Greetings!

I feel somehow that what will follow herein, is more than just me speaking! To be sure, this blog spot was not created as a soapbox upon which I would stand to pontificate or pronounce. The truth is, there is no separating who I am from my faith; as I write (or speak), that which inspires and enlivens me spiritually will, even without coercion, come to the fore. Bear with me then as I share these thoughts and as you do, remember that they are essentially about my own experience[s] from which you may/will hopefully, glean something that will be of benefit. Here goes…

As the New Year dawned and began its twelve month sojourn on this side of eternity, stories of the new strain of the Corona Virus, having surfaced in Britain (and as I write is turning up in other places, including Jamaica) are causing many to burrow deeper and deeper into despair. This news totally eclipsed the merriment and jubilation usually associated with the season of Christmas. High ranking officials within governance, medical and scientific fraternities, as well as us lesser mortals, continue (even with the many and varied restrictions) to be in a constant state of befuddlement; fear-filled anxiety is like a second skin and if we are not careful, other aspects of life and living can be rendered obsolete, on account of the chokehold of this pandemic, sucking the very breath from our lives .

I have been observing the desolation and sense of lostness that have become the default response of too many. But then there are those of the class of the sweetly saved and sanctified: believers with a penchant for spouting religious cliches, that would probably choke them, if they could respond to being abused and misused. I don’t know about you but I am so tired of the blessed and highly favored response to the question…how are you? Don’t get me wrong, I am not suggesting, even for one minute, that such may not be the case with those for whom such a response has become a staple. What I question, is whether they understand that along with the blessing and favor, is a place for bawling out…for begging that the ‘cup passes‘, for acknowledging the reality of pain, sadness, despondency…even anger, not in endless bellyaching or a litany of complaints but by accepting the gift and adopting the posture of lament?

Today as I began to write, something occurred to me, with respect to the presumed inspiration behind the topic. You see, having jotted the words round about Wednesday of the week past, I was pleasantly surprised yesterday morning, on visiting a church I had never been before, to hear the senior pastor address in a most eloquent and deeply challenging way, the topic of lament, as that medium by which we are able to look squarely in the face of our fears, supported by the One who alone, fully understands, cares and wants to help us, deal with them.

What I have been mulling over and come to accept as real; what was reiterated by the preacher yesterday, is the fact of the difference between lament and complaint. It seems to me that the former, while it contains an element of complaint, differs from it, because of its objective of hope rather than the abject despair, that accompanies the latter. The grace of lament therefore, summarized in a quotation from Mark Vroegop’s book Dark Clouds Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament, to which the pastor referred in his message, is a gift by which… “We neither have to bury our pain nor be buried by it.”

My evolving understanding of the gift and grace of lament therefore, as distinct from endless bellyaching and complaint, brought to mind the title and thesis of the controversial 1960’s classic of Christian Theology…Honest to God by Bishop JAT Robinson. One of the themes with which the writer wrestled in that volume was the fact of God’s immanence…that as ground of our being, God was not a mere spectator in the arena of human affairs, watching from a distance. In fact, scripture indicates a desire on God’s part, to help humankind deal with those life situations and experiences over which we have little or no control especially those accompanied by untold pain and suffering [See for example Genesis 28:15, Romans 5:8; 8:28, 1 Corinthians 10:13]. The passage however, that continues to underscore this truth for me…that fuels my growing appreciation for the grace and gift of lament, is Lamentations 3: verse 19 – 22. These verses, like an oasis in the midst of an arid desert, invite the reader to drink from a well-spring of hope-filled possibilities, rather than allow the dryness of despair to consume them. In them, beginning at verse 21 with that pivotal…but, we get a sense of lament that is grounded in the certain hope that a seemingly desperate situation, is being monitored by the Eternal One, in a way that will, in real time, demonstrate His love and compassion.

So beloved, as you and I enter this New Year, let us do so trusting God who sees, knows and is moved by the human condition. This is our ever loving Parent…our Emmanuel, with whom we can be honest; who wants nothing more than for us to be real with Him, so that He can show us how real His love for us is. May we then, you and I, resist the temptation to hide behind nice sounding chiches and trust that in receiving our honesty, God will do for [in and through] us, immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine. Let us embrace the gift and grace of lament and, as we draw close to the heart of our omnipotent God, hear in its every beat, an affirmation of His love, the fact that with Him, no matter the time or season, we are and will be more than conquerors.

Grace+