New Every Morning
But this I call to mind,
and therefore 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 poems in the book of Lamentations take us to the depths of despair of a people bearing profound wounds. Through the raw emotions and cries for help, we find expressions capable of carrying our own weariness due our pain and the pain of the world. These are exactly the kinds of words we need in our current reality. The pandemic has exposed the pathetic band aids we use to silence people’s suffering, and we see an overwhelming reality.
Interestingly, however, amid the injustice and pain come the quoted words from Lamentations 3. “But this I call to mind.” But…. and memory calls forth what follows: God’s steadfast love never ceases. God’s mercies never come to an end. Somehow, though all evidence points to a different conclusion, memory brings these truths. Pain, suffering, and the hope for daily new beginnings somehow reside together, resting on the foundation of God’s faithfulness. But this I call to mind!
For the next three Sundays, we will hear reflections on this shift toward recalling hope in our series, “New Every Morning.” Each week we will hear from a different member of our congregation. Where do we see God’s steadfast love and mercy today? What reminds us of God’s faithfulness in this time? Even as we witness and experience suffering. Even as we are called to keep unveiling injustices. Even as we get frustrated at the tiny steps of change and wonder if anything can truly be made new. We turn to see, hear, and experience the truth of the new possibilities brought with each new day.
August 16: Lori Gale
August 23: Paul DeArman
August 30: Margaret Dean
Blessings,
