The following originally appeared as part of "Grounded and Growing—Bearing Fruit Week 2: Joy."
Invitation to Lament
We have gathered here as a diverse community. Some of us feel the warmth of the sun on our faces. Others are trudging through a barren wilderness.
One of the deep joys of being community together is that we are able to take on the burdens of others in our prayers, whether that person sits next to us in the pew, or is a friend who lives across the country, or is a stranger we read about in the news.
So today, as we hear about the abiding joy of God’s presence, we do so acknowledging that we need this joy to sustain us in a world where there is so much cause for despair. Together we bring our lament before God, trusting that the incarnate one is with us in the valley. Let us pray.
Prayer of Lament
Today, O God, some of us dwell in deep darkness.
Our hearts are heavy, gripped by grief,
by fear, by anxiety.
For those who know what it is to weep, we pray:
Be near to us, O God, and hear our cries.
Hear our cries for those who weep
for a loved one gone too soon,
for a body frustrated by disease,
for a future snatched away by the ringing of the telephone.
For those who know what loss feels like, we pray:
Be near to us, O God, and hear our cries.
Hear our cries for those who live in fear,
for those who are persecuted for their faith,
those whose neighborhoods are destroyed by bombs,
those who are kidnapped off the streets because of their skin color.
For those who know what hiding feels like, we pray:
Be near to us, O God, and hear our cries.
Hear our cries for those who live in anxiety,
worried about putting food on the table,
longing for word from a loved one gripped by addiction,
unsure if a child is safe at school.
For those who know the length of sleepless nights, we pray:
Be near to us, O God, and hear our cries.
We long for the day when there is no more heartache or fear or death, O God.
We trust that that day is coming,
when you will turn our weeping to songs of joy.
May the hope of that day,
and the promise that you are with us in the waiting,
be our joy even now.
Amen.
Assurance of God’s Faithfulness
Our faithful God has heard our lament. Listen to these promises from Psalm 126 and be comforted.
When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dreamed.
Our mouths were filled with laughter,
our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
The Lord has done great things for us,
and we are filled with joy.
Restore our fortunes, Lord,
like streams in the Negev.
Those who sow with tears
will reap with songs of joy.
Those who go out weeping,
carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
carrying sheaves with them.
—Psalm 126 NIV
Song of Thanksgiving
“The Day of the Lord (Psalm 37)” Kimbrough
Revised Common Lectionary
Year B: the Third Sunday of Advent
Year B: Season after Pentecost—Canadian Thanksgiving Day
Year B: Season after Pentecost—Proper 25 (30)
Year B: Season after Pentecost—Thanksgiving Day
Year C: Lent—Fifth Sunday in Lent
