When I'm So Blue
This is the sermon I preached for Blue Christmas, Sunday 12/22/19 at St. Timothy Lutheran Church. The Bible passage I used was Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19 . The people of Israel were in a really bad way. Psalm 80 is a psalm of lament, the psalmist’s response to the trouble. Diving together into the psalm, we will find comfort. The feelings expressed mingle with our own as we allow God to be with us in our sufferings, when we are blue. I’m not trying to put anyone on the spot, but is there anyone here who has never suffered pain and sorrow at some time in their life? If so, I’d like to see your hand. That’s what I thought. This psalm is one of communal lament. People broke with their normal routines, assembled at sanctuaries, offered sacrifices, lamented their distress and pleaded with God to intervene on their behalf. Psalms of lament follow this pattern: God We have a problem Why have You allowed this to happen to us? How long do we have to put up with this