Greetings and best wishes to all who read this newsletter! As one of the oldest members of the Multi-Faith Chaplaincy at St Francis Hall, (please do not stop reading) I am very impressed by the inner strength you exhibit in this troubled time as students and staff of one of the most diverse and demanding universities in the country. The steadfastness you exhibit daily as you go about the task of learning and exploring the mystery of life is a wonderful affirmation of your goodness and courage.
For today’s world seems very precarious. The foundations of the health, economic and political structures that we have lived in for many years now seem far more unstable than we could have ever imagined. For many of you the current situation is fast becoming your norm. We can only salute you, for you are the future of humankind. You will be the economic, business, education, medical, legal and community leaders of the future.
In your studies to prepare for these future roles, you learn how thoughtful persons through the centuries tackled your subjects, and you will build upon their insights and provide new paths of knowledge for future times.
This building on the past is the same for those of us who have found meaning in religious traditions. Writings that have passed down from persons who have lived thousands of years before us still contain wisdom and insights into the human condition today. In the Christian, Jewish and Islamic traditions one of the revered collections of common historic wisdom is found in the Psalms (the Zabur), a collection of songs and poetry from more than two thousand years ago.
Psalm 23, The Lord is my Shepherd, is one of the most familiar of these ancient poems. It affirms that there is a spirit of Goodness and Creativity, a mystery that the psalmist identifies as “the Lord”. This mystery guides, provides and encourages us through good times and difficult times, yes, even through deepest darkness, “the valley of the shadow of death.” The Lord is like a shepherd, whose “rod and staff” protects us. The ancient psalmist states “I know your goodness and love will be with me all my life and your house will be my home for as long as I live.”
Psalm 23 encourages us to search for this goodness and let it guide us through rest and quietness into good paths of life, of service. You can find Psalm 23 online…may it encourage you as you prepare for your life’s work.
John Evenson, Lutheran Chaplain to the University of Birmingham