Importance: 50%
The Big Idea: Sermon Series for Lent covering the grieving process of Lament. I wrote and helped deliver this series at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in CO during my Vicarage.
Sitting in Ashes
The Lament is not something that is commonly treated in modern Christian practice. It is however a powerful tool that God has given us in the Psalms and most especially in Lamentations. God is not capricious, He does not delight in despair or destruction. He does not even willingly bring harm to anyone. But Life is not clean, there is death and destruction in the world. The lament takes that seriously and does not dismiss the reality of pain and the question of Godâs inaction. The lament is the tool given to us to not simply address tragedy and pain but to actually process it. The lament can be broken into six main elements. The Proposed sermon series will focus on one element of the lament for each sermon ending with Easter as the capstone. Â
Jesus models how to lament. He lamented over Jerusalem, in the garden of Gethsemane and even prayed psalm 22 on the cross. âMy God, my God, why have you forsaken me?â While this is where he stops the rest of the Psalm is implied: âWhy are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest.â It is interesting that we normally treat these words of Jesus like He was the first to say them. But lament is a language God has given his people throughout time and space to deal with situations that cannot be dealt with easily. It is a language he still gives us today that can and should be added back into our Christian vernacular.  Â
A Model for Lament
Element one: the Complaint
_________________________ Wednesday February 26 _________________________
Psalm 22:1-2 âMy God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest.â
Lament opens with a complaint. We know exactly what is wrong when good things die or tragedy strikes. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in Creation and Fall, notes the profound connection between good, evil and death: âWhat is the evil in good? It is that the good dies. What is the good in evil? It is that the evil dies.â The tree of the knowledge of good and evil has been tasted. We can and should pour out our anger and confusion before God. We can even acknowledge that God could have stopped it but didnât.  We know where the hurt is and what has happened that is not right. This should be cried out to God, not kept in ourselves or lessened by excuses. We can and should call for Godâs justice, His reparation in a situation gone so horribly wrong. âWhy are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?â
The Language of Pain
_________________________ Sunday March 1 _________________________
Lamentations 2:1-9, 16-24 âI am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of his wrath; he has driven and brought me into darkness without any light; surely against me he turns his hand again and again the whole day long. He has made my flesh and my skin waste away; he has broken my bones; he has besieged and enveloped me with bitterness and tribulation; he has made me dwell in darkness like the dead of long ago. He has walled me about so that I cannot escape; he has made my chains heavy; though I call and cry for help, he shuts out my prayer; he has blocked my ways with blocks of stones; he has made my paths crookedâŠ. He has made my teeth grind on gravel, and made me cower in ashes; my soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is; so I say, âMy endurance has perished; so has my hope from the Lord.â Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. âThe Lord is my portion,â says my soul, âtherefore I will hope in him.ââÂ
Element two: the Affirmation of Godâs Holiness
_________________________ Wednesday March 4 _________________________
Psalm 22:3 âYet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.âÂ
God is justice. There is no darkness in him. Even though we can let our complaint take its course, it does not change for a second the reality that God is Holy and completely Just. He is a loving God and even though we may feel far away, or like he has not answered, the second element brings us back to remembering the true identity of God.
When Everything Goes Wrong
_________________________ Sunday March 8 _________________________
Job 2:13-22 â Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brotherâs house, and there came a messenger to Job and said, âThe oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.â While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, âThe fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.â While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, âThe Chaldeans formed three groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.â While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, âYour sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brotherâs house, and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you.â Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, âNaked I came from my motherâs womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.â In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.â
Element three:Â History of Rescue
_________________________ Wednesday March 11 _________________________
Psalm 22:4-5 âIn you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame.â
Hope in past rescue. God is a God of history and promise. He has rescued in the past and has promised His care. Because of this, we have hope for our rescue and assurance that God has not abandoned us. âIn you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame.â
His Steadfast Love Endures Forever
_________________________ Sunday March 15 _________________________
Psalm 1-4, 23-26 âGive thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever; to him who alone does great wonders, for his steadfast love endures foreverâŠ. It is he who remembered us in our low estate, for his steadfast love endures forever; and rescued us from our foes, for his steadfast love endures forever; he who gives food to all flesh, for his steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever.â
Element four:Â Our place before God
_________________________ Wednesday March 18 _________________________
Psalm 22:6-10 âBut I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; âHe trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!â Yet you are he who took me from the womb; you made me trust you at my motherâs breasts. On you was I cast from my birth, and from my motherâs womb you have been my God.â
We must acknowledge and confess our sinfulness, utter dependence and undeservedness before God. We are all sinful and none of us are separate from the sin and destruction that has come out so violently in situations that we lament. It is humbling to confess that we are not innocent bystanders even in the worst tragedies. We may not have caused things directly (obviously) but we, as sinners, bow before God who is the only truly just one. We can question and struggle, but ultimately, God is God and we are not. âI am a worm and not a manâŠyet you are he who took me from the womb.â
I Donât Understand
_________________________ Sunday March 22 _________________________
Job 2:1-9 âAgain there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. And the Lord said to Satan, âFrom where have you come?â Satan answered the Lord and said, âFrom going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.â And the Lord said to Satan, âHave you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason.â Then Satan answered the Lord and said, âSkin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.â And the Lord said to Satan, âBehold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.â So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in the ashes. Then his wife said to him, âDo you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.â But he said to her, âYou speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?â In all this Job did not sin with his lipsâ
Element five:Â Prayer for deliverance.
_________________________ Wednesday March 25 _________________________
Psalm 22:11-21 âBe not far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help. Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me; they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death. For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feetâ I can count all my bonesâ they stare and gloat over me; they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. But you, O Lord, do not be far off! O you my help, come quickly to my aid! Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog! Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen!â
We are stuck, we are hurting, and we need help. Not help that covers over and makes everything seem fine. We need true deep deliverance from a broken world, from the evil and harm that has happened, and from the darkness that is inside ourselves. There is nowhere else that we can find this deliverance, but from God. There is no twelve step plan, or comforting word, that can bring this, only God himself. He will bring it in his way, at His time, but we can ask for it, and we should ask for it. Orienting ourselves toward God and his power rather than our own ability to make ourselves happy or patch together the pieces. âBut you, O Lord, do not be far off! O you my help, come quickly to my aid! Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog! Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen!â
There will be a Better Day
_________________________ Sunday March 29 _________________________
Psalm 6:1-10 âO Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath. Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled. My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O Lordâhow long? Turn, O Lord, deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast love. For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you praise? Â I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping. My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows weak because of all my foes. Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping. The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord accepts my prayer. All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled; they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment.â
Element six:Â Standing on Godâs promises
_________________________ Wednesday April 1 _________________________
Psalm 22:22-31 âI will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you: You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him. From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will perform before those who fear him. The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord! May your hearts live forever! All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations. All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, even the one who could not keep himself alive. Posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation; they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it.â
The final step of a Lament does not always tie things up as nicely as we would like. This step is the most fluid and should be an undercurrent in our lament. It is not an artificial veneer that tries to cover things up. This is our statement of hope and faith. We proclaim that Godâs promises and goodness are real even in the depths of our darkness. We cling to them and hold onto them as a comfort, but not only a comfort. They are the deep reality. The place where God has revealed himself to us. When we look for a place to stand, we can stand on these sure words that have been given. âAll the prosperous of the earth eat and worship; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, even the one who could not keep himself alive. Posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation; they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it.â Â
Yet this standing is allowed to be shaky, we can cycle back through the lament as many times, and as often, as we need to bear our souls to God. The book of Lamentations is a good example of this. Five separate laments, but the third, at the heart of the book, is one lament focused on the hope found in God. There are still two after that move back to calling out to God in pain, but the heart should always be centered with hope. This is the kind of real hope that we can offer people. Not a cure all, feel better bandage, but a deep abiding hope that can be honest and truly seek God. We can cry to Him, even question and doubt Him, while still knowing and returning to the hope that He will not leave us buried under the burden of suffering by ourselves.**