The Good News of Lament: The Psalms Cry Out: A Sermon

This sermon was the first of a two-part sermon series on lament that I preached at my church in 2006. This first sermon focused on Psalms and the second on Lamentations. In this particular worship service, the chorus “As the Deer” was sung and Psalm 77 was read before the sermon. Following the sermon I led the congregation in a lament prayer exercise following the 3-step pattern. Since that time, I have utilized this sermon as a foundation when introducing biblical lament in other congregations and worship settings, appropriately shortening and adjusting it pending the congregation’s needs (i.e. mourning their losses/fears in the midst of pastoral transition, etc.) or liturgical calendar (i.e. Lent, Thanksgiving, World Communion Sunday, etc.). Please feel free to use parts of this sermon and adapt for your purposes.