Joy-Elizabeth Lawrence

In Part 2 of this two-part blog, Joy-Elizabeth Lawrence shares two examples of bridging public lament with biblical lament, and some useful suggestions in writing your own laments.

Biblical lament is not only asking the questions “why” and “how long,” it directly addresses the questions to God. It also often includes references to God’s past rescuing, and asks God for help.

This is what we, the church, may need at this time—to sit, silently, in the presence of God.

Jesus doesn’t forget those who are forgetting or have forgotten, nor those who are themselves forgotten, and neither should we. Joy-Elizabeth Lawrence shares five tips for leading worship in memory care residences.

Glo-o-o-o-o-ria, in excelsis deo, we sang, responding to Luke’s narrative of the angel army proclaiming the birth of Jesus.

In the summer of 2017 I was invited to serve as the pastor of the week at Covenant Point Bible Camp, a ministry of the Evangelical Covenant Church in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The children for this particular week were rising second-graders through fifth-graders. I had a great idea about what I was going to talk about and how to engage the kids. But I quickly forgot what that idea was when the Holy Spirit offered a different plan: “There is a puppet. His name is Eddie. Preach with him.” So I started looking for Eddie.

When you know that a small number of people will attend a worship service, how can you use this as a benefit for spiritual growth for yourself and your congregation? How can intimacy and love, through shared experiences, be fostered within God’s people during lean times? Pastor Joy-Elizabeth Lawrence shares her journey of planning a Maundy Thursday service with low expected attendance.

Taking a well-tread path is good if you’re avoiding a bad surprise. But it is not good if you’re open to good surprises. This is true for worship planning, too.

By cultivating a culture that learns and tells biblical stories, we are writing them on our hearts, allowing the Spirit to use these stories in our and others’ lives.

There are some ideas I can’t get out of my head, even if they might not be very good. One idea is that it could be fun to play with pots and pans in a pool. I know this is a bad idea, ridiculous, in fact, but it still floats to the surface of my psyche at times and I push it back down, like a Dutch oven sinking to the bottom of the diving area.

Other ideas are less ridiculous.

Several of them are even liturgical.