Emptying the Box 2020

While at seminary, one summer, I did a directed study on brokenness. What came from this directed study is a way to address brokenness through sermons to a congregation. It does not matter what the issue might be, whether it is chronic illness, grief, loss, family concerns, or something unspoken, everyone is broken in some way.

The 5- part sermon series will deal with different forms of brokenness. The goal is to have each sermon be a message that speaks to the hope, to possibilities, and God’s grace in these difficult aspects of life.

Week 4: Gief & Loss,  Scriptures are Psalm 137:1-2 and Mathew 5:1-12.  Additional scripture is Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.

Emptying the Box 2020

I am sure you noticed there is a Kleenex box here beside me.

No, I don’t have a cold or plan to get teary;

it does have a purpose that ties to today’s message,

so, for now, here it sits.

Psalm 137 is a song of lament;

the Israelites have suffered,

they have dealt with separation, injustice, loss, and fear:

   ‘we hung up our harps’

No singing or joy.

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.

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.

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.

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 separation and isolation, there is presence:

  God is with us.

For every uncertainty, there is assurance:

  children of God.

For every wrong, there is justice:

  a path of forgiveness.

For every doubt, there is hope:

  the kingdom of heaven.

However, when one is in the midst of

discomfort, despair, or doubt,

pandemic, injustice, and fear,

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.

A few years ago

I spent a fall working 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 and I mourn, we will never laugh or

  if one hates, one cannot also love or

  if we are separated from each other,

that we will not again come together or

  if we choose silence,

there are not times when you and I 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.

God is saddened by what saddens us…

  -a child killed by a random gunfire {~}

  -a young person who died of an overdose {~}

  -an elder separated from family and dying alone {~}

  -those living on the margins {~}

  -anyone in despair. {~}

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:

           virus statistics {~}

riots {~}

businesses closing {~}

a shooting, {~}

an act of terrorism, {~}

          abuse, {~}

         injustice, {~}

         loss. {~}

You and I feel these pains as individuals,

we also lament as a community,

gathering together

(even when it can only be via phone, text, or zoom)

we are there 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,

  God does not social distance from us.

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 prayer.

In Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians he reminds us:

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing,

give thanks in all circumstances…¹

You and I face difficult times and we live in hope:

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,

from Revelations 21:

“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 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.”²

{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 you need to;

know that both are blessings from God.

{~} a Kleenex is pulled from the box.

1 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18a

2 Revelations 21:3-4

Benediction:

Philippians 4:4-7

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.

⁵ Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.

⁶ Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.