Come Away and Rest
For many of us, Psalm 23 is a familiar and beloved psalm. Perhaps you remember learning it by heart when you were a child. Perhaps you can still recite all (or most!) of the words even now – probably in the King James Version, no less! Perhaps you have heard it many times at the funerals of loved ones.
There is something so comforting about this psalm…especially when we read it slowly and let each word dwell deeply in us.
Let’s do that today; let’s ponder this familiar and beloved psalm line-by-line and discover what new treasures might be revealed to us.
Then we’ll consider how the meaning of this psalm relates to the good news of Jesus Christ that we hear in today’s gospel story.
First – Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want – God, our caregiver, gives us everything we need; God provides for all of us.
The Lord makes me lie down in green pastures and leads me beside still waters – for many of us, green pastures and still waters are calming, restful places in which to settle.
You restore my soul…guide me along right pathways for your name’s sake – trusting in God, we are led in the right direction, the direction of life and justice and peace.
Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall have no fear; you are with me… that is, even in the darkest times; the most chaotic times; when we are anxious about what will happen next – we need not be afraid; we need not be anxious for God is always with us; watching over us; protecting us from everything that is evil and keeping us safe.
You prepare a table before me…God is preparing “a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines” (Isaiah 25:6); God is preparing a feast and setting the table…for you and for me and for all people.
You anoint my head with oil and my cup is running over – this is another image of the abundant blessings God lavishes on God’s people; similar to the image I mentioned last week…of the precious oil running down on the beard of Aaron (Psalm 133).
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever – this says it all – no matter what else happens in life, God’s love for you and for me and for all people is forever; our dwelling place is secure – even now – in these dark times – in these chaotic times – in these times when we are anxious about what will happen next – we trust in God’s promise that we are in God’s presence, now, always and forever.
Close your eyes for a moment. Sit in the silence of this place. Feel the waters of baptism flowing over your head. Picture the table of bread and wine that is prepared for you here. Breathe in the goodness and mercy that follows you here. Be at peace.
You may open your eyes.
Now hear these gospel words Jesus spoke:: “Come away to a deserted place…and rest for a while.”
Jesus is speaking to the disciples whom he has sent out into the world…the ones he had sent out to teach and to cast out demons and to heal those in need.
Jesus is speaking to us.
The apostles have returned excited by the work they have done and exhausted by the work they have done.
We feel like that, at times, don’t we? Both excited and exhausted by the work we have done in the world.
Come away and rest, Jesus says. In the gospel of Matthew (28:11), Jesus says it this way – “Come to me all you who are weary and I will give you rest.”
Jesus knows that rest is good for restoring the soul; good for reconnecting with God; good for re energizing and renewing strength to do God’s work in the world.
Yet, in this gospel story, there is no rest for Jesus and his weary disciples.
They go to a deserted place to be by themselves…and they are surrounded with crowds of people… people who are like sheep without a shepherd…people who are hungry…to lie down in green pastures and rest…to be guided in right pathways…to live without fear and be protected from evil… to be blessed and healed and made well…to dwell in God’s love and presence, now and always and forever.
Jesus sees the crowds of people and has compassion for them…guiding them in the right path… teaching them the Word of God…feeding them with the bread of life…protecting them with his presence…healing them when they reach out and touch him…making them whole…
And in this healing touch, Jesus shares the deep peace that comes to us when we trust that we dwell in God’s love and presence, now and always and forever.
Like Jesus and his disciples, we too live in a time when crowds of people surround us…crowds of people who are like sheep without a shepherd… crowds of people who are hungry…crowds of people who are angry and lonely and tired… tired of the noise of this election season…tired of the gun violence that is rampant in our country… tired of the lack of civility in our public conversations….tired of the dehumanization of people who are different from us…tired of the systems of racial injustice that pervade our common life….
Perhaps, we ourselves are one of those hungry people…who are angry and lonely and tired…. overwhelmed by the divisiveness of this present age.
We all go through times like that, do we not? We are human, after all.
Now is the time to listen to Jesus….
Come away and rest, Jesus says, to us today. Come and lie down in green pastures, besides still waters…Restore your soul…Let the waters of baptism flow over you…every day…again…and again… and again…Feast at the table God prepares before you…Feel the healing touch of Jesus giving you peace…
Then take that peace that you find in your place of rest and go back out into the world with you.
Serve your hungry neighbors with compassion…teach and preach the good news of Jesus Christ… in what you say and in what you do…feed people with bread…and feed them with love and with kindness…offer the healing touch of Jesus…the touch that makes us whole and well and gives us peace.
And, in all of this – in your rest and in your work – trust that you – and all people – dwell in God’s love and presence…now and always and forever.
God’s peace be with you as you rest with Jesus….and God’s peace be with you…as you go out with Jesus, to serve God’s people in the world.
To God be the glory. Amen.