The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake. 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. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 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.
(Psalm 23:1-6)
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It may be the best known Scripture passage that there is. Even people with little or no church background can recite at least a few words of it, possibly even without realizing that it comes from the Bible. It’s the 23rd Psalm, also called the Shepherd’s Psalm. I chose it today to help us reflect upon baptism. I’ll readily acknowledge that it’s an unusual choice. Most people are probably familiar with the use of the 23rd Psalm as an end of life sort of ritual. Over the years, when I’ve been with people who are approaching the end of their lives, they’ve often asked me to read the 23rd Psalm, and the 23rd Psalm is a common reading at funeral services. Perhaps we might even come to think that death and dying are what the 23rd Psalm is about. And how wrong we would be if we came to that conclusion. So I chose today to think of the 23rd Psalm not as an end of life reading, but as a start of life reading. As we baptize three children today, I want to focus on the idea that God leads us “beside still waters.” I believe that the 23rd Psalm has some important lessons to teach us about life and God and faith - which are surely the things that baptism is really all about.
The waters that the Psalm is referring to are almost certainly the waters of the Jordan River. As I was saying with the children, the Jordan River is important - even essential - to the people of that region. It is today; it always has been. It’s no exaggeration to say that the waters of the Jordan River are life-giving waters. The Jordan River is almost certainly what was on the mind of the author of the 23rd Psalm when those words were written; the Jordan River is where Jesus himself was baptized, most probably at a small pool of water fed by the Jordan called Al-Maghtas. In its headwaters to the north the Jordan is a rather turbulent river with steep drops and violent rapids, but by the time it reaches the place where the 23rd Psalm would have been written or where Jesus was baptized, the Jordan becomes a very calm, meandering sort of river - still waters, indeed. And because of how important it is as a source of fresh water - a literal source of life - it’s no surprise that the Jordan would come to be looked on as a symbol of the life-giving qualities of God. Jesus, in a way, began his ministry on the banks of the Jordan River with his baptism in those still waters. And, upon his baptism, a voice came from heaven, declaring, “This is my son, whom I love. With him I am well pleased.”
Baptism is always a beginning. Baptism should never be looked upon as a mere rite of passage, or as an end in itself. Baptism is the start of a life that is meant to be dedicated and devoted to God. Baptism is the start of a life meant to be guided by faith. If baptism makes no difference, then baptism is worth nothing. But baptism matters. That’s why we’re here. But baptism matters only if it’s a beginning, and never if it’s an end. That’s why I find the 23rd Psalm to be an interesting reflection for us as we think about baptism. Baptism is the start of a life meant to be guided by faith, and the 23rd Psalm teaches us some valuable lessons about both life and faith.
A life of faith isn’t promised to be an easy life; a life lived with God isn’t promised to be a prosperous life - and the 23rd Psalm acknowledges that. It tells us that from time to time we’ll have to travel through the darkest valleys; it doesn’t tell us that we won’t have to face evil - it tells us not to fear the evil that we face. It tells us that we’ll have enemies to contend with. No. There’s nothing easy about this life of faith that starts with baptism. There will be trials and hardships and illnesses and - yes - eventually even death to contend with. Faith isn’t a free ticket away from those things; baptism gives us no exemptions. I’m not promising that because of what we’ve done today everything in Morgan’s or Evan’s or Jace’s life is going to go completely smoothly. There will always be challenges and problems. But, if they can hold on to faith and if we can hold on to faith, there will also always be God.
I love the imagery of the 23rd Psalm. It acknowledges the reality of life - with all its challenges, but also with all of God’s promises. Green pastures, still waters, a table prepared, a cup overflowing, goodness and mercy being with us all the days we live. And, finally, eternity with God.
I think about Jesus being baptized at Al-Maghtas on the banks of the Jordan River. That still water of the Jordan suddenly means a lot to me. Whenever we baptize today we’re baptizing in those same still waters - not in the same place but with the same faith. These waters represent no escape from trouble, but they do give us a place to return to, to rest in the presence of God, to be strengthened to face the next chapter. Those still waters of baptism mean a lot to us. Water is life giving and life enhancing - and even peaceful, still water is powerful. And water can teach us a lot. Margaret Atwood wrote that “Water does not resist, water flows ... water always goes where it wants to go, and nothing in the end can stand against it. ... If you can't go through an obstacle, go around it. Water does.”
Those are good words - words to live by, in fact. May the still waters of baptism remind us all that even when life is at its most chaotic and even if everything seems to be falling apart - there is somewhere we can go to find rest, and to gain the strength to go around those obstacles that appear in our way. That somewhere isn’t a place - but in our spirit we can always go back to the still waters of baptism, and find the peace that Jesus promises us, and the strength to carry on.
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