Quit Trying to Arrive and Be at Home on the Journey
Psalm 23
Fifth Sunday in Lent - The Unobvious Series
Rev. Matthew M. Fry

As we continue to experience The Word of the Lord together, Let us Pray. Speak Lord, your servants are listening. Amen.

This is the next to last sermon in the time of Lent, the series I have called the Unobvious series. It has been about things that I think are unobvious yet of utmost importance. It started with three such things, Ignore Loud things and listen for quiet things, Put aside obvious things and seek out hidden things, and forget easy things and learn hard and ancient things. We moved on to Quit being saved and be Lost, and then to Letting go of big things and embracing little things. Now we are at the next to last one of these, with the last one being Easter morning.

Today we turn to one of the most known pieces of literature in the world. You don’t have to go to church to be aware of this Psalm. Hear now The Word of the Lord as it comes to us in Psalm 23. Listen. Psalm 23.

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.

The Grass Withers, The Flower Falls, but The Word of The Lord endures forever…Thanks be to God.

My dad is a backpacking nut. Loves to go out into the woods. He’ll go out in the summer, or when there is 3 feet or snow. He’ll hike in the rain or when it is so hot that you’ll sweat off 3 pounds just by standing still with your gear on. He’s hiked in Colorado, Utah, California, Alaska, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Scotland, and Tibet. He’s seen mountains and valleys and lakes and waterfalls and forests that are so pretty that they will leave even a preacher speechless. I know because I sometimes get to go with him when he hikes. I’ve hiked with him in Colorado, California, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Scotland. He didn’t take me to Alaska or Tibet. I guess he only loves his son so much.

When we hike together, it is a case study in the tortoise and the hare. I am a very fast backpacker, and Dad is painstakingly slow. So, we usually hike together whilst separated by up to 15 minutes, or a half mile, if we’ve been going for a while. Usually what we do is that I set pace and every hour or so I’ll take a break and wait on him. And if the hiking has been very uphill, or very downhill, I can wait for 10 to 15 minutes. He’ll come around the corner, or over the hill, and find me with my pack off, canteen open, and some snack in my hand. And we’ll talk about whatever, and we’ll rest for about 5 minutes together, and then it’s always him who says that he is ready to go. And I’ll put my pack back on while he starts, and pass him in a minute or so, and we’ll do it all over again.

When I was considerably younger I was convinced that my way of hiking was best, and waiting for my dad to catch up was always an annoyance. At my pace, I could get there so much quicker. At Dad’s pace, we always got to the destination much slower. So I said this to him and he said, “Son, the point of hiking is not to get where you are going, but to hike so that you enjoy your surroundings.”

I simply can’t walk as slow as he does. But what I’ve done is grown into the type of hiker that enjoys the many rests along the way. When I stop, as I mentioned, it is always at some scenic spot, or in front of some really cool or large tree, or near a place where the rocks are really scenic, or where you can really hear the water go by or the birds chirp, or see some blooming flowers. So, while I still hike quicker than dad, I now do it to enjoy the journey, not just get to the destination so as to set up the tent.

Psalm 23 connects with our souls somehow. It pierces our walls of defense, our emotional barriers, and connects us with life and the life giver. Not just because they are beautiful words that are strung together in a melodic fashion, pleasing to the ear. But because they reinforce something that is deep within us. “He leads me beside still waters.” Not a sense of he brought me to still waters and there we made camp, and I have stayed there every since. “He makes me lie down in green pastures.” Not he keeps me so busy that I always have something to do. “He leads me in right paths.” Not, he made me whole and now I am forever cured of anything else. All of the language in Psalm 23 is journey language, not arrival language. It is the traveling language of the soul that lives in the world and simultaneously resides in the kingdom of God. It is the reminder that we constantly trouble our soul with the idea that we can arrive while here on earth when deep down we know that we will always be on the journey. Psalm 23 is so wonderful because it articulates that exact truth, and connects us with our self and with our God.

I’ll close with this. Today is the 5th anniversary of my first Sunday with you all. Five years ago today was the 9th of March, 2003. I preached a sermon on Mark 1.9-15. The first song we sang that day was “Great is Thy Faithfulness.” I have the bulletin and my sermon in my office. I keep all the bulletins, and have all of the hard copies of my sermons in my office. It makes references like that one easy to look up. Anyway, 5 years ago today we started this journey together. Shortly before that, I was meeting with the PNC, that’s Pastor Nominating Committee otherwise known as the fools we suckered into suggesting you hire me, which included Marc Karasek, Bob Norman, Mundy Rado, and Diane Lewis. There was a time that we were waiting for Presbytery’s Examination Committee as well as for your contract to run its course with your Interim Pastor, Julia Simmons whom I occasionally see at Presbytery meetings and she always sends her best as we share pleasantries. So, we were waiting for the timing to get right so you could vote on me and I could start. As we got close, and as part of the process, I asked to speak to the previous pastor, Greg Cruice. This is pretty common, as the most recent installed pastor will always have some helpful insights. This was tricky because it was clear that there were some sticky feelings between some members of the congregation and Greg. Not everyone shared those sticky feelings, but some did. What I was told is that the fit between the church and the pastor wasn’t so great. This is pretty common, and I could relate as I had just come out of Pennsylvania from a church that was a great fit for 15 months, but a terrible fit for the remaining 21. So, I knew that asking for his contact information was a touchy subject, and was told just as much, but I felt it would be beneficial enough to go forward. I wanted to get as much info as I could so that I could best serve, even if it meant a little bit of uncomfortableness.

So I called Rev. Cruice, and he echoed the feeling that the church and he were not necessarily a great fit. Fortunately for him, and for the church at large, he is currently serving in a church that really fits for him, and everyone seems to enjoy his leadership there, and things are going well. And I think that is great. It was clear within 15 minutes of conversation with him why there was a shared sense of frustration, both on the church’s side as well as on Rev. Cruice’s side. Somewhere after he answered my questions he asked me this. “Tell me what you are looking for in a church.” And my answer was something along the lines of this. “I’m looking for a group of people who don’t have the answers, who don’t know everything, who just want to go along the Christian journey as authentically as we can, growing along the way, enjoying the ride, and trying to show the world the love of God in the process.” And there was some silence. And then Rev. Cruice said this. “Well, you might just be what they are looking for. Best of luck.” And we said our goodbyes, exchanged email addresses, and ended our conversation.

Friends, I want to thank you for the past 5 years and the journey that we have undertaken together. You have strengthened my faith, pushed me in areas that have made me grow, nurtured me and my family, cared for us as one of your own in our difficult times, and loved us. I am a better person and a better pastor than I was 5 years ago. I hope and trust that you will continue to strengthen my faith, push me in areas that make me grow, nurture me and my family, care for us during our difficult times, and love us. And I hope to again be able to say that I am a better pastor and a better person than I am right now in the years to come. Not because I want to get somewhere or attain some level, but because I love the journey, and I have loved the journey with you.

Amen.