SERMON FOR MARCH 22, 2020
HEALING SHEPHERDS
Text: Psalm 23; I Samuel 16: 1-13; John 9: 1-41
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To see a video of the service that includes the sermon, click on this YouTube link - youtu.be/IwxBPV7DB7k - or search within YouTube for "Terrence Alspaugh Worship" .
HEALING SHEPHERDS
Text: I Samuel 16: 1-13; Psalm 23; Ephesians 5: 8-14; John 9: 1-41
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last Sunday, in response to the rapidly developing coronavirus pandemic, I preached on one of the texts for this Sunday, the 23rd Psalm. Those timeless words of comfort and encouragement have been read, recited, memorized, and interpreted by the faithful for approximately three thousand years. My spiritual challenge to you, if you have not yet learned them by heart, is to take the time now to memorize them and to encourage one another to learn them “by heart” - especially our children, the next and future generation, so that they can recite them from memory, too. This public health crisis offers unique opportunities for us to grow spiritually while observing self-quarantines and sheltering in place.
As for memorization and recitation, I prefer the traditional King James Version because that it the one that I grew up with, and I still find the words poetic and profound. I respect the work of 20th century biblical scholars who have offered more literal and contemporary translations of scripture in versions of the Bible that are used more nowadays than the King James Version which was completed in 1611, but for reciting the words of the beloved 23rd Psalm, I still prefer the 400-year old translation.
Let us say it together as our Call to Worship:
Psalm 23 King James Version (KJV)
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
As an aside, in seminary a preaching professor told us that one time when he was reciting the Lord’s Prayer at a graveside service, he forgot where he was in the prayer. He opened his eyes and asked, “is there anyone here who knows how to finish this prayer?” An older woman raised her hand and said, “I do,” so he replied: “finish it then,” and she concluded it. From that awkward pastoral experience, he told us to have a written copy of the Lord’s Prayer with us whenever we lead worship, and I expanded that counsel to include the 23rd Psalm. After all, to recite scripture from memory is not for the sake of proving to God or to anyone else that we can quote scripture on demand. Instead, it is about owning, professing, and sharing the promises of scripture with others. In saying, “The Lord is my shepherd,” we are professing who we are – that we are sheep of the Lord’s flock – and whose we are – that we belong to the Lord. We belong to the Lord because the Lord created and blessed us as His very own.
Another teaching about the 23rd Psalm – we can take the words from this Psalm and use them as a prayer for others in the following way. I will use the name “David” since King David was the author of the 23rd Psalm, but any person’s name can be substituted with the corresponding gender pronouns:
“The Lord is David’s shepherd; he shall not want. He maketh David to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth him beside the still waters. He restoreth David’s soul: he leadeth him in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though David walk through the valley of the shadow of death, he will fear no evil: for thou art with him; thy rod and thy staff they comfort him.
Thou preparest a table before David in the presence his enemies: thou anointest his head with oil; his cup runneth over.
Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow David all the days of his life: and he will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Amen.
Saying the 23rd Psalm for another person can be deep and powerful spiritually. Whether it is prayed silently in the privacy of one’s home, or aloud for someone who needs to hear the words of a prayer for comfort, encouragement, and healing, offering to the Lord these words from scripture can bless us and one another and transform our lives in ways that further God’s eternal purposes. Let me go further and suggest that if you personalize and pray the 23rd Psalm for someone who creates conflict, chaos, and confusion in your life, someone who pushes your buttons or distresses you because of his or her ways of being or patterns of communicating with you and/or others, you can offer this prayer. It can serve as the Lord’s “staff and rod” to comfort us, to protect us, to ward off attack – spiritual and otherwise. Try it. Simply put: prayer changes things. Praying in this way for others – changes things.
God blesses us with the gift of prayer – and God blesses us with spiritual gifts so that we can bless others. Be the blessing God created you to be! Especially in these days of social isolation, there are still so many ways in which we can bless others. Here is another idea: make a telephone call and say a personalized version of the 23rd Psalm for another – in this way:
“The Lord is YOUR shepherd; YOU shall not want. He maketh YOU to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth YOU beside the still waters. He restoreth YOUR soul: he leadeth YOU in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though YOU walk through the valley of the shadow of death, YOU will fear no evil: for THE LORD art with YOU; HIS rod and HIS staff they comfort YOU.
THE LORD preparest a table before YOU in the presence YOUR enemies: THE LORD anointest YOUR head with oil; YOUR cup runneth over.
Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow YOU all the days of YOUR life: and YOU will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Amen.
My hope and prayer is that you will try one or both of these personalized adaptations of the 23rd Psalm. If you are willing to share any transformations of the heart, mind, and spirit that you experience, I would love to hear your stories.
At this point in developing the message for Sunday, March 22, I am aware that I am approaching the usual length of a sermon. I do not want to add to the testing of anyone’s faith which is already being sorely tested these days. Thus, let me wrap up with a couple of points to ponder from today’s scripture readings.
David was a young shepherd when the Lord God told the prophet Samuel to anoint David as the next king of Israel. The Lord God often makes choices that surprise us, choices that are different from what our human nature tells us to do. God sees potential within which others may not recognize. The Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David, equipping this young shepherd in ways to bless and lead others hitherto not imagined or expected.
We are post-resurrection – post-Pentecost disciples of the Risen Lord. The Spirit of the Lord continues to come upon people like you and me, to bless us for blessing others. We may not witness a healing miracle, like the story in the Gospel lesson of Jesus healing the man who was blind from birth. Spontaneous and miraculous healings are within the realm of divine possibility, so let us hold onto this spiritual truth. The Lord God can and will heal people infected with the coronavirus, and as we are already know, the vast majority infected are recovering. Let us pray for the recovery and health of all who are sick and for protection for those who are disease-free, especially the most vulnerable.
Another point to ponder: when Jesus healed the blind man, the religious leaders doubted the story, questioned the man’s parents, interrogated him, and “drove him out.” Faced with the physical evidence, confronted with the truth, the Pharisees continued to deny it – and they were not transformed by the power of God breaking into the world in a miraculous way. Let us never forget that thousands of people witnessed the miracles of Jesus firsthand, yet very few of them became followers or disciples, insofar as we know. For the majority, life went back to normal. Maybe a seed of faith was planted and grew – God only knows. It is not up to us to judge the human heart.
One day soon, we pray, life will return to normal in our world. Even for those who experienced transformation of hearts and minds during these times, many will reset to old ways of living and being, doubting and denying God’s power at work in their lives. Many disciples of the Risen Lord may forget that we are blessed to be a blessing, not just when times are tough, but through all of the seasons of life.
Forget not God’s promises in the 23rd Psalm – and forget not to share them with others, for the glory of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Text: Psalm 23; I Samuel 16: 1-13; John 9: 1-41
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To see a video of the service that includes the sermon, click on this YouTube link - youtu.be/IwxBPV7DB7k - or search within YouTube for "Terrence Alspaugh Worship" .
HEALING SHEPHERDS
Text: I Samuel 16: 1-13; Psalm 23; Ephesians 5: 8-14; John 9: 1-41
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last Sunday, in response to the rapidly developing coronavirus pandemic, I preached on one of the texts for this Sunday, the 23rd Psalm. Those timeless words of comfort and encouragement have been read, recited, memorized, and interpreted by the faithful for approximately three thousand years. My spiritual challenge to you, if you have not yet learned them by heart, is to take the time now to memorize them and to encourage one another to learn them “by heart” - especially our children, the next and future generation, so that they can recite them from memory, too. This public health crisis offers unique opportunities for us to grow spiritually while observing self-quarantines and sheltering in place.
As for memorization and recitation, I prefer the traditional King James Version because that it the one that I grew up with, and I still find the words poetic and profound. I respect the work of 20th century biblical scholars who have offered more literal and contemporary translations of scripture in versions of the Bible that are used more nowadays than the King James Version which was completed in 1611, but for reciting the words of the beloved 23rd Psalm, I still prefer the 400-year old translation.
Let us say it together as our Call to Worship:
Psalm 23 King James Version (KJV)
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
As an aside, in seminary a preaching professor told us that one time when he was reciting the Lord’s Prayer at a graveside service, he forgot where he was in the prayer. He opened his eyes and asked, “is there anyone here who knows how to finish this prayer?” An older woman raised her hand and said, “I do,” so he replied: “finish it then,” and she concluded it. From that awkward pastoral experience, he told us to have a written copy of the Lord’s Prayer with us whenever we lead worship, and I expanded that counsel to include the 23rd Psalm. After all, to recite scripture from memory is not for the sake of proving to God or to anyone else that we can quote scripture on demand. Instead, it is about owning, professing, and sharing the promises of scripture with others. In saying, “The Lord is my shepherd,” we are professing who we are – that we are sheep of the Lord’s flock – and whose we are – that we belong to the Lord. We belong to the Lord because the Lord created and blessed us as His very own.
Another teaching about the 23rd Psalm – we can take the words from this Psalm and use them as a prayer for others in the following way. I will use the name “David” since King David was the author of the 23rd Psalm, but any person’s name can be substituted with the corresponding gender pronouns:
“The Lord is David’s shepherd; he shall not want. He maketh David to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth him beside the still waters. He restoreth David’s soul: he leadeth him in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though David walk through the valley of the shadow of death, he will fear no evil: for thou art with him; thy rod and thy staff they comfort him.
Thou preparest a table before David in the presence his enemies: thou anointest his head with oil; his cup runneth over.
Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow David all the days of his life: and he will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Amen.
Saying the 23rd Psalm for another person can be deep and powerful spiritually. Whether it is prayed silently in the privacy of one’s home, or aloud for someone who needs to hear the words of a prayer for comfort, encouragement, and healing, offering to the Lord these words from scripture can bless us and one another and transform our lives in ways that further God’s eternal purposes. Let me go further and suggest that if you personalize and pray the 23rd Psalm for someone who creates conflict, chaos, and confusion in your life, someone who pushes your buttons or distresses you because of his or her ways of being or patterns of communicating with you and/or others, you can offer this prayer. It can serve as the Lord’s “staff and rod” to comfort us, to protect us, to ward off attack – spiritual and otherwise. Try it. Simply put: prayer changes things. Praying in this way for others – changes things.
God blesses us with the gift of prayer – and God blesses us with spiritual gifts so that we can bless others. Be the blessing God created you to be! Especially in these days of social isolation, there are still so many ways in which we can bless others. Here is another idea: make a telephone call and say a personalized version of the 23rd Psalm for another – in this way:
“The Lord is YOUR shepherd; YOU shall not want. He maketh YOU to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth YOU beside the still waters. He restoreth YOUR soul: he leadeth YOU in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though YOU walk through the valley of the shadow of death, YOU will fear no evil: for THE LORD art with YOU; HIS rod and HIS staff they comfort YOU.
THE LORD preparest a table before YOU in the presence YOUR enemies: THE LORD anointest YOUR head with oil; YOUR cup runneth over.
Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow YOU all the days of YOUR life: and YOU will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Amen.
My hope and prayer is that you will try one or both of these personalized adaptations of the 23rd Psalm. If you are willing to share any transformations of the heart, mind, and spirit that you experience, I would love to hear your stories.
At this point in developing the message for Sunday, March 22, I am aware that I am approaching the usual length of a sermon. I do not want to add to the testing of anyone’s faith which is already being sorely tested these days. Thus, let me wrap up with a couple of points to ponder from today’s scripture readings.
David was a young shepherd when the Lord God told the prophet Samuel to anoint David as the next king of Israel. The Lord God often makes choices that surprise us, choices that are different from what our human nature tells us to do. God sees potential within which others may not recognize. The Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David, equipping this young shepherd in ways to bless and lead others hitherto not imagined or expected.
We are post-resurrection – post-Pentecost disciples of the Risen Lord. The Spirit of the Lord continues to come upon people like you and me, to bless us for blessing others. We may not witness a healing miracle, like the story in the Gospel lesson of Jesus healing the man who was blind from birth. Spontaneous and miraculous healings are within the realm of divine possibility, so let us hold onto this spiritual truth. The Lord God can and will heal people infected with the coronavirus, and as we are already know, the vast majority infected are recovering. Let us pray for the recovery and health of all who are sick and for protection for those who are disease-free, especially the most vulnerable.
Another point to ponder: when Jesus healed the blind man, the religious leaders doubted the story, questioned the man’s parents, interrogated him, and “drove him out.” Faced with the physical evidence, confronted with the truth, the Pharisees continued to deny it – and they were not transformed by the power of God breaking into the world in a miraculous way. Let us never forget that thousands of people witnessed the miracles of Jesus firsthand, yet very few of them became followers or disciples, insofar as we know. For the majority, life went back to normal. Maybe a seed of faith was planted and grew – God only knows. It is not up to us to judge the human heart.
One day soon, we pray, life will return to normal in our world. Even for those who experienced transformation of hearts and minds during these times, many will reset to old ways of living and being, doubting and denying God’s power at work in their lives. Many disciples of the Risen Lord may forget that we are blessed to be a blessing, not just when times are tough, but through all of the seasons of life.
Forget not God’s promises in the 23rd Psalm – and forget not to share them with others, for the glory of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.