Week 3: Lament
Scripture: Jeremiah 9:10-14 Take up weeping and wailing for the mountains, and a lamentation for the pastures of the wilderness, because they are laid waste so that no one passes through, and the lowing of cattle is not heard; both the birds of the air and the animals have fled and are gone. I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins, a lair of jackals; and I will make the towns of Judah a desolation without inhabitant. Who is wise enough to understand this? To whom has the mouth of the Lord spoken, so that they may declare it? Why is the land ruined and laid waste like a wilderness, so that no one passes through? And the Lord says: Because they have forsaken my law that I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice, or walked in accordance with it, but have stubbornly followed their own hearts and have gone after the Baals, as their ancestors taught them. Poetry: Bless our Lament by John Pohill in A Heart for Creation, ed. Chris Pohill Creator God, bless the tear we shed for the resources that we have squandered. Bless the sigh we breathe out for the spoilt air and atmosphere. Bless the head we hang for the creatures lost and exploited. Bless the hands we wring for the things we have broken and wasted. Bless us as we lament Cradle us as we regret. Restore us as we start afresh. Reading: Climate Change: Vulnerability, Lament and Promise by Barbara Rossing Spiritual Practice: Pray daily prayers of lament to God. Hold before the Creator specific places, creatures, elements, peoples that are threatened by environmental degradation. |