Dramatists, All worship planners
Crying out to God:
Reader’s theater lament by T eresa Mason
W
hen we gather for worship, we bring our fears, sorrows, guilt, grief, and burdens. T e inten- sity of our suff ering is compounded in times of loss, disaster, and local or national tragedy. Unfortunately, much of our worship avoids facing the truth of our human suff ering. Yet, the
Psalms, which was Jesus’ prayer book, are fi lled with laments that cry out with sadness, fear, or anger. At T e Fellowship’s convocation in Pittsburgh last summer,1
Don Saliers reminded us how much the
church neglects the psalms in worship; we neglect lament psalms even more. When we do include la- ments, we usually leave out the verses that complain.
T e lament psalms can
provide a way for us to bring our whole selves to worship – to bring before God not just those things worthy of praise and thanksgiving, but all the worries, confl icts, and troubles that are a part of our daily lives and the world around us. When many people use the
word “lament” they are referring to the narrow sense of the word meaning something sad or grief- fi lled. Yet, according to Stacey Gleddiesmith, most biblical la- ments tend to have four main ele- ments: address, complaint, request, and expression of trust.2
Reader’s theater is a particu-
larly appropriate art form for ex- pressing laments in worship. Like the liturgy itself (as well as chant and song), reader’s theater can enhance and express the language, rhythm, and power of a lament. It can be written to echo the style and language of the liturgy. Other dramatic forms (such
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as a dirge, spoken word, rap pieces, dramatic sketches, and monologues) may also express life’s agonies powerfully in worship. However, the four elements of a lament psalm can help us study these psalms and write reader’s theater laments.
lament psalm and divide it up into diff erent parts, giving diff erent lines to diff erent speakers. Find a translation that fi ts best with your style of worship, but don’t be afraid to use some of the harsh language of the lament. You can add two or three voices to diff erent sections as
January-February 2014 • WorshipArts •
www.UMFellowship.org I will briefl y describe three
diff erent types of reader’s theater laments. T en I will describe a fourth type of lament that illus- trates how small groups can be involved in creating and present- ing reader’s theatre laments in worship.
Basic psalm lament: Take a
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