"longing For Transformation"

“Longing for Transformation”

Psalm 86:11-17

Our Psalm for this morning is a “Psalm of Lament.”

Now, what do I mean by that?

To lament is to express deep sorrow, grief or regret.

And lament is a major theme in the Bible.

The Psalms of Lament are beautiful poems or hymns expressing human struggles.

The men and women of the Bible were as real as we are today.

They danced and sang, rejoiced and laughed, argued and confessed, lamented and mourned.

They expressed emotions to God in prayer just as we do.

And so, when we encounter difficult struggles and need God’s rescue, salvation, and help, the Psalms of Lament are a good place to turn.

I want to ask you this morning, in all honesty: “How are you doing?”

I mean, “How are you really doing?”

“How is it with your soul?”

Are you struggling?

Are you sad, depressed, anxious?

It’s the peak of summer.

Temperatures have been in the mid-nineties, and COVID-19 infections are spiking.

A lot of folks feel uncomfortable going to the neighborhood pool.

Many don’t want to go to a restaurant nor movie theaters—those dark, cool places of normal respite from the sun and stress of summer are shuttered.

We are also in a heated political season.

People are taking sides and arguing.

This is also a time of racial unrest.

It’s kind of like we have hit a boiling point in this country, is it not?

And so, we have the makings for, well, for frustration, stress, anxiety and, perhaps, depression.

Oh, and did I mention that we haven’t met for in-person worship since the first Sunday in March.

Is anyone getting a bit stir crazy?

I know I am.

I have to admit, it was difficult and sad to have to take down the signs last week for the beginning of what would have been our first Sunday of Community Worship in the Park.

I was excited about that.

We had put a lot of planning and work into it.

That doesn’t mean it won’t happen some-day, but it was disappointing to have to call it off—although I do think the Conference made the right decision.

Still, this Virus rages on.

And tempers and temperatures are rising.

A couple of weeks ago, a good friend of mine called and told me his wife wanted a divorce.

This, for him, came right out of the blue.

We talked on the phone a lot during that time.

He admitted that he has been under a lot of stress, and has been allowing that stress to get in the way of his marriage.

For example, he told me that he has a hard time not replying, on Social Media, to political things people post that he strongly disagrees with.

This, tends to end up in angry words with a “friend” over the internet.

He told me that every time he does this, it ruins his entire day.

He also told me he is one who reads the remarks people post at the bottom of controversial new stories.

And when he does this, it does nothing but make him angry, frustrated and depressed.

I must admit, we adults sure do make some pretty juvenile and angry posts on Facebook and such having to do with politics and other controversial issues.

We say things on the internet that we would probably never say to someone’s face.

It’s kind of like road-rage.

When we sit down in front of a computer and get onto Facebook or something, it’s like we become a different animal sometimes.

Have you ever come across a post someone you know has put up—something mean about some political figure they don’t like and think: “Gosh, that person is a good person.

Why would they want to get mixed up in all that mess?”

But we all do get mixed up in the “mess” to some extent, do we not?

And getting mixed up in the mess, the controversy, the anger, the hate-filled words only leaves us frustrated, angry and depressed.

After-all, we are Christians.

And Christians aren’t supposed to get caught up in the hatred and anger of the world.

We are called to be different.

We are called to love.

We are called to resist evil and love our enemies and turn the other cheek.

We are called to be humble, and we are called to serve others.

We are to be the light of the world; the salt of the earth.

We are to be Christ to our community, to our neighbors.

We are to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

So, when we get involved in fighting about worldly things, trying to hurt others…

…well, how couldn’t we feel displaced and unhappy?

It’s like having what the psalmist calls “a divided heart,” is it not?