What do I know of lament?
Of what do I understand of suffering?
How do we call witness to a loving God in the face of
another’s pain?
Where is mercy when injustice runs rampant?
What does grace mean when you are oppressed
Is it just for the privileged to be blessed?
Oh what do I know of lament?
The earth cries out from the burden of pollution
The waters rail against toxic waste
The bodies of our children pile up in decay
Sickness and cancer abounds
How can we deny the pain all around?
What do I know of lament?
Hatred and love of self is on the rise
“Isms”, places that divide
Waistlines and wallets fatten
As poverty and hopelessness devour
Trust is twisted as other’s abuse power
What do I know of lament?
Church’s wounding
those all around
The truth of Jesus buried beneath the ache
Cities and countries gobbled up by quakes
Flood waters wreaking devastation
The groaning of all creation
What do we know of lament?
In honest appraisal let us asses,
All artifice stripped
so we can enter in,
In all our ugliness, hurt and pain.
Let us wail and repent
Give voice to our lament
Who knows of lament?
He does…
The one who formed all, waits to hear our cries
The one enthroned above who longs to respond
The one who bent down low to come along side
His arms aching to hold and comfort as we stop pretending
its ok.
Jesus the son dying to make the only way
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from my cries of anguish?
My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, but I find no rest.[b]
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from my cries of anguish?
My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, but I find no rest.[b]
Yet you are
enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the one Israel praises.[c]
In you our ancestors put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.
To you they cried out and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame.
you are the one Israel praises.[c]
In you our ancestors put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.
To you they cried out and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame.
