Misery to Music--Oh, Oh, We Need Each Other!!

Deuteronomy 26:7-10

Exodus 14:5-31

Psalm 80

Psalm 130

This week, we will be studying communal lament.  Our working definition for lament is Cry out, to God, with a list, and return to praise.  Communal means "shared by all members in a community".  Communal lament is not the opposite of individual lament (our topic last week), but they can be adjacent to each other.  We may share our individual lament with others, prompting them to help us carry our list to God.  Or we may find ourselves in a community raising their voices to God, and that will teach us to continue to come to God individually.  Both individual and communal lament are right and good according to our pattern.  Remember, a lament is not a complaining just to complain, but it's bringing our misery to God because we can trust His faithfulness.  

We are starting our week with the most famous complainers in the Bible--the Israelites.  Moses had his hands full with these people!!! If you're not familiar with the Exodus, skim Exodus 5-14.  The Israelites saw some of the most miraculous miracles, and still griped about nearly everything.  God knew they would choose to return to slavery (?!), so He didn't send them out of Egypt the most direct route.  Instead, He led them around to the Red Sea, guiding them in a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night.  When they are pursued by the Egyptian army, they are terrified!!!!  They cry out, to God, for help.  They complain to Moses that he's brought them out of Egypt  to die in the wilderness.  But Moses rallies the Israelites, charging them to not be afraid, to stand firm, to be quiet, and wait on God.  

 Oh, Oh, we need each other!  We need someone to rally us, to lead us, to guide us to turn our complaining into hopeful, rightfully targeted lament.  We need community with a faithful leader to group and regroup, unite and reunite us under one Banner.  We were made for community.  (Which has been a hard lesson for me!) Psalm 130 has the author lamenting on his own, then calling on the community--Israel--to put their hope in the LORD, Who holds in His hands faithful love and abundant redemption.  Moses does that for his people.   He gathers the Israelites on the shore of the Red Sea, he raises his staff, and he points the people to the power and glory of their True Leader.  "When Israel saw the great power that the LORD used against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and believed in Him and in His servant Moses."  The goal of a right lament.  

I'm going to quote Dr Colin Smith again because I think his quote fits at every stage of this study--"Lament should be the chief way Christians process grief.  Those who grow up in a church that insists on looking on the bright side, lament can be jarring."  The Israelites didn't need someone to help them cross their fingers and hope for the best.  They needed someone who would point them to the power and steadfast, loyal love of God.  They needed someone to help them process their fear, grief, misery, and then target it to the only One who could help them.  Jesus--the True and Better Moses.  Our grief processer, our lament carrier, our Rescuer, our Redeemer.   "Make Your face shine on us, so that we may be saved."