I.
This passage comes from a place of deep grief and pain –
“… I say, ‘Gone is my glory and all that I had hoped for from the Lord.”
On your initial readings of this passage pay attention to the words and images that are used to describe this loss of hope.
II.
Lamentations 3:16-24 (NRSVue)
He has made my teeth grind on gravel;
he has made me cower in ashes;
my soul is bereft of peace;
I have forgotten what happiness is;
so I say, “Gone is my glory
and all that I had hoped for from the Lord.”The thought of my affliction and my homelessness
is wormwood and gall!
My soul continually thinks of it
and is bowed down within me.
But this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”
III.
Which images of the prophet’s’ pain connect most with you?
Have you been there – “bereft of peace,” “forgotten what happiness is,” “my homelessness,” and even, “Gone is … all that I had hoped for from the Lord.”
What words/images would you use to describe the place of hopelessness?
Do you know someone who is in that place now?
charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}