October 29
Lamentations 1:1-2:22; Philemon 1:1-25; Psalm 101:1-8; Proverbs 26:20
When I was in college my grandfather passed away and for years afterward, every time I called my grandmother she would cry. In my youthful naivety, I thought that there must be something wrong with her. Surely, she should feel better by now, I thought. Yet I failed to understand the place of lament in life. The book of Lamentations and its extended discourse on lament and mourning would have been a helpful learning tool.
As we consider the whole Bible, we find lament beginning with the fall of Adam & Eve. As soon as sin entered the world so did death, tears, and mourning. Lament becomes a natural and necessary response to the brokenness of the world. As we experience the consequences of our sin and the sin of others around us, we are called to respond with lament. As we read through Lamentations it becomes something akin to a Book of Lament for Dummies, if you remember that book series.
Thankfully lament is not to be our only response because as Psalm 101 tells us, we are also to speak of God’s love. Paul exhorts Philemon to “be active in sharing your faith so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.” As we share the work of Jesus with others it reminds us of the love, grace, and beauty of God. So, we both lament sin’s reality today while also celebrating the love of God that will transform this world.
Father God, I come to you broken. I lament my sin. At the same time, I thank you for your love and the work of Jesus on my behalf. Amen.
Question: Why as a culture do we fail to grasp the place lament should have in our lives?
When I was in college my grandfather passed away and for years afterward, every time I called my grandmother she would cry. In my youthful naivety, I thought that there must be something wrong with her. Surely, she should feel better by now, I thought. Yet I failed to understand the place of lament in life. The book of Lamentations and its extended discourse on lament and mourning would have been a helpful learning tool.
As we consider the whole Bible, we find lament beginning with the fall of Adam & Eve. As soon as sin entered the world so did death, tears, and mourning. Lament becomes a natural and necessary response to the brokenness of the world. As we experience the consequences of our sin and the sin of others around us, we are called to respond with lament. As we read through Lamentations it becomes something akin to a Book of Lament for Dummies, if you remember that book series.
Thankfully lament is not to be our only response because as Psalm 101 tells us, we are also to speak of God’s love. Paul exhorts Philemon to “be active in sharing your faith so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.” As we share the work of Jesus with others it reminds us of the love, grace, and beauty of God. So, we both lament sin’s reality today while also celebrating the love of God that will transform this world.
Father God, I come to you broken. I lament my sin. At the same time, I thank you for your love and the work of Jesus on my behalf. Amen.
Question: Why as a culture do we fail to grasp the place lament should have in our lives?
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