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From the Pastor’s Desk

He has made my teeth grind on gravel;

he has made me cower in ashes;

my soul is bereft of peace;

I have forgotten what happiness is;

so I say, “Gone is my glory

and all that I had hoped for from the Lord.”

The thought of my affliction and my homelessness

is wormwood and gall!

My soul continually thinks of 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.

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

“therefore I will hope in him.”

The Lord is good to those who wait for him,

to the soul that seeks him.

~Lamentations 3:6-25

We’ve turned over our calendars now and said goodbye to 2022. I’ve heard a lot of people expressing relief that the old year has gone, and we can start with a fresh slate. For the world, the nation, and many of us individually there have been too many things we ache to put behind us.

Wars, illnesses, storms, fires, floods, drought, political chaos, personal and family tragedies—the list goes on and on. Endlessly, it seems; we can sit and lament with the author of Lamentations.

That is a faithful response to the horrors and troubles that afflict us. To name it and the pain it causes. To complain—yes, it is perfectly acceptable and honest to shake your fist at heaven and scream out your pain and complaint. If you have been taught that you can’t be angry with God, here’s a secret: God knows already of your pain and anger! The only one you are fooling is yourself!

So, express all of that to God. It opens up for you, for your psyche, for your soul, the turn that can only occur when you empty yourself of the pain that is causing you to “grind your teeth on gravel” and remember that which gives you hope.

The steadfast love of God never ceases. 

God’s mercies never end.

They are new every morning.

Therefore, I will hope in God!

May this be true for you this day, this year, and always.

Happy and blessed New Year,

Pastor LaVonne