Scared to Death
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Mark 14:17-26 ; Psalm 23 April 2, 2026 (Maundy Thursday) • Mount Pleasant UMC When evening came, he did not want to be in the valley. It was dark enough here during the day, but sometimes he had to lead the sheep through it. And at night, it was really dark. Nahal Faran it was named; most people just called it the “Valley of the Shadow of Death.” Jerusalem was one way; Jericho was the other, but because of the way the hills were situated around it, sunlight rarely if ever reached the depths of the valley. The gorge was too narrow and the surrounding rock faces were too steep. Walking through it, even with sheep in search of water, was usually a dark experience. And so it had happened that one day, sitting along the edge of the stream as the sheep drank, the shepherd boy David had been praying and thinking about the ways God was working in his life. He knew how many of his fellow shepherds avoided this valley, and that meant when he came here it was usually pretty quiet. He love...