Lamentations 1:1-4
1:1 How lonely sits the city that once was full
of people! How like a widow she has become, she that was great among the
nations! She that was a princess among the provinces has become a vassal.
1:2 She weeps bitterly in the night, with tears
on her cheeks; among all her lovers she has no one to comfort her; all her
friends have dealt treacherously with her, they have become her enemies.
1:3 Judah has gone into exile with suffering and
hard servitude; she lives now among the nations, and finds no resting place;
her pursuers have all overtaken her in the midst of her distress.
1:4 The roads to Zion mourn, for no one comes to
the festivals; all her gates are desolate, her priests groan; her young girls
grieve, and her lot is bitter.
2 Timothy 1:1-10
1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will
of God, for the sake of the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,
1:2 To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy,
and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
1:3 I am grateful to God--whom I worship with a
clear conscience, as my ancestors did--when I remember you constantly in my
prayers night and day.
1:4 Recalling your tears, I long to see you so
that I may be filled with joy.
1:5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith
that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am
sure, lives in you.
1:6 For this reason I remind you to rekindle the
gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands;
1:7 for God did not give us a spirit of
cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.
1:8 Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony
about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the
gospel, relying on the power of God,
1:9 who saved us and called us with a holy
calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace.
This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,
1:10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing
of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and
immortality to light through the gospel.
The
Southern Kingdom, Judah is in Exile – Held Hostage – in Babylon. The writer of
Lamentations says that the city that was once a princess has now become a
vassal. That city, of course, is Jerusalem. The city herself, the writer goes on weeps bitterly in the
night.
BUT
Cities don’t weep: People weep
·
Jerusalem was somehow different. It held the Temple. The home of God
·
It was the center of the world for those who worshipped God
·
But still, cities don’t weep: People weep
Do
today’s cities weep? – Many or MOST are in Exile – held hostage to corruption,
drugs, immorality, fear, sickness, abject poverty, violence, murder, and the
list goes on. With all the horrible things that happen, you would think that
today’s cities would weep.
BUT
Cities don’t weep: People weep
·
Are today’s cities different from Jerusalem?
·
Though God was revealed in the Temple, hasn’t God always been
everywhere?
·
Is God in Jerusalem more than New York? London? Tokyo? Cape Town? Even
Liberty?
·
But, don’t people weep today in Jerusalem, Buffalo, Beijing, Baghdad,
and even Asheboro? All because of the suffering and because of the powers which
hold them hostage?
·
Look out your window – Walk down the street – Talk to your neighbor –
Go to another part of town…You’ll see that Cities don’t weep: People weep
But
the writer of Lamentations isn’t lying to us. While Judah is in Exile, no one
comes to the festivals in Zion – her priests groan and her young girls grieve –
her lot is bitter
The
weeping of the City IS the weeping of her people.
The
weeping of our city IS the weeping of our people.
·
Job of prophet (And we can all be prophets - Not Biblical prophets! But we can speak prophetically!)
o
Name the cause of the weeping
§ NAME THE: Injustice – Sin –
Sickness – Hatred – Power to which we are beholden
o
Weep with the City
§ Feel their pain – stand with
them – love them
o
Most importantly name the 1 Power that can save us all and keep hope
alive even when all hope seems dead
§ The hope is the spirit of
Power, Love, and Self-Discipline only available from Christ as Paul told
Timothy
§ In other words – Our hope is
our very real Faith we answered through Christ’s holy calling called to us in
grace, not because of our works but because of abundance of Love
As
Paul told Timothy, God did not give us a spirit of cowardice.
·
You and I may be nothing to the forces that hold our city hostage –
that cause our city to weep. But with God on our side we need not fear!
·
Evil has an end! Christ abolished Death and brought Immortality. To
those who believe, it is a promise of beautiful things to come!
Do
you Believe? Do you accept Christ’s Gift? Are you right with God? Take these
questions seriously. Talk to me or someone else if you have questions. Don’t
let another day go by without considering this.
In
the same way – If you are a believer – Are you living a life to bring new
believers to the Kingdom? Is God’s life evident in you? Are you answering God’s
call on your life?
WE
can’t stop the weeping of our Cities. But, we can show the Cities the one who
can.
