“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want”
This Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Easter, is “Good Shepherd Sunday” and, naturally, we read the 23rd Psalm. It is a radical Psalm – imagine not wanting anything! What would advertisers do if we were free from wants? How would our lives look? Imagine if our children grew up knowing the Good Shepherd. We would never hear “I want…” !
There are of course some wants that are rightly called “needs”. In the past week I have spoken with two people who face genuine need. That raises an uncomfortable question: How can we sing the 23rd Psalm when not all of us enjoy “green pastures”? I discovered in both conversations that those in need long for their cup to overflow so that they can give. They desperately want to live as generous givers. Living in want robs them of the human dignity we gain by giving.
Psalm 23 answers our dilemma. A cup that overflows is a life of extravagant generosity. Goodness and mercy follow in the wake of every faithful believer. Our generosity spills over into the lives of the poor enabling them to sing “My cup overflows!”.
God Bless,
Sean