It was such a gift to be together last night for Pentecost Sunday. Our evening began with an acknowledgment of the presence of the Holy Spirit, and in the Spirit’s presence we turned to the biblical practice of lament.

Jenna helped us lean hard into God with our grief. She taught us that pain demands to be felt. Though we may try, we cannot run around our pain. Our path is through it. So many of us have been told either directly or indirectly that grief should not be expressed. The tradition I grew up in said that rather than feel our pain, we should claim victory in Jesus. But this perspective ignores a third of the Psalms. More than sixty of them are laments. As Jenna said, expressing our grief in lament is God’s idea.

Jenna led us through the nine movements common in the psalms of lament, and after beginning the work of writing our own laments, we brought our grief to the only one big enough to hold it at the table.

Download a copy of the guide to use as you listen.

Kingdom Practices
This week, let’s not put our laments behind us too quickly. Our journey this month will lead us to hope and celebration, but for this week let’s allow ourselves to feel the loss. Pray your lament each day and pay attention to where you sense the Holy Spirit stirring.