reimagine it, remembering that this journey of following Jesus can often bring us through some challenging stretches.  But authentic love of God and neighbor always leads us to such places.  And yet, again and again, we find ourselves in the presence of the Lord … our whole earthly life and beyond!

***********************

Our Easter Season Worship Schedule Each Sunday:

·         8:30am – worship in person, or online
·         9:30am – worship on KWAD (920AM or 101.7FM)
·         10am – worship in person

Community Dinner Help Needed
Immanuel is hosting the community dinner April 29 (At St. Ann’s – grab and go!).  Peggy Larson is organizing and looking for help.  Can you help with meal prep on the morning of April 28/29?  Can you help serve April 29 from 4-6:30p?  Reach out to Peggy (contact the church office for her contact info)

Check out our news page to learn more and for other important announcements: https://www.wadenaimmanuel.org/announcements

 

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