Oh, My Shepherd by Amanda Udis-Kessler

About the Song: I was commissioned by a UCC congregation in Massachusetts to write a new piece of sacred music that addressed or engaged with the 23rd Psalm. When I received the commission, I was participating in a Sacred Conversations to End Racism group and the spiritual challenges of being a white person working against racism were on my mind. The 23rd Psalm, as I hear it, is narrated by someone who belongs to an oppressed, devalued, exploited group; I wondered what the 23rd Psalm would turn into if narrated by someone with privilege, power, and social status who wished to use that privilege, power and status to work for the well-being of all people. As a white person, I thought I could best work with this question in the context of racism. As a sociologist, I have spent decades thinking about how racism works systematically and about how the failure of white people to live in solidarity with people of color contributes to racism's entrenchment and reproduction on a daily basis. Working against racism as a white person requires emotional development (particularly the resilience to live with discomfort), self-education on the history and current social patterns of racism, and development of virtues such as courage and humility; thinking about the 23rd Psalm commission raised the question of what kind of spiritual work might also be demanded of white people. The idea of confession came to mind. When we white people can acknowledge our privilege, our power, the ways we benefit from white supremacy, and the harm we cause, we are better equipped to let go of some of our attachment to white supremacy and we become more able to act in solidarity with communities of color in ways that center their experiences and leadership. This kind of confession deepens our humility and strengthens us for the work, whether it is done in the context of a particular religious tradition or not. In that spirit, I am happy to make "Oh, My Shepherd" available to anyone who would find it useful.
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​Lyrics Here: