We just ended a three week series on Lamentations. I never preached about this raw and emotional book before and it was hard to preach. In my sermons, I tend to try and end on a happy note, an encouraging note but Lamentations isn’t that type of scripture. It ends with more pain and grief than anything. The pain the Israelites were feeling as they watched their city and beloved temple turn into rubble was horrible. They lost everything as they moved into exile in Babalyon. In this series, we look at grief, pain, and darkness which are realities in our lives as well. We look at Personal Pain, Corporate Pain, and Remembering.
Pastor Kelly and I really wanted to leave the congregation feeling what Lamentations makes us feel, uneasy and blurry. The first two sermons point to this reality, which we always wanted to acknowledge, many other people are feeling. The third sermon was a reminder of where our hope is and what it can look like to remember who God is in the midst of the darkness.
Walking in the Dark: Personal Pain
Walking in the Dark: Corporate Pain (Here is the video liturgy used in this sermon)