18 March 2013 - valley parking

18 March 2013 - valley parking

“Even if I do testify on my own behalf, my testimony can be verified, 
because I know where I came from and where I am going.

Jesus is the only one who can say with absolute certainty that he knows where he is from and where he is going.  We know these things about ourselves to the degree that his word is alive in us.  This is the faith and the hope that he wants us to possess.  He wants us to have great confidence that our origin and our destiny is the love of God.  We are often blinded to this great truth.  The world wants us to believe we are random, accidental, and without meaning.  But testimony from such a one cannot be verified, for it has no access to truth, it is simply random words.  It simply happened to arise, no more true or valuable than any other statement.  Who knows where one would end if if they followed it since they have no idea why it exists to begin with.

You judge by appearances

Yes we do.  Guilty as charged. We judge without reference to the plan and purpose of God.  We are looking for distractions from the meaninglessness which we perceive instead of turning to the source of meaning.  We settle for intensity instead of permanence.  Being grounded in the source of meaning enables us to judge justly.  Having a relationship with the Father and the Son allows us to know the true value of the passing circumstances of this world.

And even if I should judge, my judgment is valid,
because I am not alone,
but it is I and the Father who sent me.

But we are sheep.  We aren't good at keeping the big picture in mind.  We wander at the slightest provocation.  But the one who knows our source and destiny is our shepherd.  And when we can't keep those things in mind he calls to us.  All we need to do is cling to the sound of his voice in the midst of confusion and we will not be lost.  

He guides me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
With your rod and your staff
that give me courage.

For sheep who don't know the shepherd the temptation is to forget that there is anything beyond the dark valley.  We don't see far enough to know better. Trusting in the shepherd will allow us to keep our true home in mind even when the way is obscured.

Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.

We will then be like Susanna, able to trust the eternal God who knows what is hidden.  Even when there are details that are hidden from us without which we feel lost and endangered we are able to trust in the eternal God who knows what is hidden.  And when the world calls us to judge in the baseless way it judges we will be like Daniel who, stirred up by the Holy Spirit says: “I will have no part in the death of this woman.”

O Good Shepherd, refresh our souls by the restful waters that flow from your side.  As we approach the table of the Eucharist let us drink deeply from this tranquil stream.