Giggling with God

for Sunday, April 21, 2013
4th Sunday of Easter
Good Shepherd Sunday
Earth Sabbath
Year C
lectionary focus: Psalm 23
(for a good grown-up sermon see: Sheep Are Stupid by Rob Brink)

Happy Easter! Happy Earth Day! Happy Good Shepherd Sunday! Wow! Today is a busy day on our calendar. So many things to celebrate…we are still in the Season of Easter rejoicing in the joy and mystery of Easter; tomorrow is Earth Day and the world honors the beauty and wonder of God’s planet; and today our Bible story is Psalm 23, glorifying The Lord is our shepherd; we have all that we need. Celebrating all of this joy and mystery and beauty and love just makes me…giggle.

When I lived in North Carolina, our neighbor had sheep. Sheep are soft and dainty, and when they say baaaa, they stick out their tongues and look so cute! But honestly, for being so precious, sheep are not very smart. Nope. Sheep can’t find always find their way back to the barn. If one sheep starts running just for fun, the others all panic and start running with fear. And sometimes they forget to get out of the rain and their wool gets so soaked that it is way heavy. Sheep can very easily get confused and lost and be stubborn and mean and worry and do things that hurt themselves! Without a shepherd to watch over them, sheep would have a very tough time.

And so our Bible story, one of the most popular and well-known, Psalm 23…with its opening words, says “The Lord is my shepherd” which means I am like a sheep! This verse makes me giggle because I often do behave like a sheep! I can very easily get confused and lost and be stubborn and mean and worry and do things that hurt myself. But God is my Shepherd. God is our Shepherd. God leads us and looks after us and loves us. Because honestly, even though we are not always very smart, God thinks we are just precious. And I think God giggles about us being sheep, too.

So the next time you find yourself a bit confused or worried or angry, stop and realize that you are being a sheep. Then look to God the Good Shepherd and ask Him what you are supposed to do. You are a precious child of God, and God, like a Good Shepherd, loves to be with you and to watch over you and is always ready to help you.

Will you pray with me? (This is an echo prayer: the leader says a line and the children repeat it.)

Dear Lord,
You are my Shepherd.
Help me
when I act like a sheep.
Thank You
for watching over me.
Amen

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