Liturgy for Life : WK 1 - THU
Lament
Lamentations 3:17-20
Peace has been stripped away, and I have forgotten what prosperity is. I cry out, "My splendor is gone! Everything I had hoped for from the LORD is lost!" The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss.
Every human being experiences loss at various levels. If you have lived for any length of years, chances are you have experienced many losses in your lifetime. A loss can involve anything from a loss of job, the loss of a dream, loss of hope, loss of a loved one, I think you get the idea. With loss comes grief. We don’t tend to like to talk about our losses or grieving. However, it is important for us as human beings to acknowledge the various losses we experience. If we don’t, chances are we will carry it with us and in us for the rest of our lives, and it will impact our relationships with God and others . . . in negative and burdensome ways. It is healthy for us to grieve, lament, weep, and mourn the losses we experience in life.
The passage we are in today is from a book of lament. It is believed that the prophet Jeremiah wrote the book following the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 B.C. The temple had been destroyed, which represented the presence of God with them. What do you do when your city, your dwelling, and the very representation of God with you are completely destroyed and left for ruin? You lament, cry, wail, and cry out to God. There are five chapters in the Book of Lamentations, which are five poems for lamenting. This book is read annually by Jewish people. Sometimes, you may not know you need to lament until you are invited to think about it and read some poetry on lament. This is why a healthy ritual is so valuable to us as Christ's followers who are intentional about our formation in Christ. We won’t drift into Christ being formed in us and deep, mature, Godly spirituality.
Loss has a way of reminding us of what really matters to us in this life. Loss reveals to us what we regard as valuable and meaningful. God invites us to lament with Him and to grieve with Him. He doesn’t slap us on the back and say, “Get over it! Everything will be ok!” Many people are not comfortable with grieving and especially being with people who are grieving. In a society where everything has to feel good, together, and successful, we might want to fix people and not focus on what may be considered the negative things. Life can be very hard, and God gets it. In many places in scripture, God laments, grieves, and even weeps. Be assured that God is with us when we experience loss, grief, and lament.
Lamentations 3:17-20
Peace has been stripped away, and I have forgotten what prosperity is. I cry out, "My splendor is gone! Everything I had hoped for from the LORD is lost!" The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss.
Every human being experiences loss at various levels. If you have lived for any length of years, chances are you have experienced many losses in your lifetime. A loss can involve anything from a loss of job, the loss of a dream, loss of hope, loss of a loved one, I think you get the idea. With loss comes grief. We don’t tend to like to talk about our losses or grieving. However, it is important for us as human beings to acknowledge the various losses we experience. If we don’t, chances are we will carry it with us and in us for the rest of our lives, and it will impact our relationships with God and others . . . in negative and burdensome ways. It is healthy for us to grieve, lament, weep, and mourn the losses we experience in life.
The passage we are in today is from a book of lament. It is believed that the prophet Jeremiah wrote the book following the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 B.C. The temple had been destroyed, which represented the presence of God with them. What do you do when your city, your dwelling, and the very representation of God with you are completely destroyed and left for ruin? You lament, cry, wail, and cry out to God. There are five chapters in the Book of Lamentations, which are five poems for lamenting. This book is read annually by Jewish people. Sometimes, you may not know you need to lament until you are invited to think about it and read some poetry on lament. This is why a healthy ritual is so valuable to us as Christ's followers who are intentional about our formation in Christ. We won’t drift into Christ being formed in us and deep, mature, Godly spirituality.
Loss has a way of reminding us of what really matters to us in this life. Loss reveals to us what we regard as valuable and meaningful. God invites us to lament with Him and to grieve with Him. He doesn’t slap us on the back and say, “Get over it! Everything will be ok!” Many people are not comfortable with grieving and especially being with people who are grieving. In a society where everything has to feel good, together, and successful, we might want to fix people and not focus on what may be considered the negative things. Life can be very hard, and God gets it. In many places in scripture, God laments, grieves, and even weeps. Be assured that God is with us when we experience loss, grief, and lament.
- How have you experienced loss in your life?
- What did you find helpful to you when you have gone through times of loss?
- How have you sensed God’s heart for you during times of grief?
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