11/27/21 "How Long?"
Sermon Notes
How Long?
Learning to Wait and Sit in the Ache of Longing
Key text:
Lamentations 1:1
Eykah
Eykah It is a word that is uttered in almost every passage of mourning over a deceased person (2 Sam 1:19; Isa 14:4, 12) or descriptions of God’s negative judgments (Isa 1:21; Jer 48:17; Ezek 26:17; Lam 1:1; 2:1; 4:1, 2). As in Lamentation 1:1, it is often the first word in laments. In fact, it is the first word of the book and the title of the book.
Quote
“is a gut-wrenching wail stretched on the rack of ruin. Tears become ink in this book, penned with cruciform calligraphy. Translating eykah as 'How' just seems too bland. The word needs to burn the mouth as it’s spoken, baptizing the tongue with ashes, for it erupts from a heart torched by grief.”—Bird , Chad . Unveiling Mercy (p. 324).
Supplemen-tary Text
Psalm 44. As a devotional practice, I try to put myself in the shoes of the Psalmist and rewrite the Psalm in my own words. The reading I do is my rendering of the text. Also, notice how in verses 23-26 the Psalmist calls God to wake up. You may recall my sermon titled "The God Who Never Sleeps" where I taught that Psalm 121 is a song about Yahweh being better than Baal. While Baal slept half of the year, Yahweh did not. The Psalmist here is accusing God of falling asleep like Baal. The Psalmist is bold indeed.
My rendition:
1 My whole life we have been told about what you did for our ancestors, in days long ago. 2 With your hand you drove out the nations and planted our ancestors and made our ancestors flourish. 3 It was not by their sword or strength that they won; it was because you lead them, for you loved them.
9 But now you have rejected and humbled us; you have abandoned us.
10 You made us retreat before the enemy and they plundered us.
11 You gave us up to be devoured like sheep and scattered us among the nations.
12 You sold us for pennies, gaining nothing from the sale.
13 You humiliated us, and made us the joke of those around us.
14 You have made us a byword among the nations; the peoples shake their heads at us.
15 I live in disgrace all day long and my face is covered with shame 16 at the taunts of those who reproach and revile us.
Answer me. ANSWER ME!
19 But you crushed us and made us a haunt for jackals; you covered us over with deep darkness. 22 Because of you we face death all day long; The Babylonians consider us as sheep to be slaughtered.
Hello? Have you fallen asleep like Baal? What happened to the mighty “God who never sleeps?”
23 Awake, Lord! Why do you sleep?
Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever.
24 Why do you hide your face
and forget our misery and oppression?
25 We are brought down to the dust;
our bodies cling to the ground.
26 Rise up and help us;
rescue us because of your unfailing love.
Quote 2
“That kind of waiting takes courage — courage to remain strong and faithful, no matter how long the waiting takes.” —https://renovare.org/articles/advent-learning-to-wait
This quote is in reference to difficult waiting. Waiting in long lines and for late deliveries only tries our patience. But waiting for healing, rescue, or reunions takes courage. Also, I took her list of courageous waiting verbatim because I believe she stated it so well.
Supplemen-tary Texts
Psalm 31:24 ESV
Lamentation 3:25-27
Bullet
Main Point
We cannot celebrate the hope we find in Christ without first preparing through waiting, by mourning, and sitting in the ache of longing. We are not ready to celebrate until we acknowledge that this world is not yet how God would have it be.
Supplemen-tary Text
Hosea 2:14-15
The Valley of Achor is northwest of Jericho on the northern border of the tribe of Judah. There the Israelites executed Achan and his household. Achor means “trouble,” “affliction,” or “taboo” and implies a severe kind of trouble. The shortened story is: After Israel experienced a great victory at the battle of Jericho, Achan, a member of the tribe of Judah, directly disobeyed the Lord’s command and kept some of the spoils from Jericho for himself. As a result, God punished the entire nation for one man's sins. When Achan's sins were found out he was executed (Joshua 7). In Hosea 2:14-15 God promises to make that place, which represented pain and loss, a door of hope. God would bring them back to the place of pain to heal them.
Psalm 13
This Psalm is the keystone text of Advent. We cry "How long? Will you forget us forever?" to God. And the Lord responds with the birth of his Son, Jesus Christ.