Rev. Tom Sorenson, Pastor
May 2, 2004

Scripture:

Let us pray: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O God, our strength and our redeemer. Amen.

That’s quite an interesting pairing of Scripture readings we just heard. First was Psalm 23, just about everybody’s favorite Psalm, and probably many people’s favorite selection from all of Scripture. Certainly it is about the best known and, I think, among the best loved. Then we heard a passage from the book of Revelation. If the reaction to Revelation when we studied it a while back, of the folks who regularly attend our Sunday morning education forum is any indication, Revelation is as unpopular among us as Psalm 23 is popular. The book of Revelation is full of horrible images of death and destruction, all supposedly the will of God. That may be a misinterpretation, but never mind. The way the book is used by certain types of Fundamentalists alone is enough to make most of us want to drum it out of the Bible. Indeed, if we could get rid of any one part of the Bible, most of us I suspect would choose Revelation (although in my book Leviticus would give it a good run for its money). Conversely, if we could keep only one part of Scripture, many of us I suspect would choose the 23rd Psalm.

The pairing of these two readings is interesting for another reason as well. In Psalm 23, God, called there Yahweh or the LORD, is imaged as the shepherd: "The LORD is my shepherd...." In the passage from Revelation, Jesus, our Lord, is imaged as the Lamb: "salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne and to the Lamb!" The souls around the throne have "washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb," a reference to Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the cross. In our two readings this morning, God is both the shepherd and the shepherded, the Lamb.

Yet despite our radically different reactions to Psalm 23 and to Revelation, and despite their contrasting, even contradictory images of God as both shepherd and sheep, these two passages make essentially the same point, namely: No matter what happens to us in this life, we are safe. We are ultimately safe because God is always with us, watching over us, caring for us, protecting us, and above all comforting us in times of trial and distress.

This point is very clear in Psalm 23: "The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want." When God is my shepherd, all is well. This point is also very clear in the passage from Revelation. That passage ends with one of the lines of Scripture I most love, that speaks powerfully to me and gives me great comfort. That last line that I love so much is: "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." Such a beautiful picture. Such a wonderful image of God’s tender love and care for everyone of us. Next time you want to throw Revelation out of your Bible, reread Rev. 7:17 and reconsider. It doesn’t get any better than that.

Now, lest you think I’ve turned into some kind of Pollyanna up here, let’s be clear about one important point. Neither of the passages we heard this morning promises us that bad things won’t happen to us and our loved ones. In the Revelation passage, the people from whose eyes God will wipe away all tears are those "who have come out of the great ordeal." Whatever John of Patmos, the author of Revelation, may have meant by "the great ordeal," it is clear that the souls God comforts were not spared pain and tribulations in their lives. Quite the contrary. They have suffered. That’s why they need and will receive God’s ultimate consolation.

The point is perhaps even clearer in Psalm 23. The Psalmist says that he will fear no evil "even though I walk through the darkest valley." An alternative translation of that line, and one that is probably more familiar to us, is: "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death." It is precisely there, even in the darkest valley, in the shadow of death, that God’s rod and staff comfort us. God doesn’t take away the darkness, the fear. God comforts us in our darkness, in our fear.

And that, friends, is very, very good news indeed. We have all had times of pain and loss in our lives. We have all felt despair, fear, and grief; and we can be pretty sure that, even if we aren’t feeling them now, we will again some day. They come with being human. God’s doesn’t prevent them because God made us and wants us to be human. And because God is our shepherd, because Christ is the Lamb who died for us who paradoxically becomes himself our shepherd, God is always there to comfort us, to prepare a table for us, and to wipe away every tear from our eyes. Thanks be to God. Amen.