The image of The Good Shepherd has spurred many compositions. Next to Christmas and Easter music, I think a close second, in terms of output, are the compositions that are centered around the words of the 23^rd Psalm. Who doesn’t love this Psalm, or the images it evokes? All of thematic elements of God, as the gentle shepherd, are gently embedded in the musical nuance of today’s music.  

The prelude, from one of Bach’s cantatas called Schafe können sicher weiden, is an organ arrangement of a movement originally composed for orchestra and soprano soloist. If you listen carefully to the pedal line, you may notice a steady, repeated, thumping-like figure that gets going at the onset and continues throughout. It almost sounds like a heartbeat, but I think Bach was trying to represent a gentle, nudging figure. Actually, I think it represents one of the ways that God “speaks” to us. When we listen for God’s call to us, we can sense a gentle, unrelenting persistence that echoes repeatedly in the depths of our being. This persistent resonance allows us to know where we are to go, what we are to do, and with whom we are to form relationships. The lilting accompaniment figure caresses and corrects the wayward melody played with the left hand. Just like God often corrects our own miscalculations and missteps our own life’s journey. Bach wrote the music in ways that always seem to invite the listener back to the rightness of the intuitive pathway, through its persistent patterns and corrective melodic gestures. It’s amazing how you can actually “hear” God’s shepherd-like guidance pulsing, moving, and nudging you home to safety.

The offertory anthem, from John Rutter’s famous Requiem, does many of the same things as the prelude, but with the use of lyricism and melody. The sopranos introduce the melody to us at the onset, but the real star is the oboe part. The melody here “speaks” volumes about The Good Shepherd. It glides effortlessly, representing God’s gentle nudging. It’s also reminiscent of a pastorale, which is a slow instrumental composition, usually with long notes in the bass. It evokes images of tranquility, peace, and comfort.  

God leads and guides us one step at a time. And when we stray like sheep, this music reminds us of His gentle, undulating, and loving correction. Many composers have set these words to music, probably because we’ve all been lost like stray sheep at various points in life. But God never leaves us to fend for ourselves. That’s because we can’t. Music like this reminds us to hear the Gentle Voice, who, like gravity, is always “on.” Listen carefully to what’s being communicated in this music, not just in the words themselves, but in the figures and pulsing rhythms. These gentle undulations can remind us of God’s unwavering persistence, admonishment, and correction. When you realize the creator of the universe cannot be absent, you truly lack nothing. Soli deo Gloria!