{"id":8697,"date":"1999-09-07T19:50:12","date_gmt":"1999-09-07T17:50:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theologie.whp.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/?p=8697"},"modified":"2025-04-10T11:27:39","modified_gmt":"2025-04-10T09:27:39","slug":"lamentations-3-22-26-and-31-32","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/lamentations-3-22-26-and-31-32\/","title":{"rendered":"Lamentations 3,22-26.31-32"},"content":{"rendered":"

16. Sonntag nach Trinitatis | <\/span>19. September 1999 | Lamentations 3,22-26.31-32 | Peter Kusenberg |<\/h3>\n

english version<\/b><\/p>\n

It is of the Lord`s mercies that we are not consumed, because his
\ncompassions fall not.
\nThey are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
\nThe Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
\nThe Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.<\/p>\n

It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of
\nthe Lord.
\nFor the Lord will not cast off for ever:
\nBut though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the
\nmultitude of his mercies.<\/p>\n

„It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the
\nsalvation of the Lord.“ This is a text which evokes mixed feelings in me,
\non the one hand I would like to shout amen from the bottom of my heart and be
\ncarried away by the pastoral care but on the other hand, an unease creeps over
\nme at the thought of such strength of faith, is it at all possible for me to be
\npatient and hope and wait for the salvation of the Lord?<\/p>\n

I don`t think I am the only one with such conflicting feelings. Who hasn`t
\nalready experienced the feeling of reading a bible text that, at first, seemed
\ncatchy and familiar and then at closer examination has caused a certain unease?
\nI ask myself, what kind of situation do these words stem from? Who were the
\npeople who wrote and sang such consoling and comforting words? The answer is
\nquite surprising. The lament dates back to the time after a catastrophy. A war
\nhad been lost, a city destroyed, the capital burned and in ruins, the pivot of
\nrelgious life razed to the ground. Added to that, the commanding elite of the
\nvictors had been deported. That was in the year 587 before Christ. The
\nBabylonians had wiped out the land of Judea, Jerusalem descended into a
\nwilderness and the temple, built by King Solomon, was torn apart. One cannot
\nimagine the misfortune of the defeated.<\/p>\n

„For the Lord will not cast off for ever:
\nBut though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the
\nmultitude of his mercies.“<\/p>\n

Surviviors of catastrophes, people who have lost everything, turn to God and
\nexpect Him to change their destiny.<\/p>\n

Perhaps, one might think, that this is only a confirmation of the truism,
\n„need teaches prayer“, a last shimmer of hope, when everything seems
\nlost, the despairing grasp of the supernatural straw, to look up, instead of
\nlooking down at a sight we cannot face. But this explanation is not only
\ncynical but much too short because it overlooks the fact that the verses are
\nnot a cry for help in a hopeless situation but express a firm confidence, in
\nthat the worst is over.<\/p>\n

„It is of the Lord`s mercies that we are not consumed, because his
\ncompassions fall not.
\nThey are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.“<\/p>\n

To understand this confidence, I have to know how close tradition and faith
\nare linked with each other. Through tradition I don`t mean holding on to
\nteaching, forms or rituals, but as a passing on of experiences to those and
\nwith those to whom God shows himself.<\/p>\n

„For the Lord will not cast off for ever:
\nBut though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the
\nmultitude of his mercies.“<\/p>\n

Whosoever wrote these words more than 2,500 years ago did so in an awakened
\nrecollection of the story of God with His people, a story full of events of
\ndeliverance and healing. Beginning with God`s alliance with Noah under the
\nsymbol of the rainbow, it carried on with promises to the great grandfathers
\nAbraham, Isaac and Jacob. In the time of Moses, God gave his solemn word,
\npromised His help and that is why, in the lament, we find the words,
\n„Great is thy faithfulness.“ God has helped, He will do it again.<\/p>\n

I have tried to explain the background of the text for today, and also to
\nshow from which sources it draws its unshakeable faith. The question that has
\nnot been answered yet is:<\/p>\n

Where, today, can I find something similar to this for myself? I have two
\nthoughts that I want to tell you about.<\/p>\n

Our present day is full of catastrophies but did we think at all, as we were
\nwatching the news bulletins, that at any time those returning to Kosovo, or the
\nvictims of the Turkish and Greek earthquakes could so pray „The Lord is my
\nportion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.“ Is that so
\nunthinkable?<\/p>\n

These verses from the bible text are often used in funeral services. It
\nseems very strange to me that they are sometimes understood to mean more for
\nthe dead than for the living. As though „they are new every morning“
\nis only to be expected in the life hereafter. Am I not able any more to accept
\nconsolation?<\/p>\n

I predict: the Word has more to do with me, than I would like. It will
\ncomfort my small faith, unobserved, and make me capable of caring for the souls
\nof the suffering and the victims.<\/p>\n

I understand: that in our everyday life, we are the survivors. We know who
\nthe people are who suddenly fall ill with a fatal diagnosis. Is it clear to me
\nthat a day lived to its full is not to be taken for granted?<\/p>\n

I experience: that the Church has crumbling foundations because the money is
\nnot there any more for things that, once upon a time, went without saying and
\nthe disagreements about what is important are often supported by unworthy
\narguments.<\/p>\n

I am sad: all that suffering through marital problems, social injustices,
\nunemployment, crime or suicide incurs.<\/p>\n

I question: „How can God allow such things to happen? I am shocked how
\nlittle my faith in God corresponds with the reality of everyday life and how
\nfar away God is and evidently leaves the world to its own devices. And on the
\nopposite side is the ardent sentence from the bible, „The Lord is my
\nportion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.“ These words will
\nremind me of Gods trust. It is not true that my faith in God is so small or
\nthat it is not suitable for this day and age. it is the way I look at it. We
\nget the world news from the T.V., radio, newspapers or, if we posess a
\ncomputer, the internet, but in none of these, do I find headlines declaring
\nGods faith. But the bible is full of them. Gathered expereinces of Gods
\nloyality that span thousands of years. Is that too far in the past? There are
\nthe literary works and life descriptions of men and women of my own time, who
\ntell of Gods faith. Is this also too far removed for me? I then look around my
\nenviroment. A man from my own community, must go into hospital with a heart
\nattack. He lives. Has he just had good luck or, „It is of the Lord`s
\nmercies that we are not consumed.“ A woman has to go for a routine
\ncheck-up where the doctor tells her that he is not quite sure about the results
\nand therefore sends her to a specialist. Finally the relief to hear, that what
\nis growing in her, is not malignant. Coincidence, or a sign of mercy that has
\nno end? Gods trust is so constant that it is „every morning new.“ The
\nsame God who, yesterday and the day before was at his work sending Noah to the
\nark, leading the Isralites from Egypt and who sent us the man from Nazareth who
\ncame to the people, in fact, the same God who gave men and women in Nazi
\nGermany the strength to resisit their inhuman dictators, the same God is there
\nfor us today.<\/p>\n

Perhaps it is only by the grace of God that we are still here and haven`t
\ndestroyed ourselves. When everything is against us, God is for us. God Himself
\nis there for us when it seems as though he has rejected us and lets us sink
\ninto sorrow. Never, at any time, was the Christian faith an easy thing. It had
\nto, and must again, remain firm and hold out through all powers of fate.
\nWhatever may be against us, can lose its fearfulness through belief. For me,
\nthis is the deciding factor: I can accept his suffering „It is good that a
\nman should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.“ That
\nsounds like resignation and loyality to devotion, but actually, has nothing to
\ndo with it. It is much more to do with the extreme pressure to accept the
\nsuffering from Gods hands and to wait for his help. It is a deep secret how God
\ntakes our suffering, works on it and neutralizes it, and when that doesn`t
\nhappen, we suffer bodily and mentally.<\/p>\n

I repeat, it means looking in the right direction. Whoever builds on Gods
\nmercy and awaits His help, is secure in Gods faith. He won`t be averse to
\ndoubt, fear and sorrow but will be safe in Gods faith. On the other hand, there
\nis a suffering that only throws its light on other people. It speculates on
\npity, favour and sympathy however, through this, the suffering is not dealt
\nwith. And the same goes for people who dwell in their own suffering, they
\nbecome weary and mistrustful of others who seem to have it better than
\nthemselves. From this mistrust stems one conflict after another. In both cases,
\nthis suffering leads to rebelling against God and against other people, leaving
\na lasting and constantly disturbing effect. „It is good that a man should
\nboth hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.“ I can hold onto
\nmy faith, even in the moments when it threatens to dwindle or seems non
\nexistent. Then, I will remind myself, that Gods mercy will hold me and see me
\nthrough and sustain me.<\/p>\n

Amen.<\/p>\n

\n

Peter Kusenberg
\nEmail: peter.kusenberg@kirche-erbsen.de<\/a>
\nTel.: 05506 \/ 8331
\nFax: 05506 \/ 7034<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/noscript><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

16. Sonntag nach Trinitatis | 19. September 1999 | Lamentations 3,22-26.31-32 | Peter Kusenberg | english version It is of the Lord`s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fall not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8543,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[514,24,2,727,157,853,108,110,791,349,1558,109],"tags":[],"beitragende":[],"predigtform":[],"predigtreihe":[],"bibelstelle":[],"class_list":["post-8697","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-16-so-n-trinitatis","category-klagelieder","category-at","category-archiv","category-beitragende","category-bibel","category-current","category-engl","category-kapitel-03-chapter-03-klagelieder","category-kasus","category-peter-kusenberg","category-predigten"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8697","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8697"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8697\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22601,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8697\/revisions\/22601"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8543"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8697"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8697"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8697"},{"taxonomy":"beitragende","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/beitragende?post=8697"},{"taxonomy":"predigtform","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/predigtform?post=8697"},{"taxonomy":"predigtreihe","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/predigtreihe?post=8697"},{"taxonomy":"bibelstelle","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bibelstelle?post=8697"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}