Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12 , Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, and Psalm 137:1-4.
This sermon is part of a 5-part sermon series on brokenness, I plan to do in the future.
Also wherever the symbol {~} is seen, a tissue is pulled from the box.
Emptying
the Box
No, I don’t have a cold or plan to get teary;
it does have a purpose
that ties in to today’s message,
so for
now, here it sits.
Psalm 100 which we heard in the call to worship is all
about
making
a joyful noise.
Singing
and praising.
It was
the way the Israelites gave thanks to God.
But in contrast Psalm 137 is a song of lament;
no
singing: no joy:
‘we hung up our harps’.
The Israelites have been in exile in Babylon,
far
from Jerusalem,
far
from home.
Now some have returned to a city in ruins.
They cling to their memories
of what Jerusalem once
was,
before.
The Israelites lament as a community,
sharing
their pain,
their torment.
They are grieving their loss.
Grieving a loss….
Loss can be defined in so many ways:
loss of
a loved one whether
from
death,
from
someone moving away,
from
a relationship ending;
loss of
something that makes us feel secure
a
job,
a
home,
a
routine;
loss of
health,
independence,
time,
ability,
even a
loss of faith.
And a loss is felt in so many ways:
sadness;
anger;
confusion;
bewilderment;
despair.
Where can you and I turn for comfort?
How can we find hope in times of despair?
Comfort for those who mourn is addressed in the Old
Testament
in
Isaiah 61:
3 to provide for those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a garland instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.
to give them a garland instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.
It is the work of the Spirit of the Lord.
God’s
presence with those in a time of need.
For the Israelites who returned to the ruins of
Jerusalem,
Isaiah
knows what can be done:
4 They
shall build up the ancient ruins,
they shall raise up the former devastations.
they shall raise up the former devastations.
God gives hope to those in despair.
In Matthew’s scripture Jesus gives hope.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for
they will be comforted.”
Comfort, reassurance, solace.
This is just one of the beatitudes mentioned
as part of his Sermon on
the Mount.
Jesus addresses issues that cloud hope.
Even in the worst of circumstances, there are
blessings:
“Blessed
are…
the poor in spirit
the
meek
those
who hunger and thirst for righteousness
those
who are persecuted.”
For every woe there is a blessing:
comfort
and mercy.
For every uncertainty there is assurance:
children
of God.
For every doubt there is hope:
the kingdom of heaven.
However, when one is in the midst of
discomfort, despair, or
doubt,
it is hard to see the
promise of something better.
That can be when the Kleenex box comes out. {~}
All you and I may want to do is cry.
I spent last fall working at MCV as a chaplain.
By the second week, I learned to always have tissues
In my
coat pocket.
They were usually for the patients, {~}
who
might suddenly tear up
and
could not find their tissue box.
Sometimes for a family member, {~}
who
would take the tissue and then wring it in their hands.
And on more than occasion, I needed them. {~}
I would try not to tear up in a patient’s room,
but
hold myself together
until I could disappear
into a stairwell to let it all out.
It is okay to cry. {~}
Jesus wept for his friend Lazarus. {~}
Jesus felt pain and anguish and loss
and reacted in a very
human way.
There is
a
time for every matter under heaven:
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to
dance;
Like the beatitudes,
these
words in Ecclesiastes speak of contrast.
They are not
phrased as good versus bad,
not as a solution to a concern,
only as
every day circumstances that are encountered by us.
It does not
say if you mourn, you will never laugh or
if one
hates, you cannot also love or
if we
choose silence,
there are not times when we must speak up,
especially
in the face of injustice.
Circumstances, whether good or bad,
easy or challenging,
sad or happy
are
all part of our lives.
You and I
do not laugh at the same time we
weep.
There are appropriate times for each;
each
feeling,
each
emotion,
each
moment makes us who we are.
who
God has made us to be.
There are times when you and I feel better
after a good cry.
The tension is released,
the
fear is faced,
the
body can give a sigh of relief.
We are assured that during these times we are not
alone.
God weeps with us.
For God is love, grace, and mercy.
For God so loved the world…
On a daily basis we hear so much bad news:
an act
of terrorism, {~}
a
shooting, {~}
abuse, {~}
injustice, {~}
loss. {~}
You and I
feel these pains as individuals,
we also lament as a
community,
gathering together to
comfort one another,
to share our pain.
We weep. {~} {~} {~} {~}
Even amongst our tears you and I have hope.
God gives comfort,
presence
in our times of distress;
Jesus’ example shows us
the
humanity of emotions and the divinity of God’s love,
The Holy Spirit is with us as we gather together
in
worship, in prayer,
a
time to break down, and a time to build up;
a
time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to
dance.
There will be a point when weeping will be no more:
when there is a new
heaven and a new earth:
“See,
the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them;
He will dwell with them;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them;
he
will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.”
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.”
{hold up empty Kleenex box}
The box is empty.
It has been useful.
Another box like it will be needed at another time.
Weep when you need to,
laugh when need to;
know
that both are blessings from God.
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