Edina Hall

Sisters and Brothers in Christ, 

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” 

It doesn’t take more than these nine words to know exactly which psalm is appointed for today—Psalm 23.

We first see this psalm being included in “The Order for the Burial of the Dead” in the Book of Common Prayer in 1928 and we can, in part, thank (or blame) the Episcopal Church for its current association with a funeral service. Used by mourners in Christian and Jewish faiths (and so many movies!), it very well could be the most recognized psalm in the secular world. 

It is, however, much more than a familiar tune for a special occasion.  

Many years ago, when I was a camper at Chapel Rock Music Camp, in addition to ringing handbells, singing in a full choir, and doing other camp “stuff,” we had an hour every day of bible study.

I may not remember the exact songs we sang or rang, but I do remember the year we studied Psalm 23.

Each day we were challenged to take verses in the psalm, study them and make them our own. We wondered:  What other names could we use for Lord? What did the psalmist want to communicate by using the imagery of a shepherd? What image could we use today? What do we “want” for in our lives?

When we read “he makes me lie down,” did we feel forced? Is it for our own good? What is our “green pasture” equivalent? Why are we just “beside still waters” and not jumping in them? The questions kept coming until we were challenged to write our own reclaimed version of the psalm.   

My work is lost to time, but the exercise of wondering, internalizing, living in a holy text and reclaiming rote passages remains with me.

A few years ago, when I led the Jr/Sr Youth in this very same activity, it was lovely to watch them play with words and imagery to make this psalm come alive in a new and personal way outside of a funeral context.

My hope for them is that when they hear or recite the original psalm, that in addition to the beautiful message of the psalmist David, their own reflection will continue to shine through. 

Following the Good Shepherd,

—Edina Hall