Easter 4

Easter 4 – 2021

A short service of Morning Prayer, today’s Psalm and some thoughts on it.

This is the day that the Lord has made,

Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Let’s sing together,

O God our help in ages past,

our hope for years to come,

be Thou our guard while troubles last

and our eternal home.

Together we confess our sins and are forgiven

Have mercy on us and redeem us, O Lord

for our merits are your mercies

and in your judgement is our salvation

Happy the one whose transgression is forgiven and whose sin is covered,

. . . You surround me with songs of deliverance.

Thank you.

Amen.

Let us pray in the words of St Benedict,

Gracious and Holy Father,

give us wisdom to perceive you, 

diligence to seek you,

patience to wait for you,

eyes to behold you,

a heart to meditate on you

and a life to proclaim you,

through the power of the Spirit

of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Some thoughts on the Psalm

It is commonly said of sheep, by those who know them best, that they have one aim in life and one only, and that is to seek out as many exciting and interesting ways of damaging, or even killing themselves, as possible. I have personal experience of this.

Once, many years ago, narrow-boating along the beautiful Oxford Canal, we came upon a bridge, a bridge that linked two fields. It had no gates, (no troll either for those brought up on Billy Goats Gruff) the sheep could trot happily from one side to the other every time their little brains decided the grass looked greener on the other side.

It was April. The lambs were quite well grown, chunky in fact, beginning to resemble their mothers in both looks and dim-wittedness, but still not averse to a quick slurp of mothers milk.

We watched as mother called to lamb. We saw lamb look up and bleat back to mother. We saw lamb set off towards mother, pause briefly at the sheer piled edge of the canal and then, hardly hesitating, jump, (it was one of those typical ‘four-hooves-at-once’ jumps) into the canal! For a second he disappeared, then up came the head and he swam across, but the edge was sheer – he couldn’t get out!

I was off the boat in a second, running down the towpath, kneeling in the mud, not even taking time to remove my coat. I reached down, grasped him firmly under the tummy and heaved.

He was a chunky lamb. He was a sodden chunky lamb. He was very heavy, and as he made landfall he struggled, kicked out and took off.

Meanwhile, his mother, careless of the heroic acts going on had trotted across the bridge to the opposite side of the cut – the side the lamb had started from.

I walked dripping but proud back to the boat. Mother sheep gave a loud, “Baaaa!” which I’m sure was a bleat of thanks and lamb, looking round blankly hears mum, sees mum on the opposite side of the water, turns, cries out pathetically and jumps back in!

This time was even less fun. This time there was a barbed wire fence to contend with. This time there was a long run up the field and over the bridge. But I got him out again . . . . and ran away, very quickly, not waiting to see what would happen next.

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Once, many years ago, looking out on his beautiful world, God made a garden and gave it to humanity. A tree linked two ways of looking at that world, no fence to keep people off, no troll or defending angel, but a neatly printed notice warning that its fruit would spoil everything. The people could trot happily from tree to tree in the garden, every time their little brains decided the grass looked greener or the water looked warmer on the other side.

It was the Springtime of the world, the humans were quite well grown, happy in fact, beginning to resemble their Father God in both looks and joyfulness. They had also inherited his gift of freedom. They could do as they wished in the garden of the world, but were still not averse to a regular chat with God, a walk with him, listening to his advice about how best to live in the Spring time of earth. You could have watched as God called to them. Seen how, at his call, man or woman or child would look up and call back to their loving Father.

Had you continued to watch down the ages, you would have seen humanity, many-a-time, set off towards God following his advice. But you might also have seen, sometimes, people pause briefly at the neatly printed warning notices. Usually they walked away, smiling and happy in their trust that God wouldn’t have put up such things if it wasn’t for the best.

But then, one day, hardly hesitating, some of them jumped. One of those typical ‘two feet at once – Oh go on why not just try it,’ jumps, took the apple from the tree; argued with the brother and killed him, selfishly grabbed all the best stuff in the garden and battled against neighbours who wanted a fair share. They ruined the natural balance of the beautiful world, ignoring every one of God’s warnings.

For a second they disappeared. Then up they came, spluttering and complaining about how awful and unfair the world was. How awful and unfair God was. But God’s world was spoilt, the edge was sheer, they couldn’t get out, they couldn’t see God.

He was off towards them in a second. Running down to earth, kneeling as he was flogged, not even taking time to save himself from death, God reached down in Jesus and grasped the wooden arms of the cross.

Humanity was a problem child. He was a lost, confused and angry problem child. She was a very heavy burden. As God hung on the cross the weight of all that loss and confusion, selfishness and anger, pulled down on the already agonising nails. God died, then rose and saved them from all their loss and confusion, selfishness and anger. They could see him again, they could chat to him again whenever they wanted. It was a once for all, a once for all time, solution.

Meanwhile, his problem children, careless of this heroic act, had trotted back into the garden of the world and began again, living in just the way that had got them into all this trouble in the first place – right back where they’d started from.

God walks beside them, hands, feet and side dripping with blood, sweat and tears. The Father continues to speak, to advise, to love, but we, looking round blankly, hear him, see him on what we think is the opposite side, turn, cry out pathetically and continually jump back in.

God, however, never stops running round to our side when we bleat in terror, never hesitates to offer salvation, never fails to get us out of the deep water of our lives again and never runs away. He always waits to see what we will do next.

The Lord is my Shepherd, I need not want. There is no other name under heaven by which we are saved. He lays down his life of his own accord and has the power to take it up again and to raise us again and again and again, however heavy we are, however sodden in sin and shame, the Lord is my Shepherd, I need not want.

A reassuring poem based on Psalm 121

I lift up mine eyes to the quiet hills,

And my heart to the Father’s Throne;

In all my ways, to the end of days,

The Lord will preserve his own.

And a few words from St Anselm

Jesus, like a mother you gather your people to you, you are gentle with us as a mother with her children.  Despair turns to hope through your sweet goodness, through your sweet goodness, through your gentleness we find comfort in fear.  Your warmth gives life to the dead, your touch makes sinners righteous.  Lord Jesus in your mercy heal us, in your love and tenderness remake us, in your compassion bring grace and forgiveness and for the beauty of heaven may your love prepare us.

Final words and a blessing

The Lord bless us and keep us,

the Lord make his face to shine upon us and be gracious to us,

the Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon us and give us peace

And the blessing of God Almighty,

the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,

be with us this day,

with those we love and those we pray for.

Amen

Let us go in peace to love and serve the Lord,

in the name of Christ

Amen