God’s Abundance

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” (23:1) declares the psalmist.

Wanting.

     Hungering for more.

           Longing for something better.

Desires of the heart that I, and perhaps many of you, know all too well. Longings stirred up in us by a consumer-oriented culture that does its best to drown out the reality of God’s generous abundance with worldly messages of scarcity. Worldly messages that turn life into a zero-sum game by reminding us of the things we don’t have and deceiving us into believing that happiness comes from getting what we want — more stuff — and deceiving us into believing that newer is better. That the grass is always greener on the other side.

Messages that advocate replacing a perfectly good PlayStation 3 with a Play Station 4, or standing in line for hours in the midst of a busy day to get the “must have” next generation I-Phone. Feeble attempts to fill the void in our hearts with more stuff or, when this fails, by attempting to drown our anxieties, guilt, and shame in alcohol and pills; in things of this world which do not give life.

The psalmist’s utter reliance on God, the Good Shepherd, jars our modern sensibilities with a poetic prayer of trust in God’s gracious abundance; a heartfelt and confident prayer that moves our hearts and gives voice to our deepest human needs while rejecting the culture of scarcity of this world. Rejecting a world that is at odds with the kingdom of God. A world of me-first priorities. A world that has turned a deaf ear to God’s promises of abundance. A world that tries to tell us that God is dead.

Yes, the psalmist refutes the messages of scarcity that play upon our insecurities and fears, the deceitful messages that point out the things that we don’t have by forthrightly naming and claiming the many blessings in our lives; the reality of God’s gracious abundance.

Far too often the seductive messages of this world, particularly our obsession with “things and bling” blind us to the reality of our own gifts; gifts of time, talent, or treasure. The many gifts of God’s abundance that we can, in turn, share with others, especially the marginalized, the broken, and our sisters and brothers who lurk in the shadows — beloved children of God desperate for healing and wholeness. Frightened and hurting people who cannot love themselves, much less grasp the truth that they are worthy recipients of God’s love, mercy, and forgiveness.

Sadly, worldly values buttressed by the ethic of individualism seem to dominate much of our public discourse lately. It’s hard not to go one day without hearing echoes of “My money… My resources … My property … Mine.” Far too many of us, it seems, have bought into the selfish messages of this world that advocate hoarding and accumulating instead of following Jesus’ example of giving ourselves away in loving service to our neighbors near and far. In so doing, we conveniently ignore the poverty, hunger, brokenness and need for healing and reconciliation in our communities.The empty shelves at local food banks. The children who go hungry each night through no fault of their own. The frightened people struggling with failing health and not knowing who to talk to or where to turn for help.

Psalm 23 turns the worldly ethic of me-first scarcity on its head. No wonder so many of us turn to it when we need assurance of God’s comforting presence during life’s frequent storms or when we find ourselves being swallowed up by the world’s darkness or by the burdens of our own pain, shame, or guilt. When, instead of surrendering to despair, we find hope in a God who never forsakes us. Finding comfort and assurance in the reality of God’s abundance.The promises conveyed by the psalmist that somehow bring serenity to the soul during the darkest of times: a failing marriage, the loss of a job, the end of a treasured friendship, an unexpected illness, and the death of someone we love.

In a word of life-giving hope when all seems lost.

In a proclamation of God’s generosity and protection.

For, unlike the promises of this world that leave us wanting more, only the Good Shepherd satisfies all of our wants. In Jesus, we know a good shepherd who tends the flock within our midst – in the midst of our weekly assembly and in the hearing of the Word proclaimed. A divine host who invites us to the Table spread in the midst of the things we fear the most – death, evil, and enemies (real or imagined). A banquet feast where our heads are anointed with oil, a blessing reserved for honored guests. An invitation extended to all people, to come to the where your cups overflow with God’s grace, mercy, forgiveness and steadfast love. Where we are reminded yet again that we are a people who have been richly blessed; a people called, gathered, and sent by God to be a blessing to others.

Yet, did you catch the psalmist’s promise? God not only promises to be with us during the dark valleys of life, God’s goodness and mercy pursues us; a pursuit culminating in the invitation to dwell in the house of the Lord forever (23:6).

It is promise that God makes good on in Jesus Christ. For God so loved the world, that God sent the Son on our behalf to do what we cannot, to reconcile the world to God (John 3:16-17). In Jesus Christ, the One who was crucified and raised, the powers of sin and death have been defeated and we have been given new life. In Christ we are transformed and called to live in the in-breaking of God’s kingdom. In Christ, we have been freed to respond in love to the needs of our neighbors,wherever they may happen to live. In Christ our scarcity mentality is transformed into an ethic of abundance. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” (Psa. 23:1).

The Good Shepherd, the Living Christ, comes to you time and time again, even in the midst of a broken world. The living Christ comes to you now at the Lord’s Table to participate in a foretaste of the heavenly feast where there is enough grace, mercy, and forgiveness for all. Where you and I, beggars all in Christ’s bread line, receive “the Body of Christ given for you,” and drink “the blood of Christ shed for you, for the forgiveness of your sins.” I tell you now, your sins are forgiven.

The Lord’s Table of abundant grace and love is merciful and compassionate space. At the Table everything that you fear most, death, evil, sin, enemies, and unworthiness, is rendered powerless before God. At the Table you are embraced as a beloved child of God. At the Table you are fed, forgiven, and transformed by your encounter with the living Christ. And, strengthened in grace, the Holy Spirit sends you and me out into the world to be the body of Christ. To live in God’s gracious abundance. To see others as beloved sisters and brothers for whom God in Christ died. To be the church. To be the church together for the sake of the world.

For, having been fed with the bread of life, joy and abundance drives away our worldly obsession with scarcity and overflows into every area of our lives.

Abundance.

Into our families.

Into our congregation.

Into our communities.

Into the places where we work.

Abundance.

Indeed, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” (23:1).

Photo by Quang Nguyen Vinh on Pexels.com