Easter IV 04/30/23

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The Still Point

A Time of Meditation and Reflection

Fourth Sunday of Easter

... At the still point of the turning world. Neither flesh nor fleshless;Neither from nor towards; at the still point, there the dance is,But neither arrest nor movement. And do not call it fixity,Where past and future are gathered. Neither movement from nor towards,Neither ascent nor decline. Except for the point, the still point,There would be no dance, and there is only the dance...

T.S. Eliot, Burnt Norton

            Peace on each one who comes in need;

            Peace on each one who comes in joy. 

            Peace on each one who offers prayers;

            Peace on each one who offers song. 

            Peace of the Maker, Peace of the Son,

            Peace of the Spirit, the Triune One.

Alleluia! Christ is Risen. The Lord is Risen indeed. Alleluia!  

Opening Prayer

O God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people: Grant that when we hear his voice we may know him who calls us each by name, and follow where he leads; who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. 

The Gospel                                                                                                             John 10:1-10

Jesus said, “Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” 

Poem: “The 23rd Psalm (Dedicated to My Mother)”               by Bobby McFerrin

The Lord is my Shepherd, I have all I need,She makes me lie down in green meadows,Beside the still waters, She will lead.She restores my soul, She rights my wrongs,She leads me in a path of good things,And fills my heart with songs.Even though I walk through a dark and dreary land,There is nothing that can shake me,She has said She won't forsake me,I'm in her hand.She sets a table before me, in the presence of my foes,She anoints my head with oil,And my cup overflows.Surely, surely goodness and kindness will follow me,All the days of my life,And I will live in her house,Forever, forever and ever.Glory be to our Mother, and Daughter,And to the Holy of Holies,As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be,World, without end. Amen. 

Meditation

The gospel this week presents the image of Jesus as the gatekeeper for sheep, which along with the image of a Good Shepherd is often naturally complemented by Psalm 23. With a text as familiar as this psalm, it may be helpful to create a new paraphrase in order to reimagine familiar images, and revitalize the words and their meaning for us. An internet search of various paraphrases of Psalm 23 people yields some interesting results, such as:"O God, you are the tender of my soul, I have everything I truly need.""He grants me safe harbour; he hushes my hurry, he heals me hidden hurts.""Your rain down your blessing on me like a shower.""You draw me to your table, where everything is a gift.""Your Being envelopes my being and I am wrapped in your peace."The poem by Bobby McFerrin comprises the lyrics to his musical setting of the psalm. It seems to be quite faithful to the original psalm text while also offering something new and personal -- a unique tribute to the writer's mother (and perhaps to mothers in general). In the words of Allison L. Boden, "In his meditating on the Psalm (McFerrin) found that female imagery for God was much more potent for him, because it had been his own mother who most embodied God's love within his own life. Of all human beings she was most like this Shepherd." 

Questions for Reflection

What images for God (like Shepherd, Father, Mother, etc.) resonate the most for you?Is there a particular person, or more than one, who especially embodies God's love in your own life?You might wish to create your own paraphrase of Psalm 23, or a portion of it.Or to listen to this performance of Bobby McFerrin's musical setting:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91TbjlaS4kc&t=42s 

Prayers

We bring before God someone whom we have met or remembered todayWe bring to God someone who is hurting tonight and needs our prayerWe bring to God a troubled situation in our worldWe bring to God, silently, someone whom we find hard to forgive or trustWe bring ourselves to God that we might grow in generosity of spirit, clarity of mind, and warmth of affectionWe offer our thanks to God for the blessings in our livesWe name before God those who have died. Gracious God, you hear all our prayers: those we speak aloud, those we hold in our hearts, and those prayers for which we have no words. Hear the prayers of your people, and grant them as may be best for us, for the sake of your holy name. Amen.      Accept our thanks for all you have done, O God. Our hands were empty, and you filled them.May Christ’s holy, healing, enabling Spirit be with us every step of the way, and be our guide as our road changes and turns, and the blessing of God our Creator, Redeemer and Giver of life be among us now and remain with us forever. Amen.  Reflections this month offered by: Frank Nowell