Today's Vespers

Read Lamentations 2 as the first reading. Wow. That is one sad, despairing chapter. When God appears as your enemy, where is there to turn?

"He has burned like a flaming fire in Jacob, consuming all around... He has poured out His fury like fire... The Lord has become like an enemy; he has swallowed up Israel....The Lord has scorned his altar, disowned the sanctuary, he has delivered into the hands of the enemy the walls of her palaces."

And we remember as we read: "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up."

And when we hear the lament: "Your ruin is vast as the sea; who can heal you?" we remember that there is only One who could heal us from this great ruin that we have wrought, that is our choice. And with awe we remember HOW He chose to do so, and we fall down before His cross, crying:

"We adore You, O Lord, and we praise and glorify Your holy resurrection. For behold, by the wood of Your cross joy has come into all the world! God be merciful to us and bless us and cause His face to shine upon us, and have mercy upon us!" (Good Friday Liturgy, LSB)