Trust is essential to living. Friendships, classrooms, marriages, workplaces, and churches rise and fall on trust. You know when you have and feel it when you've lost it. Trust leads you to do radical things, and mistrust leaves you challenged to do or say anything. You cannot live without trust. The truth is that trust is fluid. It changes, adapts, ebbs, and flows and can mature or disintegrate. And until recently, I don't think I realized how laments are a deep, rich, and essential part of building and maturing trust - with God and others. Regarding the Old Testament, Walter Brueggemann is one of today's most respected thinkers, scholars, and influencers. In his book Prophetic Imagination, he writes: "Jesus sees that only those who mourn will be comforted. Only those who embrace the reality of death will receive the new life. His statement implies that those who do not mourn will not be comforted, and those who do not face the endings will not receive the newness." He continues: "I used to think it curious that, when having to quote Scripture on demand, someone would inevitably say, 'Jesus wept.' It is usually done as a gimmick to avoid quoting a longer passage. But now I understand the depth of that verse. Jesus knew what we numb ones must always learn again: (a) that weeping must be real because endings are real, and (b) that weeping permits newness. His weeping permits the kingdom to come. Such weeping is a fearful dismantling because it means the end of all machismo; weeping is something kings rarely do without losing their thrones. Yet the loss of thrones is precisely what is called for." Lamentations 2 is one of the "darkest" chapters in the scriptures. It illustrates the depth of human suffering, loss, grief, and raw bitterness. And when we lament - whether to God or others, we set aside both our machismo super-human tendencies and our self-loathing. We become known for who we really are: human. Laments means the end of all of our machismo. While often ascribed to a specific culture or gender, machismo is part of every human heart in 587 BCE and 2024 CE. Scholars and social commentators agree that machismo is human pride amplified by aggressive or oppressive human expressions. It shows itself in dishonoring behaviors toward others, seeking power over people and situations, controlling issues, and, to its furthest extent, human abuse of every kind. Spiritually speaking, it is when one is filled with ego and void of humility. Whether you call it machismo or sin, trust erodes, and we need a way back to God and with each other. Author and Former Pastor Paul David Tripp writes in Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands: People in Need of Change Helping People in Need of Change: "The church is not a theological classroom. It is a conversion, confession, repentance, reconciliation, forgiveness, and sanctification center, where flawed people place their faith in Christ, gather to know and love him better, and learn to love others as he designed." When we lament the darkness of our machismo heart, we see the light shining through the entire time (John 1:5). When we speak our truth, God hears us. When we lament the darkness of our hearts, God receives it. When we nail the machismo-ness onto Jesus who hangs on the cross (confession), trust is rebuilt… because we'll discover in Lamentations 3 - God's faithfulness and His mercy is new every moment (Lamentations 3:22-23, 1 John 1:9). . . especially in our human-ness. Then, we can begin trusting God and each other because we see who we are - completely loved, forgiven, and human.
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Hebrew poetry, while intimidating, is a beautiful work of art. Beyond literary awe, by faith, we trust that it is God’s Word and message to us, inspired by His Holy Spirit, announced through human voices, demonstrated in the person and work of Jesus Christ, and extended through the Body of Christ, the church (you and me). At first glance, Lamentations 1 looks like a sad poem. It begins with loneliness and weeping. It continues to describe being abused and bullied. And then there is a deep remorse and repentance that we have rebelled against God and mistreated others. In the end, all we want is to be seen by God. And the poet, inspired by God’s Holy Spirit, gives us hope in the middle of the disaster he describes happening all around him and to him. The poem is written as a chiasm. The Hebrew alphabet has 22 letters. If you divide them into two sections, you’d have 11 letters in each section. If you arrange the first 11 letters to form a downward arrow and the last 11 letters to form an upward arrow and then join them together, you form an “X” (chi). And in the perfect middle of the “X” are the last two lines of verse 11: “Look, O Lord, and see, for I am despised.”. When it comes to chiasms, the center where the two sides of the alphabet meet signals the most critical point of the entire poem. I think the English translation is somewhat lacking because the Hebrew word zalal, while translated as despised, carries the understanding that to be despised means to be a squanderer, worthless, or insignificant. Interesting. Fast forward several centuries, and Jesus shares a story about a squanderer. Once, a son rudely asks his dad for his share of the inheritance, as if his dad is dead. Surprisingly, the dad agrees and gives him the money. The son leaves for a faraway place and squanders everything away through foolish living. He feels worthless and insignificant - so much so that he chooses to live in a pig pen. Feeling ashamed for squandering his dad's stuff and believing his dad despises him because of his foolishness, the son decides to return home and work as a slave-servant. On his way back home, the dad, who has been looking for him, spots him from afar. The dad rushes to him, hugs him tightly, and they walk home together. Before the son can say anything, the dad dresses him in the family robe and puts a ring on his finger (showing he's a full part of the family). Then, the dad throws a huge party to celebrate his son's return, because he was lost and now he's found. “Look, O Lord, and see, for I am a squanderer.” is the cry of Jeremiah (individually), the Hebrew people in Babylon (collectively), and you and me today. The good news is that God our Father loves welcoming us squanderers home. So, next time you feel worthless, insignificant, or despised - remember, while you might be a squanderer - Jesus already sees you as He is running out to welcome you home. Lord, Have Mercy: The anatomy of disaster and whether God’s wrath is really what we assume it to be.2/15/2024  As I prepare for our next sermon series, Lord, Have Mercy, one of the two questions I've been wrestling with is, how can God be good and allow bad things to happen? I think that everybody can agree that bad things are happening today. In a world filled with human injustice, every kind of abuse, extortion of vulnerable people, food insecurity, economic chaos, or murder and genocide - it would be difficult to say that the world is void of bad things. I will let the philosophers debate whether the bad things we know to be happening are unavoidable, products of human consequence, or can be solved. I do know that bad things were happening in 586 BC, too. History tells us that Jerusalemites felt threatened because a foreign power, Babylon, surrounded their city to intimidate them into surrender. There was also a food crisis happening. Food insecurity quickly gave way to no food for anybody to eat. The hand-to-hand combat began. The government was overthrown. The king was arrested, impeached, and sentenced. Masses of people were murdered. Buildings were burned. Homes were destroyed. People with potential were captured and forced into slavery. Poor people were extorted and left to work the land. You can check out all the details in 2 Kings 25 and a Near East History volume (start with searching "First Temple Period"). Did God allow these bad things to happen? It appears that He did. So, how can God be good and allow bad things to happen? There are two faith perspectives (biases) that shape how I am thinking about this question. The first bias is that God created human beings with free will or the conscious control of our choices and actions. The Christian scriptures tell us how human beings are made in God's image - and God has conscious control of choices and actions. This bias also leans into the conviction that God is, by nature, good (like the question assumes). As a result, human free will enables us to consciously control our choices and actions to do good. You can read Genesis 2 for the complete picture. If you think about it, if I paid my wife to say "I love you" and to be good to me, we could say she's manipulated, coerced, or obligated to love and be good to me - but she isn't free to do so. Her payment controls her choices and actions. It isn't love. It isn't good. And it isn't God-like. The second bias is that free will was compromised by a consciously controlled choice to listen to and act upon something not-so-good. You can read Genesis 3 for the details. It was like the human will was captured, lured, coerced, and manipulated to make this not-so-good choice. From that time on, free will remain free, and at the same time, bound by God's goodness or everything that was not so good (usually self-seeking or painful, evil, and destructive). I believe that's why our consciences sometimes feel "heavy" or "burdened." It's also why we are often encouraged to choose to set our minds on things above (Colossians 3:2) and renew our minds (Romans 12:2). So, bad things result from not-so-good choices made by ourselves or others. These choices lead to consequences, affecting not just us but many other people. Sometimes, even good people make mistakes or overlook the impact of their decisions. Pride and ego can cloud our judgment, causing unintentional harm. It's part of being human - we can't always make perfect choices, which is why apologies are necessary. Other times, bad things happen because of someone else's actions. It's unfair, beyond our control, and leaves us feeling victimized. But even though we think about the consequences of other people's not-so-good choices, we're not responsible for choices made by others. Accountability means holding those who make choices accountable for good and bad outcomes. Ultimately, every choice we make carries consequences, affecting not just ourselves but often many others as well. It's a reminder of the ripple effect of our actions in the world. And that's why bad things happen to good people. I've heard well-meaning Christians say that the "bad things" that have happened in the past and are happening today are really God's wrath poured out on us. I would disagree (though I am open to hearing your perspective in the comment section below)… and here's why. If God's wrath is determined by a cause-and-effect relationship, then we have a God I can control through my free will. I have read many commentators who would say that what was happening in 586 BC and what is happening today is God's wrath being poured out on people for their "ungodly" choices. In other words, what they're saying is that the script would go like this: "I love God, I do this for God and for others, and now God owes me good things" or, "I disobey God, I didn't do this for God, I didn't fully do this correctly for others, and now I lose something and have bad things happening to and around me." That's not a God of grace and love - it's a God of manipulation. Now, I'm not saying that God's wrath doesn't exist. It very much does. The Hebrew scriptures describe it as "God's nose is burning." The Greek scriptures describe it as retribution, anger, and getting justice (leveling the playing field). The English language defines wrath as extreme anger, like losing your temper. I believe God can be both 100% love and still have wrath (remember, I can't control God). Interestingly, God controls His anger resulting from his broken heart over human sin. His wrath is a consequence and not a punishment. If you are a parent, you probably understand the distinction. Consequences are a result of positive or harmful behavior. Of course, every choice we make has a good or not-so-good consequence. On the other hand, punishment is the intentional emotional or physical pain given to somebody else to force them to behave or do what they want. Whether it is 586 BC, today, or tomorrow, God is not inflicting emotional or physical pain on anybody to force them to behave or do what He wants them to do. Again, God is not a God of manipulation. But we do see God's wrath (and I hope you might, too) as Jesus dies on the cross. Jesus died, so we see how much God 100% loves us. And, yes, as Jesus dies on the cross, 100% of God's anger is placed on Him. It equals the playing field by forgiving all sin. It cools God's burning nose. It is payment for retribution for everything humanity had robbed God of with their choices and actions. The entire sacrifice of Jesus for the sins of the world is 100% God's wrath so that we can experience 100% of God's love. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! (Romans 5:8-10). I'm curious what you've heard about why bad things happen to good people and God's wrath. You can share your comments below.  If Lent isn’t in the Bible, why does it matter (especially today)?
The Christian community calls the 40 days (sans Sundays) before Easter lent. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, the day after Mardi Gras. The previous year’s palms used to praise and honor King Jesus on Palm Sunday are burned and mixed with oil, burned to ashes, and turned to dust. We are reminded how easy it is to fall back into old habits, sinful behavior, senseless suffering, and tasteless temptations. And while I know not everybody celebrates Mardi Gras, I think we all (myself included) can admit that we give into our temptations. We indulge ourselves, rationalize our sins, and give up self-control. And if that’s us, then we need Lent more than we know. Between Ash Wednesday and Easter, we track the story of Jesus through the same temptations we experience. Instead of giving in, He overcomes. We follow Jesus through the same desert-like experiences of being lost and wandering aimlessly. Instead of getting lost, Jesus always finds His way back to God. We rebuild trust with Jesus. So, we recommit to waving the Palms again and saying to Jesus: “We want to return to You, love You, and follow You.” With the disciple Peter, we say, “Jesus, we will never betray you,” only to find out that we, like Peter, cannot help but betray the one we love. And then, on Maundy Thursday, Jesus hugs us, feeds us, encourages us, and explicitly tells us, “Love one another”. He’s then betrayed by his friend and, on Good Friday, is beaten, made fun of, wrongfully accused, and dies by crucifixion. Each of us can relate. The ones who deserve a beating are freed. The bullies are exonerated. The guilty are acquitted. And the ones who deserve to die become the murderers and live on. We leave Lent reminded that the world isn’t fair. That justice is messy. And perhaps this is why we can’t have nice things in this life. But here’s the truth - lent ends at the cross with the words, It is finished. And on the green hill far away where Jesus is taken down off the cross to be buried, Lent ends. It’s easy to think that Lent is only filled with darkness. But, a source from Wikipedia notes that the word Lent comes from the Old English word, lencten, which means spring season. So, perhaps Lent is not meant to be a destination but only a pass-through to what is beyond. There is much darkness surrounding life today. Economic uncertainty. Political chaos. Tech take-overs. Anger and rage. And then there’s still our temptations, indulgences, and loss of self-control. It’s like our lives are stuck in never-ending Lent. And that’s why we need to pass through Lent… together. We can find our way back home to Jesus - a home where we can be together and remind each other that we are not alone in our Lent. Jesus is with us. God’s promises are still valid. And our Lent will end, and Easter will be here soon. And Easter will not disappoint. |
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Pastor Tim Meet Pastor TimTim Bayer has served as Our Savior's Lead Pastor since September 2019. He also serves as an Adjunct Instructor at Concordia University - Irvine, a National Leadership Facilitator and Resource, and with the Northwest District of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. Archives
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