Sermon Prep (1) | Lamentations 5

Context

Chapter 5 stands apart from the rest of Lamentations, especially with respect to formal features. It is not an acrostic like the other poems in the book. Jeremiah ends the book of Lamentations with a prayer, a final prayer, a prayer of confession and longing for restoration. The punishment is over, but there is still need for restoration. Jeremiah is coming out of his suffering, out of his tragedy but the nation still needs to be restored. In ancient Israel, laments of the community were evidently composed and used in times of great national distress. In times of distress, the nation would collectively humble itself before the Lord appealing for help. This is the first time the text uses the first-person plural pronoun (we). The nation comes to the conclusion that: “we have sinned against God from our youth. The nation did what God expected them to do.

The punishment is over, but there is still a need for restoration. Jeremiah is coming out his suffering, out of his tragedy but the nation still needs to be restored, the pain still there, the traumas still there. People now are asking the question: how do we adjust to the new normal? (Does that sound familiar to you)? It is a different world, it is a different city, it is a different mentality. It is a city that would never be what it was before, EVER.

Now

Working in prisons. Testimonials of inmates going readapting to life outside of prison.

Pray Honestly