Lament

Well, there were no apparent objections to my previous proposal that we have some Lenten meditations on the theme of lament so that's just what we're going to do.

This is something that Sarah and I are keen on. There is no demand on anyone to be involved or attend anything, but we're going to do it anyway and if you'd like to be part of these evenings of meditation and reflection then you're very, very welcome.

We'll do them every Sunday evening during Lent (dates below), with the exception of this Wednesday, 21 February, Ash Wednesday, for which I'm going to upload to the website in advance a short meditation for you to download if you want to, to do in your own space, in your own time.

Each evening will start at 8.30pm and we will aim for it to be over by 9.30 pm.

So, the dates and themes for each meditation are:

Wednesday 21 February, Ash Wednesday
The Hidden Face of God
The lost language of lament
[UPDATED] Meditation notes now available for download. Click the link above to go to the download page.

Sunday 25 February
Human Tears are Older Than the Rain
Loving Kindness, Presence and Lament in the Garden of Eden
[UPDATED] Meditation notes now available for download. Click the link above to go to the download page.

Sunday 4 March
How Long, O Lord?
Songs, poems and Psalms of lament
[UPDATED] Meditation notes now available for download. Click the link above to go to the download page.

Sunday 11 March
We Have Become Orphans
Deserted, forgotten, suffering: Lamentations of loss
[UPDATED] Meditation notes now available for download. Click the link above to go to the download page.

Sunday 18 March
To a Broken God
Jesus Wept
[UPDATED] Meditation notes now available for download. Click the link above to go to the download page.

Sunday 25 March
O Sacred Head, Now Wounded
The Death of God, the Death of Dreams
[UPDATED] Meditation notes now available for download. Click the link above to go to the download page.

Sunday 1 April
My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?
The God-Forsaken God
[UPDATED] Meditation notes now available for download. Click the link above to go to the download page.

Sunday 8 April, Easter Sunday
Come Lift Up Your Sorrows
Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep
[UPDATED] Meditation notes now available for download. Click the link above to go to the download page.

So, in the light of the last post on The Hidden Face of God, I propose that our Lent meditations this year are based around the theme of lament.

Deep Memory.

Exhuberant Hope.

We're going to host a Sunday evening reflection each week through lent, with some readings from the Bible, some poetry, and some songs.

Stay posted for more details. I'll try to post any helpful materials we produce on the website, in advance of the date where possible, for you to use also if you'd like.

I've recently been reading a wonderful book by Walter Brueggemann called 'Deep Memory, Exuberant Hope: Contested Truth in a Post-Christian World'. I've never read any Brueggemann before, never had the opportunity I guess, but when a friend on the Advanced Workshop course spluttered over his coffee on hearing that I'd never read him, I thought I'd give it a go. So, I went for a Brueggemann overdose with some birthday money and got four books in one go, of which this is the first one that I've read (more from the others in due course, I'm sure).

The book is sublime, and I heartily recommend it to anyone! It's a collection of essays by Brueggemann on the theme of the meaning of Scripture in today's post-Christian society. Each essay stands alone, but there is a thread that moves through them all, that being the heart of creativity and imagination rooted in the story of Yahweh.