Sermon -- Chapel at Michigan Lutheran Seminary (April 3, 2019)

This was delivered for the chapel at Michigan Lutheran Seminary in Saginaw, Michigan.  As an added bonus, Philip was the chapel reader for the service.  He did a fine job.  He said he was nervous, but I would not have guessed it.

LAMENTATIONS 3:19-24

ALL THINGS NEW: GOD CARES FOR YOU.

In the name + of Jesus.

     The prophet Jeremiah wrote Lamentations among the ruins of Jerusalem.  He had warned the people to repent and even to surrender to the Babylonian army or they would be destroyed.  They did not listen.  Instead, they mocked Jeremiah and plotted to take his life.  Not only did Jeremiah have to suffer abuse for preaching the word of the Lord, he also had to witness the starvation of the people during the siege, and the slaughter of those who had not starved.  Finally, he saw his beloved Jerusalem destroyed.  Jeremiah was spared, but I am sure he wondered, “For what?”
     I don't think your problems rise to the level of Jeremiah's, but that does not mean your struggles aren't real, that your problems aren't painful, or that your guilt is insignificant.  Sometimes life can become bitter.  The Lord taught us to pray, “Deliver us from evil,” for good reason.  But even when such hardships come to you, God uses them for his own good purpose.  Consider: When are you more likely to pray to the Lord—when things are going great, or when you are being weighed down with problems?  Even when you are afflicted by evils, God uses them for good.  God did not forget Jeremiah during the siege against Jerusalem or in the aftermath.  God does not forget you, either.
     That is why Jeremiah cried out as he did.  “Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall!  My soul continually remembers 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.” (Lamentations 3:19-23)  The Lord's patience may have reached its limit with the city of Jerusalem, but God did not abandon his faithful people like Jeremiah.  Jeremiah was not perfect.  He even lashed out at God for what he had to suffer.  But God was patient with Jeremiah.  Rather than blast him with a rebuke, God spoke tenderly to him, sustained him, and kept him in the one true faith.  In the same way, you may have to deal with friends who turn on you, with death that claims loved ones from you, or with the consequences of your own foolish choices.  At such times, you may lash out at God in anger, “Remember my affliction!”  But you are not hopeless.  God does not abandon you or withdraw his promises from you.  You may cry out to the Lord in anger, frustration, or in bitterness, but you are calling to the right place when you do. 
     Jeremiah declared: “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.” (Lamentations 3:21-23)  The mercy of the Lord endures forever.  His mercies are new every morning.  You may end up dealing with the same struggles, the same heartache, the same sorrows and pains day after day.  They get old, and they make you tired.  These highlight that you are a sinner living in a sinful world.  But God does not grow weary of comforting, encouraging, and blessing.  He is not only patient with you in your sins, he is compassionate to you in your afflictions and frustrations.
     The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases.  That is because the steadfast love of the Lord does not depend on how much you love Jesus or on how well you serve him.  And it is certainly not measured by how well your life is going.  The steadfast love of the Lord is revealed by the Savior who was a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering.  He was nailed to the wormwood and was given bitter gall to drink.  He was forsaken by his friends, endured the lies and cruelty of enemies, suffered the pain of scourging and crucifixion, and even afflicted with the rejection and wrath of his heavenly Father.  And Jesus accepted all these afflictions willingly.  For sinners.  For you.  This is the payment Jesus made to spare you. 
     When life gets hard, you may wonder, “For what?”  It is for this: For Jesus to rejoice over you and your salvation.  For Jesus to deliver you out of the guilt of sin and the fear of death.  For God's blessing and mercy.  For God to use even the evils you endure for your good.  Eventually for freedom from every form of evil.  For, Jesus has marked you for the glories of heaven where you will never again know bitterness or sadness.  You will never be the victim of anyone's sins, bear the shame of your own, or be bothered by anything.
     For, the Lord Jesus Christ shall make all things new, just as his mercies are new every morning.  He does not get angry with you because you are weak, grow weary of you because you struggle, or disown you when you fail.  He is patient with you.  He doesn't merely put up with you; he loves you.  You are not his enemy; you are his redeemed.  Therefore, he is patient, kind, and tender.  He feeds you, cares for you, and guides you heavenward.  He defends you from anything that would truly bring harm to your souls.  So, put your hope in him.  For those who hope in the Lord will not be disappointed.  He remains faithful to you, and he patiently and persistently works in you to keep you faithful to him.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.