A Shepherd for the Darkest Valley

In light of the bombings at the Boston Marathon I think it is appropriate that this coming Sunday is what is known as Shepherd Sunday, where we remember that even through the valley of the shadow of death that God leads us.  Our Good Shepherd stands by us through all the hardships that the world can throw at us.

There is really nothing that we can say in the face of such hatred and evil where innocent lives are taken or destroyed.  But we can find comfort from our Good Shepherd.  So I would like to let the scripture speak for itself this morning starting with Psalm 23 (NRSV)

"1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;

he leads me beside still waters;

3 he restores my soul.

He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.

4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley,

I fear no evil; for you are with me;

your rod and your staff-- they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies;

you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD my whole life long."

Revelation 7 is the New Testament Lesson for Sunday.  It addresses those who suffered and died unjustly:

13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, robed in white, and

where have they come from?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you are the one that knows.” Then he

said to me, “These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed

their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

15 For this reason they are before the throne of God,

and worship him day and night within his temple,

and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them.

16 They will hunger no more, and thirst no more;

the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat;

17 for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd,

and he will guide them to springs of the water of life,

and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

When a tragedy like this happens, people want to make sense of it.  But you can't always make sense out of the actions of a twisted mind.  We may not be able to do much about the suffering of April 15, but we can still give hope that God will eventually have the final say.

To end, there has been a quote from fellow Presbyterian Minister, Mr. Rogers that has floated around the Internet for some time.  It resurfaced a lot yesterday.  When tragedy strikes and terrible things happen, look for the helpers.  All our thanks to those who provided aid and comfort during yesterday's tragedy!

Love and Peace.