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Website last updated on 7 Sept 2011. |
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Our Minister
Telephone Number: 01276 681333
Email: nkeithlowder@gmail.com
Our Minister writes (taken from our September 2011 newsletter) ...
One of the first passages of Scripture I memorized was Psalm 23. I would like to say I was motivated in seeking to learn something about our Lord. My reason for the rote memorization labor was that I would be given a lollipop by my Bible school teacher if I could successfully repeat it. The next week at church I recited the Psalm and promptly saw my memory of it erode from lack of reflection on the passage. The erosion would never be complete because of Christian schools and churches I attended during my childhood and youth that had a fascination with it. This Psalm kept emerging all over the place, yet I cannot recall anyone explaining why. All I knew was that it was intended to provide comforting imagery of God’s care for us.
A few months ago I was reading a book by one of my favorite New Testament scholars who pointed out there are a plethora of Old Testament allusions in New Testament Scripture. One he mentioned specifically was Mark’s account of Jesus feeding the 5,000 in chapter 6. This was a passage chosen for countless sermons and Bible studies I had heard. All seemed to focus on Jesus using His miraculous power to provide for the needs of others. That much is true. However, the scholar stated there are markers in the text that reveal Jesus is the shepherd in Psalm 23. Jesus sees the multitudes by the water and is moved with compassion because “they were like sheep without a shepherd.” He provides them with food as they sit on the green grass. Why would Mark comment on the color of the grass? This is a strange inclusion in verse 39 because Mark does not typically comment on colors. After fitting them all together, the markers point to Jesus as the true shepherd of His people. Mark seems to have had Psalm 23 in mind to unveil something about Jesus’ character that harkens back to a familiar Psalm for his readers.
Sooner or later we find ourselves in situations by our own doing or not in which we are no longer in control of what is going on around us. Perhaps it was just an illusion of control that is stripped away. So much of the time we spent trying to insulate ourselves from having to depend on anyone is dashed by an untimely death, a loss of job, a rejection by someone we love, crippling loneliness, an illness or some other jarring occurrence. Who do we turn to? Or better stated, who can we turn to who has the power to comfort and protect? I submit that the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, is the only one who can lead us through any circumstance. When we find ourselves in trying times, we can discover Psalm 23 coming alive from our personal experience that Jesus is our Shepherd.
I am grateful to have seen Jesus sustain and even help me thrive in hard times. He is trustworthy. Again and again I face circumstances that challenge and seek to undercut my trust in my Savior’s care. I have not always been true. Nevertheless, Jesus has always been faithful. Psalm 23 is a comforting reminder for me of our Savior’s efficacious, loving care. It has been particularly reassuring to me in coming here to serve the Lord without having known a soul. Psalm 23 is not simply words on a page. The Psalm is alive and real for me more than ever. The question we must answer each day with our actions is: “Do I trust Jesus to shepherd me?”
Rev Keith Lowder