Hello,
This is Mark Gladman,
Also known as Brother Frederick James.
Welcome to this Lectio Divina audio,
In which our contemplation will be on Psalm 23.
Psalm 23 would have to be the most well-known of the Psalms,
And possibly the,
If not one of the most well-known pieces of scripture.
To Jews,
Christians,
And to many of other faiths,
And to the non-religious,
The psalm carries an air of comfort,
Peace,
And calm.
Having said that,
Being one of the most well-known passages of scripture means it's perfect for Lectio contemplation.
Familiar passages are too often read and moved on from quickly because we can think we know all that the text has to say.
Lectio,
However,
Gives us space for things in the text that perhaps we'd not heard or noticed before,
And allow those things to come to the forefront.
In verse 4,
The psalmist writes,
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will not fear,
For you are with me.
Notice the words of the psalmist,
They're not stuck in the valley,
The psalmist is not wallowing in the valley,
They're not lost in the valley,
They're not setting up camp in the valley,
They haven't stopped in the valley,
They're not trying to get out of the valley or giving up in the valley.
The psalmist says that they are walking through the valley.
This means entering into darkness,
It means clambering over the mossy river rocks,
It means making your way up and down steep cliff faces,
It means facing your fears and your challenges,
It means moments where it can and probably will hurt,
It means resisting the urge to give up.
But there is another side,
A light at the end of the tunnel,
A point where the mountains on either side of the valley will give way and the shadow will lift and the sun will be shining upon you again.
While this psalm is perfect for contemplating any day,
If you would describe your position right now as going through the valley,
Then this is a psalm that will speak to you right there where you are.
So God,
May you deeply speak to us and may the word or phrase that you draw us to bring comfort,
Peace and hope as you walk with us.
Let's begin.
The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not be in want.
You make me lie down in green pastures and lead me beside still waters.
You revive my soul and guide me along right pathways for your name's sake.
Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I shall fear no evil,
For you are with me.
Your rod and your staff,
They comfort me.
You spread a table before me in the presence of those who trouble me.
You have anointed my head with oil,
And my cup is running over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not be in want.
You make me lie down in green pastures and lead me beside still waters.
You revive my soul and guide me along right pathways for your name's sake.
Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I shall fear no evil,
For you are with me.
Your rod and your staff,
They comfort me.
You spread a table before me in the presence of those who trouble me.
You have anointed my head with oil,
And my cup is running over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not be in want.
You make me lie down in green pastures and lead me beside still waters.
You have anointed my head with oil,
And my cup is running over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not be in want.
Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I shall fear no evil,
For you are with me.
Your rod and your staff,
They comfort me.
You spread a table before me in the presence of those who trouble me.
You have anointed my head with oil,
And my cup is running over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
May God's strength keep us going,
And God's courage move us to fear nothing,
Because God is with us.
May we cling to God,
Follow God's lead,
Stick to God's path,
And in doing so,
May we find our way safely through the valley to the peace of still waters awaiting us on the other side.
Amen.
And may you truly go in peace to love and serve God as you love and serve your neighbour.
Amen.
