SERMON FOR THE FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT, MARCH 22, 2020.     TEXT: PSALM 23
    In this time of separation and uncertainty remember the great cloud of witnesses who surround us, their stories of faith, their words of encouragement. Generation upon generation, they have relied on God’s presence and God’s goodness. Hear the voice of the psalmist, simple and beautiful, inviting us to apply his images to our own situation — vulnerable sheep in need of guidance and protection, travelers who find themselves in a dark, fearsome valley, frightened people surrounded by enemies. And then from the midst of what we don’t yet know and what we fear, the psalmist offers us his confidence and shares the peace that surpasses all understanding, the peace that heals and strengthens us for whatever lies ahead.
     The psalmist begins speaking in the third person, talking about God: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.” But then the psalmist shifts to the second person, no longer talking about God but speaking to him. This is not praise of some powerful deity, distant and formidable. These words are warm, personal; they reflect an intimate relationship, rooted in trust. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff — they comfort me.”  This does not mean that evil will never befall the psalmist, but trust triumphs over fear. There will be danger and loss, but the shepherd’s presence gives reassurance and a sense of security. His rod defends the sheep from predators; his staff keeps the sheep from straying.
     Now the psalmist shifts the imagery. “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” The host provides for the guest, just as a shepherd tends the sheep. He honors his guest by pouring an aromatic, soothing oil on his head and serving him a brimming cup of refreshing drink. The Lord welcomes the psalmist to the feast while enemies are present. Whatever harm they intend cannot destroy this relationship. The Lord is here to stay, keeping watch over the psalmist’s life.
     This promise of God’s abiding presence echoes throughout scripture. Time and again it tells us that our lives are in God’s safekeeping, that nothing can undermine the relationship that God has established with his people. The shepherd is always guiding and guarding.  “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me,” Jesus tells his disciples. “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:27-28). The host continually provides for his friends. “For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world,” Jesus said to them. “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:32, 35). Whatever befalls us, we are the Lord’s; whatever losses we endure, surely goodness and mercy will continue to pursue us. “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? No,” St. Paul insists, “in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God In Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35, 37-39).
     Let us strengthen and comfort one another with that love. Let that love shape our judgments, our words and our actions in this time of trial. In a recent speech epidemiologist Dr. Emily Landon said, “This isn’t the life that any of us expected and certainly there are others who will make much greater sacrifices and there are more than a few disappointments to come but this isn’t forever . .. . It will last longer than any of us wants it to but it will still just be a piece of our whole lives and we have to remember that. . . . Why ask so much of people . . .? Because it’s the only way to save lives. And now is the time. The numbers you see today in the news are the people who got sick a week ago. And there are so many people who got sick today who haven’t even noticed that they got sick yet. They picked up the virus and it’ll take a week to see that show in our numbers. Waiting for hospitals to be overwhelmed will leave the following week’s patients with nowhere to go. In short, without taking drastic measures, the healthy and optimistic among us will doom the vulnerable.”
     Let us be shepherds in turn, doing our part to flatten the curve, protect our neighbors and help those in need. Amen.