“Blessed are those who mourn, for they
will be comforted” (Matthew 5:4)
“A public
time of grieving together.” That was Banu’s
statement toward the end of the CNN broadcast on the town hall of Stoneman
Douglas High School students.
“Lament” is a
word we hear far too rarely in our nation today. “Communal lament” is perhaps even more rarely
used.
However, the
scriptures give voice to the pain and confusion of lament, no matter how little
we acknowledge them in our worship. The
book of Psalms, Job, Jeremiah—these and other parts of the Old Testament offer
a valuable service, a valuable expression.
The scriptures bring age-old wisdom to us, especially to us Americans. We don’t do mourning well.
Or perhaps I
should say: we who are identified with the dominant culture in America don’t do
mourning well. For example, when I sing,
“Lift Every Voice and Sing,” I am well aware I am borrowing language from an
experience that wasn’t mine. At the same
time, the cries of the exiles in Babylon have experiences that were not mine. But God, who makes all things new, in a mysterious
way transforms suffering into a healing force.
That’s the
precious nature of communal lament. It
reminds us that mourning is not meant to be an individual or family affair. Especially when there is a tragedy of broad scope,
we need to be reminded that, after all, we are in this together.
So, last
Wednesday night we saw the emotions expressed above. But we also saw determination. And joy.
We also saw joy, even if it was a tiny glimpse. The Stoneman Douglas drama club performed “Shine,”
a song they wrote in the wake of the mass shooting. Perhaps the first hints of healing have now
begun.
“You may have
brought the dark, but together we will shine the light.”
