Mt. Lebanon United Presbyterian Church
     
 
Pastor Tim Janiszewski - "A Love that Never Fails"

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This Sunday
October 2, 2016



Sermon Title:
"A Love that Never Fails"



Scripture:
Lamentations 3:19-26  
Picture
September 29, 2016
 
Dear MLEPC Members and Friends:
 
One of the great themes embedded in our culture is that true love will win out, even when it seems that all is lost. It is the theme of countless movies, shows, and books. When all is hopeless, those who hope in love will persevere and ultimately overcome. For instance, I think of the fun flick of some years ago entitled The Princess Bride. A young maid, Buttercup, and her servant boy, Wesley, are in love. But they are separated and seemingly lost forever. Years pass by and for all the maiden knows, her true love has long since died. So against her heart, she consents to marry the evil Humperdink, prince of the realm. The servant boy Wesley, however, has grown to be a man of formidable wits and skill. He comes searching for his true love before Buttercup can be convinced to marry the double-crossing prince. And through a series of amazing and often humorous events, through his love he rescues her. Instead of failing, true love wins out. We love these stories. We want to believe in them, even if we are not so sure about their reality in our own lives.
 
Sometime probably in the sixth century, B. C., the book of Lamentations was written. If you don't know where it is in your Old Testament, it appears immediately after the book of Jeremiah. Many think Jeremiah wrote Lamentations, too, but it is hard to say with certainty. Regardless of the writer, he speaks of a time when all is lost. The Babylonians have overrun the nation of Judah in southern Palestine. They have raped, pillaged, and plundered. They have laid siege to the capital city of Jerusalem and then breeched its walls to do their worst, including the destruction of the Temple, the very house of God. Many of Judah's citizens who were not killed were deported across the Fertile Crescent to exile in Babylon. Read Lamentations 1:1-3:20, and you will find nothing but destruction and despair expressed by the author.
 
But then, like the proverbial bolt out of the blue, we read in Lamentations 3:21-13:
Yet this I will 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 writer does turn to true love, to a love that he believes will never fail, when all appears to be lost. But it is not to the love of a man for a maiden; no, it is to the steadfast love of God. The Hebrew word used for "steadfast love" is hesed. It refers to God's faithful love that keeps His covenant promises to His people, Israel. God has true love for those whom He has called and chosen and who have responded to His hesed. God renews His commitment to this love each and every morning, putting it in human terms. So despite the utter hopelessness of his situation, the writer still has hope--hope in God who loves with a faithful love.
 
To be sure, we can and should celebrate human love that endures and perseveres in the face of great obstacles. It is a part of the image of God in us that seeks and believes in love. But when we settle for human love as the highest virtue, we aim too low. No, we must aim higher--as high as the love of God. It alone is the love that will never fail when we must go through our darkest and most trying passages in life. For His people whom He chooses and calls, His love never fails, it never gives up, it never runs out on us.
 
So call on Him today!
 
Pastor Tim
 
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