words so shocking – Psalm 137:9 comes to mind – that, frankly, we might wish they weren’t in the Bible at all. But those words are in the Bible. (It’s called the “Good Book,” not the “Easy Book.”) So what do we do with these chal- lenging words – these psalms of lament – that make up such a large part of the psalm playlist? Are we worried that people


come to church to either be com- forted or upliſt ed, and that delving into these passages will deplete our already sparsely attended services? Maybe, but sometimes I


worry that we’re making worship the only place where we can’t ex- press lament. T ink about some of the truly successful music acts that fi ll auditoriums and even arenas. Jay Z (hip-hop), B.B. King (blues), and Miranda Lambert (country) perform plenty of songs for sheer entertainment. And they have songs that explore an entire range of human emotion and experience. T eir music feels raw, and real, not always wrapping up with a pretty little bow.


Speaking of raw and real, here are the closing verses to


Psalm 88: 14


O Lord, why do you cast me off ?


Why do you hide your face from me?


15


Wretched and close to death from my youth up,


I suff er your terrors; I am desperate.


16 17


Your wrath has swept over me; your dread assaults destroy me.


T ey surround me like a fl ood all day long; from all sides they close in on me.


18


You have caused friend and neighbor to shun me; my companions are in darkness. (NRSV)


No happy ending here, just a raspy blues song that goes down


deep ... and stays there. Let’s look at that last verse again – 18


You


have caused friend and neighbor to shun me…


An incident from fi rst


grade: For reasons known only to my six-year-old brain, I got caught dancing on my desk. I got in trouble with the teacher. Because the teacher was mad at me, all my classmates distanced from me so they wouldn’t catch any peripheral wrath. I had to take a note home to get signed. My mom was furious. And then she uttered one of the dreaded phrases of my childhood, “Wait till your father gets home.” Six years old and I felt like


my whole world was against me. It would have been at least a little comforting to read Psalm 88 and know I wasn’t the only person who ever felt that way. So what else troubles us


about these psalms? Are we wor- ried that they’re a little too “Old Testament” for our “New Testa- ment” children? T ere’s no denying the


psalms hold many challenges. But children need more, and want more, than rainbows and butter- fl ies. Children experience a wide range of emotions, oſt en with surprising depth. Consider this


passage from Psalm 6: 6


I am weary with my moaning; every night I fl ood my bed with tears;


I drench my couch with my weeping. Our family was watching a


movie one evening. Our youngest, who had already seen the movie, knew a sad part was coming up. She went to the kitchen and got a bowl so her mom could “catch all her tears.” For a child who thinks her


__________________________________________________________________________________________________ January-February 2014 • WorshipArts • www.UMFellowship.org


mom could fi ll a bowl with tears, Psalm 6:6 isn’t poetic exaggeration, it’s a plausible scenario. Not only could this psalm be read and un-


• “Child of the Universe” by Craig Cassils (Hope Publishing). While the refrain to this lyrical piece is full of hope, the verses ask the question that haunts each of us


19


derstood by a child, it could easily have been written by one. As for the notion that many


of the psalms of lament may be too “Old Testament” for our “New Testament” children, here’s the


opening to Psalm 22: 1


My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?


Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?


Does that fi rst part sound


familiar? Jesus says these words on the cross (Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34). No one has ever been closer to God than Jesus, the origi- nal “New Testament” child, and he felt a strong connection with this psalm of lament. So many areas of our collec-


tive culture – literature, the visual arts, drama, dance, music popular and classical – deal head-on with the same emotions expressed in the Psalms of Lament. Why not in worship?


Let’s explore a few ways we


can make space, for children and adults, to experience and express lament.


Anthems We adults like our children


singing happy-clappy songs chock full of “hosannas” and “halle- lujahs.” But the kids themselves might actually appreciate getting to sing and express emotions from the deep end of their “feelings pool.” Here are a few:


• “I Believe in the Sun” by Margaret Tucker (Choristers Guild). Based on a now-famous text found on a cellar wall dur- ing the Holocaust, this piece explores factors, internal and external, that challenge our faith.


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