LAMENT
Whoever is lamenting is expressing great sorrow or regret and even grief about something or someone as in the loss of a life. This lamenting could be verbally expressed in wailing, weeping, and crying; but also in silence, reflection, and inaudible groans of the spirit. To lament means that something horrific has likely happened in their life and it moves the person deep within their soul and it is outwardly expressed in such a way that it is demonstrative and can’t be overseen by others. Often one can see examples of lamenting at funerals, a dirge, or memorial.
Over the past weeks we have listened to the anguish of our friends who have suffered and continue to suffer under the epidemic of racism, prejudice, and injustice in our nation. Moveover, we have listened to the hearts of those in our denomination and our generation. We find ourselves haunted by the cries for safe places to feel supported and to be offered a space for communal emotional expression, lamenting. During such a fragile time when our hearts yearn to cry out together, we have been isolated in our anguish.
This Friday morning, June 5th, 5:30AM, CDT, exclusively for our church family, we are holding a candlelight lament in the church parking lot. Members are invited to participate in the candlelight vigil, express their emotions in chalk art, and reflect on laments and liturgies from Scripture. There will be no official program, but a guided reflection will be offered as a poignant reminder of the tragic death of last week, and to lament many others who have succumbed to the dehumanizing plague of racism over the decades and centuries before.
Members of all ages will be welcome, we ask all to park in parking adjacent to our lot [at the Baptist Church or Realty parking lots] and assemble socially distanced in our church parking lot. Members are welcome to bring their own personal seating, and PPE, so to be able to stand or sit during the lament and practice courteous health precautions. We ask all who attend, to honor this exclusive invitation to the lament, conveying invitation only by private communication to other members, and by refraining from making this spiritual practice into a social media spectacle. Please do not post invitations on social media.
At sunrise, the vigil will conclude and members will disperse.
Like as a hart desireth the water-brooks
so longeth my soul after thee, O God.
My soul is athirst for God, yea, even for the living God;
when shall I come to appear before the presence of God?
My tears have been my meat day and night,
while they daily say to me, Where is now thy God?
Now when I think thereupon, I pour out my heart by myself;
for I went with the multitude, and brought them forth in the house of God;
Why art thou so full of heaviness, O my soul?
and why art thou so disquieted within me?
—Psalm 42 [selected]