Lament and Hope

THROUGH THE VALLEY • Sermon • Submitted 2 months ago • Presented 2 months ago

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In a world of “either/or,” lament can bring us to a more honest place of “both/and.” We can both reckon with the full weight of our sorrows and experience hope in our faithful, loving God.

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Transcript

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Scripture Passage

Lamentations 3:19–24 (NLT)

19 The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. 20 I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. 21 Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: 22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. 23 Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. 24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!”

Focus Statement

In a world of “either/or,” lament can bring us to the more honest place of “both/and.”

We can both reckon with the full weight of our sorrows and experience hope in our faithful, loving God.

Point of Relation

In the fading light of dusk, Jeremiah stood atop the crumbling walls of Jerusalem, his heart heavy with sorrow.

The once majestic city lay in ruins before him,

its streets deserted and its walls breached by the enemy's relentless assault.

As he gazed upon the devastation,

Jeremiah felt the weight of despair settle upon his shoulders like a leaden cloak.

"How long has it been,"

he whispered to himself, his voice barely a breath in the stillness of the evening,

"since the glory of Jerusalem faded into darkness? How long since her people walked these streets in peace?"

With each passing moment, memories of better days flooded Jeremiah's mind

—of bustling marketplaces filled with laughter, of temples resounding with the songs of worship, of a city that stood as a beacon of hope and strength in a troubled land.

But now, all that remained were the echoes of a once vibrant past, swallowed by the ravages of war and destruction.

Tears welled in Jeremiah's eyes as he recalled the suffering of his people

—their cries for mercy, their pleas for deliverance falling on deaf ears.

How could he, a mere mortal, bear witness to such devastation and not be consumed by grief?

"I remember my affliction and my wandering,"

Jeremiah murmured, his voice trembling with emotion,

"the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me."

But even in the depths of his despair,

Jeremiah clung to a glimmer of hope—a hope born from the unwavering faith that had sustained him through the darkest of days.

For he knew that despite the pain and suffering that surrounded him,

his God was a God of mercy and compassion,

a God who held the power to redeem even the most broken of souls.

"Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope," Jeremiah declared, his voice growing stronger with each word.

”Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed,

for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

As Jeremiah spoke these words, a sense of peace washed over him

—a peace born from the knowledge that even in the midst of destruction,

God's love remained steadfast and true.

And though the road ahead would be long and difficult,

Jeremiah found solace in the promise of restoration

—that one day, Jerusalem would rise from the ashes, more glorious than ever before.

With renewed determination,

Jeremiah turned his gaze towards the horizon, his heart filled with hope for the future.

For he knew that even in the darkest of times,

the dawn of a new day was just beyond the horizon, bringing with it the promise of redemption and renewal.

Things to Consider

Jeremiah, who is traditionally seen as the author of this book, laments his affliction and homelessness/wandering.

As a community, we experience afflictions too.

For example,

declining membership,

Decreased giving

THE PANDEMIC

What Scripture Says

Jeremiah honestly faces his affliction – no sugarcoating! –

and at the same time brings their lament before God

whom they ultimately trust.

Lament before a steadfast, loving God differs from mere “complaining,”

in the sense that lament contains a hopefulness born of trust.

It is possible, even a good thing,

for lament and hope to dwell in the same space

and at the same time.

In our time of lament, we can lay down or rest for awhile.

At some point, we have to get back up.

That doesn’t mean lament is over.

Particularly with grief, it almost has to be both.

Having the space to be honest and pour ourselves out before God,

gives us the ability to get up, live, serve and be.

We don’t abandon lament or hope for the other-

it can both be fully both at the same time.

We see this dynamic in the scripture where, in verses 19-20,

the writer honestly pours themselves out before God

and then in verse 21 where hope starts to soothe the lament.

Eventually, our suffering becomes a scar instead of a wound.

Also, it is important to note that while this scripture passage only shows two verses of “lament” before focusing on hope,

Lamentations chapters 1-2 and the beginning of chapter 3 are all focused on lament and the remaining verses in chapter 3,

as well as chapters 4-5 show a mix of lament, hope, supplication etc.

So, contrary to what our short selection might imply if taken out of context,

shifting from lament to hope is not often quick or linear.

In verses 22-23, the writer recalls God’s steadfastness.

Sometimes we can look back on past griefs or painful experiences and see how God sustained us through them.

This can be one way that we nurture hope for the future.

God is steadfast even when we waver.

Trusting, even when it hurts and is hard,

and finding peace and hope in that place is part of discipleship.

When we face life – and God - with honesty, we can face it with hope.

What This Means for You

Let me ask you, where can you shift from “but” to “and” in your own life?

How does that change your perspective and provide a possibility that brings hope?

Are you currently in a season of waiting?

How can you move towards acceptance that this is a season of waiting, even if it feels too long/hard?

Jeremiah describes how he sees God and what he believes to be true about God.

What characteristics of God can you embrace in this time of affliction that might allow you to find some hope?

Friends, the basis of the Jeremiah’s hope is God’s steadfast love.

But there are other characteristics of God or God’s promises that might help us find hope, such as:

God creating us in God’s image.

God’s presence with us in Jesus Christ,

God’s promise of eternal life.

What This Means for Us

In verse 19, some translations say “wandering,” while others say “homelessness.”

Even if we are not experiencing homelessness/wandering ourselves,

we are called to serve those who are, to be a place and people of hope in the midst of others’ lament.

How do we walk alongside people who are waiting

and not amplify impatience or make it harder for people who are wandering, waiting, and hoping for something better?

We can for instance,

do the things we are already doing:

We can create spaces for belonging…spaces that meet the needs of people and give them a place to belong…

Spaces such as

Treasures of Hope,

Our Potluck Suppers

Hypnosis for Health

Theology on Tap

We provide space for the Boy Scouts

We are providing space for Norwescap and its ministries here.

We are providing spaces for chair yoga and Life With Joy, which is a wonderful program that houses and teaches Adults with Autism.

But we can do more as well.

We often try to move people along before people are ready to move on from a difficult situation

or we want to move on ourselves because it is uncomfortable.

But we are called to walk alongside, not scurry away, amen?

Let us be a people who embrace both lament and hope, recognizing that it is in the midst of one that comes another. Amen? Amen.

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