Sunday Worship 21 September | Lectionary Proper 20: Lament and Prayer

We'll start this blog with our opening prayer exercise as it is referenced in both part of the reflection.

A prayer exercise focused on peace for World Peace Day.

Think of a situation in your own life that is troubling you. Write your name then quietly repeat three times “the peace of the Lord to myself”.

Think of a friend or family member who is stressed or sorrowing. Write their name then quietly repeat three times “the peace of the Lord to that person”.

Think of a situation in the world where there is conflict. Write its name then quietly repeat three times “the peace of the Lord to that place”.

Think of a person who is causing distress. Write their name then quietly repeat three times “the peace of the Lord to that person”.

Peace to all of us and our loved ones, peace to the world and its agitators.

Jeremiah 8:18-9:1

You who are my Comforter in sorrow, my heart is faint within me. Listen to the cry of my people from a land far away: “Is the LORD not in Zion? Is her King no longer there?” “Why have they aroused my anger with their images, with their worthless foreign idols?” “The harvest is past, the summer has ended, and we are not saved.” Since my people are crushed, I am crushed; I mourn, and horror grips me. Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people? Oh, that my head were a spring of water and my eyes a fountain of tears! I would weep day and night for the slain of my people.

It’s not quite clear who is speaking in those closing verses, if it is the prophet or the people or God, all of whom have spoken in the previous verses. In truth, I think it could be any or indeed all of them. It is clear that the prophet and the people have cause to lament for what is happening among them, but it is also deeply important to my understanding of God that God laments with us.

Lament is an expression of grief, and it is absolutely necessary, but it is not something we are very good at or make much space for. As part of my work at the Chaplaincy to the University of Leicester, I have led three groups of staff through the Bereavement Journey, a course designed to help people process loss. One thing that has been consistent has been a sense that while other people have been sympathetic, they have expected those on the course to grieve more quickly or more quietly than they have wanted or needed to do, and so the Bereavement Journey has provided a space for lament which they have struggled to find elsewhere. I hope the church is likewise a safe space for lament.

Of course lament is not a place we are meant to stay in forever. We want and need hope and peace and joy. But sometimes lament is the only way we can make space for those things. Sometimes we need to give ourselves permission to name the horror that grips us and become a fountain of tears. 

As we recognised in our prayer exercise earlier, there are things in our own lives and in the lives of those we know and in the life of the world that cause trouble and stress and sorrow and conflict and distress, and it is right that we cry out about those things. We need to cry out to God for comfort, and we need to cry out to others for resolution. Nothing changes if everyone stays silent.

So let us make space for lament now, as I invite us deeper into prayer. You may like to pray on your own, or I encourage you to turn into pairs or small groups and pray together. You might like to start with the things you wrote on your paper earlier, or there may be other situations you need to lament.

1 Timothy 2:1-7

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a true and faithful teacher of the Gentiles.

We're going to focus on just the first couple of verses, because they relate to our first reading a bit like a call and response. While Jeremiah calls us into lament, 1 Timothy responds by showing us some of the prayerful steps through and out of it. If the world is falling down around us, whether that is personally or politically, then we are to offer petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving - including and perhaps especially for those in authority, not because they are more worthy of our concern but because they have the greatest sphere of influence.

That can feel really difficult, because often we blame those in authority for the terrible things that are happening, or at least we disagree with their politics and their policies. That can make us feel resentful and bitter towards them, and disincline us to pray for them, but that only makes prayer all the more important. The fourth century archbishop of Constantinople John Chrysostom once said that "no one can feel hatred towards those for whom he prays.” I don’t know how true that is, because it is possible to pray in anger, but I do think that prayer should at least soften our hearts towards those for whom we pray.

I may have shared this before, but a while ago it became popular to seek out people’s most controversial opinions online, and then I saw someone ask people to share their most generous theological opinions, to which someone responded “God loves [insert name of controversial politician]”. It pulled me up short, because of course God loves that person, and I am meant to love them too, even if I find it difficult to like them. I still repeat “God loves [this person]” to myself from time to time, when someone is making me particularly cross, calling myself away from a place of anger and into a place of love.

I wonder what name would fill in the blank for you. I wonder if you need to start saying those words through gritted teeth. I wonder if you found it harder to pray “the peace of the Lord to that person” when that person was someone who was causing distress. There is no judgement if you did, because it is natural to feel antagonised by those who are causing harm, but sometimes prayer is meant to challenge us to lean into the supernatural, to be better than we otherwise could.

I encourage you to continue praying peace on all those you named earlier, but for the moment I will use a prayer we have used before, which takes the Five Core Values of the Baptist Union and applies them to those in authority. I hope this might be a little of what the author of 1 Timothy had in mind.

God, we pray that prophetic voices will be heard from within and speaking into government, voices that confront injustice and hypocrisy, and challenge concepts of wealth and power. And may you empower us to be those voices when the opportunity arises.

God, we pray that a genuine commitment to being inclusive will shape the way politicians lead and serve, so that society may transcend all barriers, and lift up those who are rejected and powerless. And may we live as an example of how to create a community that embraces all.

God, we pray that those who serve us will do so with a sacrificial heart, accepting the necessity of putting others first, and rejecting the trappings of worldly success. And may we likewise be willing to set aside selfish desires and live in ways that reflect your generous and life-giving nature.

God, we pray for missionary engagement with those in public office, that the church may demonstrate God’s forgiving and healing love, and so bring transformation of hearts and minds. And may we campaign for and inspire policies that realise your kingdom here on earth.

God, we pray that worship will be found in places of power, as those who confess your name honour it, and others see what it means to live as your people. And may all of our engagement with the political life of our country be undergirded by prayer. Amen.