Sunday 11th May 2025
Acts 9: 36-43 (or Isaiah 53: 1-6)
Psalm 23 (or Psalm 114)
Revelation 7: 9-17
St. John 10: 22-30
“You prepare a table before me in the midst of my enemies.” Psalm 23: 5
Psalm 23 is perhaps the best-known and most loved of all the psalms. It is recited often at funerals. These 6 short verses have been the subject of dozens of books and a countless number of sermons… When I served in a psychiatric hospital years ago, it could be counted on that among a handful of verses from the Bible which all patients would know, they could be counted on to know Psalm 23…
Yet among the verses of Psalm 23, which many of us have prayed over and over, have we taken the time to pay attention to verse 5?… “You prepare a table before me in the midst of my enemies…” What might this mean?…
To begin, most of us don’t want to accept the ideas that we have enemies in the first place!… We’re Canadians, for heaven’s sake! Aren’t we supposed to be nice?… Not only that, we’re Anglicans! Anglicans don’t have a reputation for being a disagreeable bunch. The American writer Garrison Keeler once remarked about Canadians, “You are the kind of people my mother wanted me to play with, when I was growing up…”
So, it might be challenging for us to consider that God – the true inspiration of the writings of scripture – it might be challenging for us to consider that God expects us to have some enemies… It is entirely consistent with the gospel that we are called to love everyone – without reserve or distinction – and that we will have at least a few enemies…
Let’s consider these Bible verses:
Psalm 23: 5: “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies”
I John 3: 13: “Do not be astonished, brothers and sisters, that the world hates you”
John 15: 19: “If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. Because you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world – therefore the world hates you”
Now, this does not mean that we are supposed to be miserable and grumpy, so that no one wants to be our friends!… (Such behaviour, in fact, would be a very poor Christian witness…) It is true, however, that in no time in the Church’s history has the person and work of Jesus Christ and his followers been universally admired… The gospel of Jesus Christ challenges our desire to think that we are really all right. The gospel of Jesus Christ also challenges our natural inclination to be self-serving…
Many people are deeply attracted to the person and message of Jesus – but not everyone!… So, it ought not to come as a surprise to us that many people whose values are not aligned with God don’t like our Lord’s disciples… That they don’t like us…
If we can truly say that no one finds our faith objectionable at all, could it be that we haven’t been as forthcoming that we are disciples of Jesus as we might be?… If no one even knows that we are Christians – followers of Jesus – then perhaps we have been silent when we should have spoken out. Perhaps we have looked the other way when there has been injustice before us… We do not aim to offend people; we always ought to speak and act with grace and with love… However, as people around us get to know us, they ought to know something about where we stand…
In this country of Canada, about the worst it can get for Christians is that we might have to put up with a bit of teasing… But that is not true in other parts of the world. Today, right now, there are people who are being discriminated against for employment because they are Christians; they are being put in jail; they are even being put to death, because of their commitment to Christ… If you want to learn more about the persecuted Church, I encourage you to use the Voice of the Martyrs website – a reputable website which keeps aims to keep a full account of all significant persecutions around the world…
So, let’s grant God’s conviction in Psalm 23, verse 5, that we have a few enemies because of our faith in Jesus Christ… “You prepare a table before me in the midst of my enemies.” Given that we have a few enemies – at least, we have some people who mildly disapprove of our unwavering faith in Christ – let’s consider what it means, “You prepare a table before me…” The whole verse is “You prepare a table before me in the midst of my enemies…” What does it mean for God – the Living God of the whole universe – to “prepare a table” before each one of us?…
“Preparing a table” was an image in the ancient world for gathering together in a meal of hospitality. It was so important to show kindness to friends and strangers, and to share a meal with them… The host would protect his guests…
Do we remember how often the Lord Jesus ate and drank with all kinds of people (recorded especially in Luke)?… The Lord Jesus frequently spent time, sharing dinner with new friends… Let’s consider the large east window here at St. Brice’s. We gather at the table of the Lord underneath it, week by week… It is a portrayal of the risen Christ being recognized by 2 of the disciples, as they share a meal together. They have prepared a table in the presence of the Lord…
Now, of course God is a Spirit. God does not eat at a table, as you and I eat. But to “prepare a table” is a kind of picture, a kind of image, for what it means to be in relationship with God. Just as we can enjoy the fellowship of a meal with a dear friend, because of what Jesus Christ has done, we can enjoy close fellowship with God. Even when we have enemies around us, God is even closer. By faith, we belong; we are loved…
God will protect us from enemies. We might be harrassed. We might be persecuted. We might even be killed!… However, that is not the end of the story, because Jesus Christ has triumphed over death!… Christ’s resurrection to new life shows that death no longer has power. As we share in the life of the Lord Jesus, death no longer has the same claim on our lives any more. Our enemies can harrass us, but our enemies will never have the last word. The Lord is our Shepherd. By the grace of God, we shall enjoy a perfect union with God; world without end.
Amen.