Lament as a resource in ministry

In July we ran a series of online conversations, Honest and Hopeful, offering a space to respond to scandals and disappointments in the church. One of the speakers, Revd Graham Hunter, reflects on the importance of lament in the face of disappointment.

Cover imagery from ‘Prophetic Lament’

There are many issues that might provoke us to lament in today’s world: austerity, political polarisation, war in Europe, the cost-of-living crisis, the climate crisis… every-kind-of-crisis.

Within the church, I’m particularly aware of another cause of lament: that of the ongoing moral failures of Christian leaders, and indeed patterns of behaviour that have abused power and caused harm. I won’t expand here on my own reflections from my years at Soul Survivor Watford in the late-90s, but it’s fair to say that many Christian leaders in this land will have been affected by the allegations made against Mike Pilavachi and will find themselves reflecting on their own experiences of charismatic church leadership cultures.

At St John’s Hoxton, our Lent sermon series in 2021 focused on the Old Testament book of Lamentations. In preparing, I was greatly helped by the book ‘Prophetic Lament’ by American-Korean scholar Soong-Chan Rah. I was also prompted to reflect on the nature of lament by a short article by Bishop Graham Tomlin concerning the difference between stoicism and lament.

It's said that disappointment is produced by the gap between expectations and reality. When our hopes and dreams are dashed on the cold rock of reality, we inevitably experience disappointment, sadness, pain and even anger. Disappointment can lead us to disenchantment, disillusionment and even to deconstruct all our once-held views on the nature of reality and the nature of our faith. However, I think it better to linger with our disappointment for a while, and let it be a resource that enables us to move to lament.

What then is lament? It is certainly not the same as stoicism. Stoicism maintains a dispassionate posture – not tossed around by the wind and waves of happenstance. Indeed, for those of us who seek to develop a ‘non-anxious presence’ in the world, stoicism can be terribly tempting. However, stoicism doesn’t give a proper account of evil and injustice in the world.

Soong-Chan Rah suggests that lament should take the form of prayer:

‘Laments are prayers of petition arising out of need. But lament is not simply the presentation of a list of complaints, nor merely the expression of sadness over difficult circumstances. Lament in the Bible is a liturgical response to the reality of suffering and engages God in the context of pain and trouble. The hope of lament is that God would respond to human suffering that is wholeheartedly communicated through lament.’

In recent months, I have determined to let lament become a resource for my Christian life and witness as a church leader in three specific ways:

1. Petitionary Prayer & Intercession

I have determined to be more honest with God in prayer about the things which are lacking. I’m still committed to ‘give thanks in all circumstances’
(1 Thess 4:16). But I’m also resolved to let my disappointments find expression in intercessory yearning for a better world.

2. Pursuit of Truth & Justice

Let there be honest conversations and truthful appraisals of the reality in which we find ourselves. One of the peculiarly positive aspects of our contemporary ‘cancel-culture’ is how it expresses a passionate desire for justice. The desperate sadness however is the way in which it seeks to silence and squash those it attacks. Lament allows me to pursue justice while holding onto the truth expressed in Jesus – the one who cancels nothing about us but our sickness and sin.

3. Proclamation of a Better Tomorrow

Lament is the mode of prayer which enables us to express the gap between the world as it is and the world as it should be. Let’s not diminish disappointment by shrinking the gap and lowering our expectations. Let’s proclaim a glorious new day – when all will be well, and all manner of things will be well.

Revd Graham Hunter

Vicar of St John’s Hoxton, and author of “Discipline and Desire: Embracing Charismatic Liturgical Worship” (Grove Books)..

Lament is a resource for Christians, because disappointment can remind us of the gap between our current reality and the kingdom of God. As we embrace lament, let’s allow it to resource us in prayer, the pursuit of justice, and the proclamation of God’s coming kingdom.