Well hello friends and welcome to another day in our reflections on the I AM statements in John's Gospel as we walk through Lent towards Easter.
My name is Mark Gladman,
I'm also known as Brother Frederick James,
Your friendly neighbourhood monk in docks.
Welcome to another day reflecting on Jesus' statement,
I am the Good Shepherd.
I invite you to sit,
Just find a moment of stillness,
Let go of the worries that weigh on your mind,
Let go of the tension that may be holding in your body,
Let go of the distractions that might be flicking through your mind right now,
Take a deep breath in and out,
Let yourself settle into this moment of stillness,
You are safe here in this moment of quiet with God.
And as we begin,
Hear these words from Psalm 23,
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil for you are with me.
With your eyes closed picture yourself walking through a valley,
The path is uneven beneath your feet,
The air is cool and the shadows stretch long across the ground,
It's quiet except for the steady sound of your own breath and as you move you feel the weight of uncertainty pressing in.
There are times in life when we walk through dark valleys,
Times of loss,
Times of grief,
Times when we don't know what the next step is going to look like or even should be.
Maybe you felt the weight of fear or loneliness,
Maybe you're walking through a valley even now but hear this truth my friend,
You are not alone.
Take courage in knowing that even the writer of this psalm who we believe was King David himself experienced these times of dark valleys and yet do you see what the psalmist writes about that time in the valley?
Two things,
First of all he writes that the dark valley is something that he must pass through,
This is a part of every person's life.
We don't skirt the valleys or bypass the valleys,
The valleys have to be walked through and it's interesting to consider this by thinking about what it is we believe that life is about because I have an idea that if Jesus truly meant that we would experience the fullness of life then the truth is that we must also experience the dark valleys,
The difficult moments,
The loss,
The grief,
The hurt,
The loneliness.
It's not that we want those things to happen and I don't believe God makes them happen to us,
They're just a natural part of walking through life in this world and yet for some reason we tend to think that it's best we avoid them.
Whatever the reason might be,
As difficult as it is,
Even the psalmist recognised that dark valleys have to be walked through sometimes.
But the second thing is equally as true,
The psalmist didn't walk through this valley alone.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
He writes,
I will fear no evil,
Why?
For you are with me,
Your rod and your staff,
They comfort me.
The Good Shepherd walks beside you,
Friend,
Even here in the darkest valley.
He doesn't leave,
He doesn't turn back,
He stays,
Guiding you forward,
Step by step by step.
With your eyes closed for a moment,
Take a deep breath in and out.
Let yourself feel the presence of Christ beside you,
Even in the darkest places,
The love of Christ surrounds you,
Even when you cannot see the way forward,
The Good Shepherd is there leading you.
As we pause for a moment of silence,
Reflect on these questions.
What valley are you walking through today?
And where in your life do you need to be reminded of the presence of the Good Shepherd with you?
Friend,
You do not have to carry your burdens alone,
You don't have to be afraid.
Let yourself release the weight of fear into God's hands.
Let yourself rest in the care of the Good Shepherd.
Take another deep breath in and exhale slowly.
Now imagine the valley before you again,
But this time notice something different.
You're still walking,
But you're not alone.
The Shepherd is there,
Walking with you,
Step by step through the valley,
Towards the light on the other side.
Friend,
You're never abandoned,
You're never forgotten.
This is the word of whom was written,
I will never leave you nor forsake you.
Let us hold to that truth as we pray.
Jesus,
Walk with me through every valley.
Help me to trust that even in the darkest places you are near,
Your presence is my peace.
Amen.
May the presence of the Good Shepherd bring you peace and may the grace and love of Christ go with you every step of the way through that valley,
All the way out the other side,
Today and every day.
God bless you my friends.
Until next time,
May the peace of the Shepherd be with you.
