The Fourth Sunday of Easter (OT)

Lamentations 3:22-33

²²  The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; 

his mercies never come to an end; 

²³  they are new every morning; 

great is your faithfulness. 

²⁴  “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, 

“therefore I will hope in him.” 

²⁵  The Lord is good to those who wait for him, 

to the soul who seeks him. 

²⁶  It is good that one should wait quietly 

for the salvation of the Lord. 

²⁷  It is good for a man that he bear 

the yoke in his youth. 

²⁸  Let him sit alone in silence 

when it is laid on him; 

²⁹  let him put his mouth in the dust— 

there may yet be hope; 

³⁰  let him give his cheek to the one who strikes, 

and let him be filled with insults. 

³¹  For the Lord will not 

cast off forever, 

³²  but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion 

according to the abundance of his steadfast love; 

³³  for he does not afflict from his heart 

or grieve the children of men. 

Verse 27 seems to sit unwell with me. But it is often very true. Most of us have a lot of history. we remember the sins of our youth. We remember the various things we have done wrong in our younger days. We remember the people we mistreated or did horrible things to them. Most of us continue to bear those pains and anxieties.

I remember the quote at the beginning of The Patriot, "I have long feared that my sins would return to visit me, and the cost is more than I can bear." It is the sins of our youth that often come back to haunt us. Jeremiah reminds us of all these sins, as he watchs Jerusalem fall. He even tells us it is time to be silent and put our mouth in the dust. We should become like the ancient serpent.

All of these sins can add up pretty fast. These sins continue to weigh on us each and every day. We fear the day when God will finally say we reached our limit. We can not bear the potential punishment. But the answer is not to turn to Benjamin Martin or more movie quotes. The idea is to turn to God. God sent his only begotten Son to die for the forgiveness of your sins. The cost may be more than we can bear, but he bore all our griefs and pains for us.

God listens to our cry for mercy. "The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness. God continues to forgive you all your sins. Fear not, Christ has paid the price. Christ has taken the cost. Christ is risen so that you may have life also.