Finding Hope in our Despair

When Life Was Good: Worship at the 22nd
Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA)

Scripture

Lamentations 5:15-21
¹⁵ The joy of our hearts has ceased;
    our dancing has been turned to mourning.
¹⁶ The crown has fallen from our head;
    woe to us, for we have sinned!
¹⁷ Because of this our hearts are sick,
    because of these things our eyes have grown dim:
¹⁸ because of Mount Zion, which lies desolate;
    jackals prowl over it.

¹⁹ But you, O Lord, reign forever;
    your throne endures to all generations.
²⁰ Why have you forgotten us completely?
    Why have you forsaken us these many days?
²¹ Restore us to yourself, O Lord, that we may be restored;
    renew our days as of old—

Devotion

This week, the Presbyterian Church (USA) is holdings its 224th General Assembly.  As someone who was blessed to attend the 22nd General Assembly in Portland, Oregon, I know how amazing the experience can be.  At General Assembly, the hard work of making decisions for our denomination is combined with the joy of joining together with thousands of other Presbyterians as you worship, have Bible study, engage in mission opportunities, and explore your host city.  I couldn't travel to Baltimore for the this year's Assembly, but I was looking forward to hearing the stories of friends and colleagues who made the trip.  Then, a pandemic changed everything...

This year, General Assembly is being held online.  The special events being planned by Baltimore churches and the fellowship times have been cancelled.  There will be no getting to know a fellow committee member from across the country over lunch.  No hugging dear friends and colleagues that you haven't seen in years when you run into them in exhibition halls or coffee lines.  No goody bags left at commisioners seats or rueful smiles as you crowd onto public transportation after a long day.  And while there are still worship opportunities and Bible Studies being offered online, it doesn't feel quite the same as all being in the same space.  General Assembly is very different this year...and a lot of those differences are painful.

The sadness that General Assembly goers feel this week is but a drop in an ocean of woe.  From being separated from loved ones to the continual reminders of racial injustice the world's grief seems endless.  As we become heartsick and our dancing turns to mourning, we cast our eyes up to heaven and ask why.  Has God forgotten us?  How long can we be expected to endure such suffering on our own?

The author of Lamentations has the same basic questions.  Written during the Babylonian exile, Lamentations is a series of grief-filled poems.  The author is dealing with the trauma of seeing Jerusalem and the Temple completely destroyed.  Now, the people are slaves in a strange land, and there seems like there will be no end to the suffering they have to endure.  It all feels like too much for the homesick and heartsick Children of Israel to take.

Even in the midst of all that despair, the author of Lamentations still turns to God for help.  The poems may ask if God has forgotten them, but they also recognize God still reigns over everything.  The author keeps begging the Almighty to restored the people to him.  The author's questions are painful; at the same time, they display a deep and abiding faith in God's goodness.  Even when life is at its worst and they've lot everything they love, the people trust that God will eventually respond to their cries for help.  They know that there will come a day that life would be good again, and they will rejoice in their relationships with God and one another.  That faith helps them find hope in the midst of their despair.  Decades later, their trust in God will be rewarded when God restores their relationship with him, renews their spirits, and returns them to Judah, where they rebuild Jerusalem.

When it became clear that nothing this year is giong to normal and that the changes that our society is making hurt, the planners of the General Assembly changed its theme to be "From Lament to Hope."  The guiding scripture is Lamentations 5:20-21.  This new theme expresses both the pain that Christians feel right now and the type of witness we can offer to the world.  Like those who came before us, we grieve for both what we have lost and what we are still enduring. We trust that God will hear our cries for help and restore us.  We have hope that we will see the day when life is good again.  And I know that if we keep hold of our faith, God will help us reach that better day.

As we continue through this strange and grief-filled time, let us keep praying for God to renew and restore us.  And as we do so, let's form a clear vision of the changes we can make to show our appreciation for the blessings God gives us.   As Dolly Parton suggests in her new song, let us commit to taking actions like opening our hearts, repenting of our sins, making amends, and letting the world in.  This is what it means to both lament what is and find hope in what is to come.  Life will be good again.  And God's blessings will abound.

Prayer

God, we are hurting, but we trust that you have not forgotten us.  Restore this grief-stricken world to you, that we may dance for joy as we follow your ways.  May this time of sorrow inspire us to open our hearts and change our sinful ways, so that your love may shine everywhere.  Amen.