Shepherd

 

Reflection for the Fourth Sunday in Easter, the 30^th of April 2023.  Written by Philip Harvey for the pew notes of St Peter’s Eastern Hill, Melbourne. 

For a little while now, Australia has been a land of long 5-wire fences and stock grids. Sheep are familiar in the landscape, but not shepherds. Yet the role of the shepherd is perfectly understood in time and imagination, such that it takes little to explain the claim “The Lord is my shepherd” in our most commonly used psalm. Identifying the nature of this necessary relationship is a salutary exercise. 

As we know, every line of the psalm lists a prized value in our relationship with the Shepherd. We will not be left in complete want. He provides rest from our difficulties. He takes us into stillness. He restores us and leads us in the right way. Even if we find ourselves in darkness, or are met with evil, we will not be afraid, his presence is with us. Even surrounded by enemies, he won’t simply be present but actually provides a meal for our sustenance. Furthermore, a meal that offers everything we need and more: the cup overflows. Having such a watcher and guide is enough for a lifetime, says the psalmist, where being within cooee of the Shepherd is to be at home in the world. We need not be alone, nor are we self-sufficient. 

Clearly, this person is more reliable than your average politician, lawyer or bureaucrat. And though fallibility is human, the Shepherd is also a model for how we may relate to those around us. Anyone, in fact. This seems to be what’s happening in the community described in Acts. “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers… [they] ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people.” Peter takes it further, encouraging us to follow the example of Christ’s suffering, he who “committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” He assures us that even when we go astray, we can return to the one he calls ”the shepherd and guardian of your souls.” 

John is useful in reminding us that those who are with the Shepherd “know his voice.” Becoming familiar with that voice, following where he goes, and listening at every opportunity, in whatever way feels valid, is to be in a place of relationship, security, stillness, and learning – all of the valuable factors for life, growth and well-being expressed in the psalm this morning.    

Acts 2: 42-47. Psalm 23. 1 Peter 2: 19-25. John 10: 1-10.