Dear friends,
Many listeners will be familiar with the well-known and comforting psalm 23,
The Lord is my Shepherd.
It goes like this.
The Lord is my Shepherd,
There is nothing I shall want.
He makes me lie down in pastures green.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.
Yes,
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will 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 forever.
Psalm 23.
For people who have come across this best-known of the Psalms of King David,
Its language might be a giveaway as to the date of its composition,
About 3,
000 years ago.
Even for people who know the psalm well,
Its language might not sit comfortably after the passage of time.
We know that the Lord referred to in the psalm is a benevolent entity,
But in our time the word Lord,
If it is known at all,
Conveys an uneasy image of masculinity and power.
In our increasingly urban environment,
Shepherds are only found in stories and history books,
Green pastures have been replaced by open spaces and urban parks,
And rods and staffs only appear at Halloween.
Regrettably there is one line which resonates with all of us,
In our world ravaged by war and threatened as it is by climate change,
We can visualise walking through the valley of the shadow of death.
Those of us who lived through the Cuban Missile Crisis in the 1960s felt as though we were on the eve of destruction.
That was an uneasy time,
But through the ultimate victory of common sense and aided by a little good luck,
We came through.
We pray that common sense and our inbuilt desire for survival will be victorious again.
I suggest the time has come for each of us to attempt a rephrasing of this beloved psalm,
So that its wisdom continues to bring comfort to each of ourselves.
There is a challenge for you in the days ahead.
To help you if you decide to take up the challenge,
I have produced a version that resonates with me,
And in the comments on this talk I look forward to seeing the version that you will come up with.
But for now,
My 21st century version of this psalm.
Love is the star which guides me.
I have nothing to fear.
Love allows me to rest in stillness.
Love restores my soul.
If I should pass through times of difficulty,
I will not fear,
For love surrounds me.
All the love I have ever received comforts me.
Love provides a safe path before me,
A light to guide my way.
Day by day I am blessed by a love beyond all my understanding.
Surely love which has accompanied me this far shall surround and support me always.
Forever and ever I will be safe in the arms of love.
So just as so many people in the past have rolled up a note,
Popped it into a bottle and cast it in hope into the sea,
I launch this version out onto an ocean of possibility.
May all who come upon this prayer be blessed.
May all our lives be filled with love and peace.
Namaste.
