ICTG - Building trauma informed ministries
  • About
    • Who We Are >
      • Board of Advisors
      • Board of Directors
      • Program Directors
      • Trusted and Supported By
    • What We Do >
      • What's the Problem?
      • Mission, Vision, and Values
      • Projects and Programs
      • Press Room
      • FAQs
    • Who We Help >
      • Impact Stories
      • Testimonials
  • Donate
    • Donate Online
    • Donate Offline
    • Paid Services
    • Other Ways to Give >
      • Legacy Gifts
      • Donate Stock
      • Donor-Advised Funds
      • Shop and Give
  • Blog
    • Blog Letter Archive
  • Resources
    • Downloadable Guidelines
    • Organizational Care Plan >
      • Coaching
    • Learning Banks >
      • Seminars, Shorts & Podcasts >
        • Trauma Terms
        • Response – In Congregations
        • Response – In Community
      • Articles
      • Infographics & Charts
      • Tools for Worship & Ministry
      • Research >
        • Surveys >
          • Congregational Trauma Survey
          • Congregational Growth After Trauma Survey
          • Children & Youth Ministry after Trauma Survey
    • Resources by Trauma >
      • Abuse
      • Natural Disaster
      • Violence
    • Resources by Ministry Type >
      • Faith-based Nonprofit Ministries
      • Spiritual Formation
      • Youth Ministry
      • Campus Ministry
    • Denominational Resources >
      • Denominational Relief Organizations
      • Disaster Preparedness for Houses of Worship
      • Denominational Research
  • Training
    • Webinars >
      • Past Recordings
    • Purchase Training
    • Access Paid Training
    • Internships
  • Phases of Disaster Response
  • Contact

A Prayer of Lament in Aftermath of Charlottesville

8/13/2017

0 Comments

Picture
Rev. Traci Blackmon, Executive Minister of Justice and Witness Ministries of the United Church of Christ, Senior Pastor of Christ the King United Church of Christ in Florissant, MO, and a leading pastoral advocate in Charlottesville, VA, recommends the following Prayer of Lament for worship services today and in the coming weeks. The prayer is written by Rev. Dr. Sharon R. Fennema, Assistant Professor of Christian Worship and Director of Worship Life, Pacific School of Religion. 


Prayer of Lament,
​with verses from the Psalms including Psalm 19 & 74

God of the cross and the lynching tree, 
of the jail cell and the street corner, 
of the bible study and the police car, 
look upon the world you have made. 
See how it is full of hatred and how violence inhabits the earth. 

Gunshots ring out under the heavens that declare your glory, 
singing the destruction of your children.
Do you not hear our songs?
How long, O God, will you keep silence?
How long will we fail to be your voice?

The streets and sidewalks of your dwelling place flow with blood, 
pouring out the cries of your beloveds.
Do you not hear our cries?
How long, O God, will you keep silence?
How long will we fail to be your voice?

The breaths snatched from lungs swirls on wind that blew creation to life,
echoing with the last gasps of your dear ones.
Do you not hear our gasps?
How long, O God, will you keep silence?
How long will we fail to be your voice?

The bones that you knit together in a mother's womb are broken,
rattling with the earth-shaking suffering of your people.
Do you not hear our rattling?
How long, O God, will you keep silence?
How long will we fail to be your voice?

The clanging of cell doors resounds amidst the music of the spheres,
tolling the lives stolen by systemic oppression and unspeakable violence.
Do you not hear the tolling?
How long, O God, will you keep silence?
How long will we fail to be your voice?

The crashing of fire-licked windows mingles with the praise and prayers of generations,
shattering the refuge and safety of your sanctuaries.
Do you not hear the shattering?
How long, O God, will you keep silence?
How long will we fail to be your voice?

In these days, as in days past, our mothers and grandmothers have become mourners, 
our fathers and grandfathers have become grievers,
our children have become wanderers in vacant rooms, 
our kinfolk have become pallbearers,
our communities have become filled with empty chairs.
Remember the people you have redeemed, Holy One.
Remember the work of salvation brought about by your love.

You made a way out of no way for slaves to cross the sea on dry land.
Arise O God and defend your own cause.
Raise up in us the cries of outrage.

You made water to flow in the desert for Hagar and Ishmael when they were driven out.
Arise O God and defend your own cause.
Raise up in us commitment to the long struggle for justice.

You cast out demons so that people might be restored to community.
Arise O God and defend your own cause.
Raise up in us the determination to drive out racism.

You witnessed the death fo your Beloved Child.
Arise O God and defend your own cause.
Raise up in us the grief that cannot be comforted.

You brought new life from the crucifixion of state violence and the wounds of abandonment.
Arise O God and defend your own cause.
Raise up in us courage to speak truth to power, and hope to hatred.

God of the ones with hands up and the ones who can't breathe,
of those who #sayhername and those who #shutitdown,
of "we who believe in freedom" and we who "have nothing to lose but our chains,"
look upon the world you have made,
Do no forget your afflicted people forever so that we might prayer your holy name with joyful lips.
​Amen. 

Copyright 2015, United Church of Christ, 700 Prospect Ave, Cleveland, OH 44115-1100. 
Permission granted to reproduce or adapt materials for use in services of worship or church education. 
​All publishing rights reserved. 
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    ICTG Blog

    Exploring the changing landscape of long-term congregational care.

    SUPPORT
    Do you find ICTG posts helpful?

    Please consider giving $1/month to encourage this generative service. 

    ​We strive to provide you with current research on best practices and field experts who share examples of what has worked well.  Thank you!

    Archives

    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013

    Categories

    All
    ACEs
    Aftermath Series
    AHyun Lee
    Anabaptist
    Anger
    Art
    Arthur Gross-Schaeffer
    Baptist
    Books
    Burnout
    California
    Calming
    Carolyn Browning Helsel
    Catholic
    Children And Youth
    Christian
    College Ministry
    Communication
    Compassion Fatigue
    Congregations
    Cynthia Eriksson
    Danjuma Gibson
    Darryl Stephens
    David A. Holyan
    Dawrell Rich
    Depression
    Divorce
    Doug Ranck
    Education
    Emotional Spiritual Psychological Care
    Episcopal
    Erin Jantz
    Event
    Faith Leaders
    Fire
    Flooding
    Forgiveness
    Free Methodist
    Gordon Hess
    Gregory Ellison
    Grief
    Harvey Howell
    Healing
    Ictg Advisors
    ICTG Board Of Directors
    ICTG Program Directors
    Iyabo Onipede
    Janet S. Peterman
    Jeff Putthoff
    Jesuit
    Jewish
    John Tucker
    Jonathan Leonard
    Joseph Kim Paxton
    Kate Wiebe
    Laura Bratton
    Libby Baker
    Lutheran
    Margaret Manning Shull
    Maureen Farrell Garcia
    Meet The Board
    Melissa M Bonnichsen
    Mental Health
    Military
    National Tool
    National VOAD
    Natural Disasters
    Non Denominational
    Phases Of Disaster
    Philip B Helsel
    Presbyterian
    Press Releases
    Preventative Pastoral Care
    Protestant
    PTSD
    Quaker
    Racism
    Red Cross
    Reformed
    Relaxation
    Rev. Jessica Bratt Carle
    Ritual
    Roy Yanke
    Ruth T West
    Self Care
    Sermons
    Sexual Abuse
    Shaun Lee
    Sophia Park
    Spiritual Direction
    SSJE
    Stories
    Suicide
    Surveys
    Suzanne Cooley
    Teresa Blythe
    Theologians
    Tools
    Training
    Trauma Informed Care
    Trauma Response
    Uncovering
    United Church Of Christ
    United Methodist
    US - Mexico Border
    Vicarious Trauma
    Violence
    Worship
    Youth Ministry

    Tweets by @ictgorg

    RSS Feed

Picture
ICTG is a 501c3 nonprofit. 
P. O. Box 3498
Santa Barbara, CA 93130
office@ictg.org

ICTG is a proud member of:
Read our reviews:
Picture
Picture
✕