Lamentations 1:1-6
Psalm 137
2 Timothy 1:1-14
“Rekindle the Gift”
How many times have I had conversations with older Presbyterians (and other Christians too) that surrounded the deep concern and worry about the future of the church! And very often I hear them lament about the fact that younger generations don’t seem to have embraced the faith and taken their places as members and leaders of our congregations.
Those who are most despairing about our current situation are often those who remember the full pews of the late-Christendom era. They faithfully came to church every Sunday when they were young, but those following after them have not adopted that same pattern of weekly worship.
Did you notice the poetry of lament in our readings this morning? First, God’s people in Judah and Jerusalem are lamenting the empty city after many of the people have been sent into exile. And then the exiles themselves are lamenting – weeping by the rivers of Babylon as they remember their homeland and the way they used to rejoice and sing in Jerusalem.
In their words, we hear disappointment, confusion, sadness, and even anger as they grapple, not only with their circumstances, but with the questions about why this has happened and … Read more »