The Lord is my Shepherd by Rev. Julie Conaron

If we look back on our lives we are often able to see the way the Lord has lead us: often like a shepherd leads his sheep. And sheep are not easy creatures to look after. As one shepherd described it: “sheep are high-maintenance creatures,” which is certainly what we often are as human beings! I’d like to show the Lord’s leading of me and others through stories from my career as a hospice chaplain linked with passages from the Word about shepherding. In my job I support people of all faiths: I tell them I’m their “spiritual supporter.” My support is usually spiritual, but it may be emotional as well. Not all people want my visits: they may be atheistic, agnostic, be orthodox in their religion of choice, or may have regular ministerial visits from their pastor or Rabbi. But at this time in their lives people often need comfort and strength: they need help hanging on to their faith and trust in God.

I’d like to start with Psalm 23, the well-loved Psalm, often requested by the dying, or loved ones of the dying, because it is such a comfort to them:

The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
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 have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
Surely goodness and loving kindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

When I look back on my life since my husband’s transition to the spiritual world over 9 years ago, I see how gently, yet how amazingly, the Lord has led me on my journey to spiritual ministry. Sometimes that journey has been very hard and tortuous and I’ve wanted to give up, but somehow or other the Lord has lead me back on the path like a wonderful shepherd.

Psalm 28:8, 9
The Lord is their strength,
And He is the saving refuge of His anointed
Save Your people,
And bless their inheritance;
Shepherd them also,
And bear them up forever

A story I’d like to use for this teaching was given to me over the phone. I felt I needed to call the daughter of a woman who’d just died in hospital. The patient went so quickly I never got to see her, so it’s unusual for me to call the survivor. Her daughter was delighted I called and wanted to tell me how the Lord had comforted her, a single woman with no siblings or other family members. As her mother lay dying she “felt/saw” (she didn’t know which) her grand mother cradle her mother in her arms and take her away from her earthly body! I got, and still get, goose bumps thinking of that amazing experience; the daughter was so grateful to be able to have that gift. She had a special experience of feeling her mother borne up!

Psalm 80: 1
Give ear O Shepherd of Israel,
You who lead Joseph like a flock;
You who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth!
Before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh,
Stir up your strength, And come and save us

A relatively young woman lay dying. I noticed how beautiful her hands were. Her family were all crying, so I asked them if they’d like to hear Psalm 23: they loved it, and appreciated my pastoral presence. Later on her son asked how I am able to do this: doesn’t it tear me apart? I said No, it was God’s work and an honor to help them. However, it does sometimes “get” to me. On this occasion I cried all the way down the Schuylkill expressway to my next stop. The message I received, though, was it was the Lord who gave me the strength to support them.

Psalm 78: 52,53
But He made His own people go forth like sheep,
And guided them in the wilderness like a flock;
And He led them on safely,
So that they did not fear

Part of my job is to reassure people the Lord is really looking after them, and if I allow the Lord in He can inspire me. I was sitting with a dying Catholic patient wondering how to give her adequate support. The message I received was to just sing the simple chant version of the Magnificat to her. I love the Magnificat because it exemplifies Mary’s trust in God in spite of such awe-inspiring, unbelievable news. At the memorial service the lady’s son ran around telling everyone I sang the Magnificat to her. Today I feel more comfortable singing to my patients: it’s just another way for them to experience the Lord leading them.

Psalm 79:13
So we, Your people and sheep of Your pasture,
Will give You thanks forever;
We will show forth Your praise to all generations.

A 23 year old man lay dying. He tried to commit suicide 10 years earlier and had been in a coma ever since. His father had been shipped back to Jamaica many years ago. His mother had 4 other children. Yet she said those last 10 years had been the most blessed for her. I was amazed: how could this be? Yet I see now that her journey was a journey of the spirit, far above the sadness of  her natural situation. She was able to praise the Lord for that special blessing.

Isaiah 40:11
He will gather His flock like a shepherd;
He will gather the lambs with His arm,
And carry them in His bosom,
And gently lead those who are with young

A middle-aged man lay dying. He wasn’t tied to a specific religion, but said his faith had supported him. It was close to Christmas. I asked him if he’d like to hear the Christmas story. “The Christmas story!” he said and his eyes positively glowed. He “ate” up that beautiful story, which never dulls in its retelling. He died 2 days later. I will never forget that light in his eyes! It seemed the Lord was really carrying him in His bosom.

Ezekiel 37:24
David my servant shall be king over them,
And they shall all have one shepherd;
They shall also walk in My judgments and observe my statutes,
And do them.

In my interfaith ministry training I have observed the unity at the heart of all religions: the universal “oilfield”. One explanation of why all faiths seem have the belief in one Creator and the importance of helping others is that these universal truths are like a giant oilfield. There are many companies mining the oil but it’s the same oil and the One Shepherd.

Matt 9:36
But when He saw the multitudes He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.

Many families really struggle with accepting the impending death of their loved one. Some try to make their loved one get up, wanting them not to give up. It’s hard to witness the pain of their not being able to accept the inevitable. My job, if they’re willing, is to help them come to terms with this…..sadly some of the most dysfunctional families won’t accept my visits. I pray they find their Shepherd.

Matt 15:24
But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

I had an agnostic couple, who were English, finally accept my visits after my colleague told them I was also English. His wife struggled with wanting to give her husband hope, yet she was also struggling with her own belief in God after their having been through World War II. She wasn’t really sure if there was a life after death. I asked her about her love for her husband: would it die with his death? She said No. I told her that could illustrate that love was eternal. I was able to bring comfort in the form of a loving God, not a punitive one and was able to continue to provide comfort to the family during the memorial service which I led.

Revelation 7:17
“for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eye.”

Wow! In this passage the Lord is the Lamb, who will shepherd us! Amazing!

The role of a chaplain is neither to preach, evangelize, cajole, nor otherwise undercut the spirituality of either the patients or their families. Our role is to support people through their own faith, not to necessarily discuss ours. That said, I have had the experience of being asked what my faith is. One patient assessed I wasn’t Catholic, and I said Correct. When asked if I was Christian, I said Yes and added Swedenborgian. When she asked what that was I explained our foundation was the Bible, but we had the Writings of Swedenborg to explain the paradoxes. “Oh!” was what she said.  Thank you Lord! I know I didn’t think that up.

Special moments in ministry!