“Into the Light: Finding Hope Through Prayers of Lament” Lesson 7: Creation Laments Isaiah 24:4-6,8, 19; Romans 8:19-23 Plastic pollution in the oceans is enormous. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is estimated to contain 80,000 tons of plastic in an area twice the size of Texas. Plastics are not biodegradable. They break down into smaller and smaller pieces, which are ingested by turtles, fish and birds. Eighty-four percent of plastics contain toxins, which pass into animals and our food chain. There are four other garbage patches in oceans around the world. The oceans are sick and life is endangered. According to the United Nations report of May 2019, there are now one million species under threat of extinction. Using input from 445 experts and 15,000 governmental and scientific reviews from around the world, the “culprits are in descending order: (1) changes in land and sea use; (2) direct exploitation of organisms; (3) climate change; (4) pollution; and (5) invasive alien … [Read more...]

Lesson 6:  Lamentations 5:1-22; Luke 23:26-31  I remember the lack of trees, shrubs, flowers and playgrounds — the barrenness. I was in high school traveling across the deep South with a large youth singing group. On our way into New Orleans, we passed through shantytowns and the impoverished landscape went on for miles and miles. I was disturbed deeply and could not shake off what I saw.  Our study asks us to think about what issues and situations are a cause for lament in our communities. For me, the answer is entrenched poverty and racism — not only because of what I have witnessed, but because Scripture clearly demands that we create a more just society.  I knew that segregation and Jim Crow laws created incredible poverty. I have also known that in the inner city there is a high concentration of Blacks who are poor. It is only within the last year that I have come to understand why cities were planned to have high-density poor areas where people of color live.  When the … [Read more...]

Lesson 5: Lamenting Life Anxiety, anger and turmoil stalked us in 2020. With millions of people out of work and infected with the coronavirus, George Floyd brutally murdered, rancorous political divides and countless tales of suffering, we were inundated with terrible news. With one day very much like the one before it, the pandemic produced a “brain fog” for some people. Parents coping with jobs and schools moving online caused frustration that reached boiling points. Life became overwhelming for many — and if not overwhelming, a malaise and numbness settled upon us. In the Book of Job, Job reaches the end of his rope. Job’s children are dead and his flocks are decimated. He is afflicted with sores all over his body. Job is understandably angry, depressed and hopeless. Some of us can identify with Job when the undertows of life drag us under. A debilitating illness, the break-up of a relationship, the trauma of racism or military combat, job loss or mental illness can overpower … [Read more...]

Lesson 4:  John 11:1-44 It is a story about death, lament, reproach and signs that point to God’s power. It is a deeply personal story and, as the Gospel of John tells us, the story reveals the enormous power of God at work in Jesus. Jesus loves Lazarus and his two sisters, Martha and Mary. They are good friends. While some miles away, Jesus hears of the life-threatening illness of Lazarus. Jesus inexplicably waits two days before going to his friend. Jesus seems unconcerned and uncaring about his friend’s need — but Jesus understands something cosmic is at stake. When Jesus tells his disciples clearly that Lazarus has died, he explains that the delay was so his disciples (including us) will have their trust in him deepened. Martha comes out to greet Jesus and the first words on her lips are reproachful. “Jesus, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. Even still, I know that God will give you whatever you ask.” Martha laments. Like the psalms of lament, she … [Read more...]

Lesson 3:  Jeremiah 9:17-21; Matthew 2:16-18 Elizabeth and her son, Andrew, had set out early in the morning to meet with the admissions officer at the University of Virginia. Andrew was a high school senior and looking at various colleges. The other son, William, had already left for school on the bus. When Elizabeth and Andrew returned home at 2:30 p.m., they found 45-year-old Paul, Elizabeth’s husband and the boys’ dad, on the floor in a diabetic coma. Paul’s breakfast lay untouched. Paul was rushed to intensive care, but he never revived. In planning the memorial with the family, I asked if Elizabeth wanted the Apostles’ Creed as part of the worship service. Elizabeth replied, “I won’t be able to say it, so the congregation will have to say it for me.” Though the family’s names have been changed, those days are seared into my memory. The women in the church filled the house with food. Relatives came into town. People sent sympathy cards and made memorial gifts to the church. … [Read more...]

Lesson 2: Psalm 137 What do you do with your anger? What do you do with rage? Do you bottle it up until you explode, or does it come out sideways in nagging or snide remarks? Do you run, pull weeds, clean with a manic intensity or do something that will wear you out? Do you hold on to your anger like a treasured possession, and rehearse it over and over again? Most of us would be shocked if anger was a part of a worship service. But that is what the people of Israel did. They offered up their anger, rage and desire for terrible revenge to God. Consider Psalm 137. If we used it in worship at all, we would probably leave out verses 8 and 9: O daughter Babylon, you devastator! Happy shall they be who pay you back what you have done to us! Happy shall they be who take your little ones and dash them against the rock! Is this a religiously sanctioned call to violence? The sentiments expressed in these verses are shocking and hardly square with Jesus telling us to love our … [Read more...]