On this day in 1517, also a Sunday, church goers
in Wittenburg, Germany came to church and saw something posted on the church
doors; a list of 95 theses, or objections, which challenged the Roman Catholic
Church’s practice of indulgences and other problems in the church. An
indulgence was usually money given to a charitable fund in order to reduce the punishment
people would have to go through for their forgiven sins. During the time of
Martin Luther, this practice was being severely abused. In 1516, Johann Tetzel was sent to
Germany to raise money to rebuild St Peter's Basilica in Rome. Thesis 86 asks: "Why
does the pope, whose wealth today is greater than the wealth of the richest
Crassus, build the basilica of St. Peter with the money of poor believers
rather than with his own money?” Another thesis declares, “The Church’s
true treasure is the gospel of Jesus Christ.” This was one of
the beginning moments of the Reformation and led to a time of refining in the
church; a time of renewal.
Renewal flows out of times of refining when we are tested,
when God is calling us to “be holy as I am holy.”
Refining leads to the realization of our need for transformation by the Holy
Spirit, for renewing our obedience to God, for a renewed commitment to
following the way of Jesus over our own will, or our culture’s call. Renewal is
being renewed in God’s image. Athanasius, discussing why Jesus became human
writes, “What, then, was God to do? what else could he possibly do, being
God, but renew his image in mankind, so that through it men might once more
come to know him? And how could it be done save by the coming of the very image
himself, our Saviour Jesus Christ?” We all find ourselves drifting at times
away from God instead of towards him; often without even realizing it. This is
why God placed a rhythm of weekly worship and rest into the week of creation,
knowing that our work in creation would take so much of our focus, and so every
seventh day is given to us as a day of renewal, of recommitment to the Lord,
remembering each Sunday God’s great commitment to us. But more importantly he
sent Jesus to become human to save us from our sin and renew us
Even with a day of rest and worship each week, the
weight of all that we do, and need to do, even with the beauty and wonder of
relationships and how they bring us strength, but can also be filled with
stress, how constantly being on guard against the lies and trickery of Satan
trying to draw us away from Jesus and into relying on our own strength and
wisdom instead, the times of refining can weaken us, tire us, and weigh us down
until our strength is gone. When God has burned away the parts of our lives that
were dross, it’s not uncommon for the refined believer to than try to remain
pure in his own strength. This often leads to a rule focused way of living which
leads to discouragement when we fail. This is when we find we need a deeper
time of renewal than one day a week to lead us into a deeper knowledge of God’s
grace and mercy; the amazing depth of grace found in the cross. This is renewal
found in deeper rest and regaining strength.
Psalm 23 takes us to times of renewal and rest. The
last 2 seasons of wilderness and refining led us through the really difficult
seasons, these seasons now flow into the season of renewal marked by rest, a time
where God’s working in us to renew and encourage us, to bring rest and healing.
“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He
makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he
refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.”
Psalm 23 brings us to
places of rest, to
places where we can catch our breath again, places to be taken care of and
finding comfort and hope again. Jesus knew the value of rest, of stepping back
and spending time with his Father, spending time with his disciples away from
the crowd to rest and be refreshed. You can go only so long before you crash,
burn out, or collapse. When you reach that place, renewal and restoration takes
more; it takes God, and people that God uses, to find health and hope again. As
our shepherd, Jesus leads us to places and people where we can find rest, where
through rest and with safe people we can reflect on what we’ve learned through
the times of refining, hearing again the call to holiness, to being set aside
for God.
David a former
shepherd, pictures these places as green pastures, as quiet waters. Green pastures show that the grass is
healthy, good for nourishment, a place to rest. These are the pastures David
would seek out for his sheep. In Israel, the streams mostly originate in the
mountains and flow down to the seas. These streams often flowed with boisterous
energy down the mountainsides, which would frighten the sheep, keeping them
from drinking. Sheep can go long periods of time without water, but at some
point, they need to drink again, and then can drink as much as 9 liters. The
shepherd would gather rocks and build a partial dam in the stream to divert
waters into a pool where the sheep would then come to satisfy their thirst from
a quiet pool instead of the noisy stream. Sheep depended on their shepherds to
find pasture and water for them. They also provided shelter, medication, and help
in birthing. Sheep are virtually helpless without the shepherd, as the Cultural
Backgrounds Bible notes. David recognizes that the Lord is our shepherd, that
the one who created the sheep is also the one who cares and provides for them.
David recognizes that we’re like sheep, depending on the Lord for all that we
need.
Jesus picks up on this
in John 10, describing himself as a shepherd. John 10, “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know
me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for
the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them
also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one
shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take
it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.”
As the Reformed theologian James Boice writes, “We are part of that “one
flock” composed of believing Jews and Gentiles. So we are not stretching the
twenty-third psalm to see Jesus as our shepherd and to apply the lines of the
psalm carefully and in detail to ourselves.” Jesus knew the importance of
green pastures and quiet waters, often getting away from the crowds to connect
more deeply with his Father, he knows our need for these kinds of places for
our own soul health.
David goes on, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff,
they comfort me. You prepare a table
before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup
overflows.” Preparing
a table was a gesture of hospitality, and doing so in front of someone, like an
enemy, would publicly a desire to re-establish a right relationship again between
the host and the guest. Psalm 23’s about experiencing safety and healing, even
though our situations in life may not change, even though there may still be
feeling of danger. It may be a time of darkness for you; you may feel under
attack spiritually, emotionally, and even physically, but David points us to
the protection that comes from the presence of the Lord. David goes even
further by pointing to a renewal in relationships, even with your enemies,
offering them nourishment and a hand of reconciliation with an invitation to
sit at the table together.
David has experienced
the nourishment that
comes from the presence of the Lord, he experienced the invitation Jesus gives
in Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary
and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Renewal is often a time where we
regain our identity as a child of God, of trusting God to provide, and care for
your soul, your heart. This is the importance of the sabbath, of deliberately
stepping into holy spaces to listen to the whisper of God. It can be in church,
in fields, by the quiet waters, at tables provided and filled by God to nourish
and fill us with his abundance so that our cups overflow. These are often times
of simply being and waiting. As the Day 1 devotional shares, it’s a time that
requires us “to look at our present circumstances through the lens of God’s
promises, rather than our own human experiences, to determine our hope.”
We live in a time where
we’re valued for what we do,
not for who we are, or are becoming. It’s easy to lose our identity under the constant
demands of others, or your own. Satan loves to convince us that our failures
are our true identity. This can lead to exhaustion, needing times of renewal in
order to stay close to Jesus. The Holy Spirit reminds us that our value and
identity is in being a child of God. We don’t work at becoming a child of God,
God chooses us as his children out of his great unconditional love. When the times
come and we need rest and renewal, we find it in Jesus.
David ends his psalm
with, “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” These words
come out of David’s relationship with God, and they’re for you too. If you’re
looking for renewal and rest, slow down for a bit and sit with God, allow him
to hold you. Learn to say “no” to what’s draining you, and if that’s not
possible, ask Jesus to allow you to experience the lightness of his yoke, to
experience his goodness and love, giving you the strength to carry on,
refreshed and renewed in Christ.
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