psalm 23 - "Lord at my side" 4th sunday lent

Today we reflect on Psalm 23, the most famous psalm, the all-time favorite psalm.

If you are keen in studying this psalm you will notice that in the first part the psalmist speaks of God in the third person – "the Lord is my shepherd, he gives me repose, he leads me to restful waters, he refreshes my soul, he guides me."

Then right in the middle of the psalm, the psalmist changes tone and begins talking to God, instead of talking about God.  And so the psalmist says, "for you are at my side, with your rod and your staff; You spread the table before me; you anoint my head with oil."  If you notice the shift happens when we reach that point which says "for you are at my side" "for you are with me." This Hebrew phrase is exactly at the middle.  If you count the Hebrew words before this phrase the total would be 26 words.  If you count the Hebrew words after this phrase, the total would again be 26.

The Lord is at my side. For you Lord are with me.

I do not know if the psalmist meant it to be such but I believe this is the bottom line of psalm 23.  God may not have sheltered us from the difficulties of life.  God may not have manipulated the power of nature in order to give us a miracle we thought we deserve.  God may not have answered whatever we have prayed for with all the faith we could muster.  But just the same, "you are at my side" is all that matters.  For as long as "you are with me Lord" is all that is important.

Our gospel today is about who Jesus is.  The pharisees fail to see Jesus as the Lord in their midst.  He could not fit in the mold they have set for him.

In contrast the man born blind saw Jesus gradually - first as this man called Jesus, to this prophet, then as to Jesus as Lord.  It is with difficulty that we recognize Jesus.  Some fail outright, others see him but only gradually.

Today our psalm is challenging us to see him there at our side.  Not as bread multiplier, miracle worker, problem solver, shield from all harm but just simply as "Lord at my side," God who is with us.  This may sound simple and uncomplicated but only with God at our side can we say with the psalmist, "I shall not want," with God at my side I shall lack nothing.

May lent help us to discover what we may have missed last Christmas – that God is emmanuel, God is at my side.