Wednesday Evenings, February 21, 28, March 6, 13, 20, 27 6:30 to 8:00
Share a meal of soup and bread before joining a discussion of ancient and
personal lament, led by the Rev. Dr. Robert Phillips, Canon for Leadership Development
and Congressional Care in the Diocese of Washington.
Sacred texts tell us that in times of crisis the ancient Israelites used images,
symbols, and metaphors to express the pain of their trauma. The Book of Psalms in
Hebrew Scripture encompasses the vast range of emotions experienced by a people
who had a relationship with God that was sometimes strong and resilient, but often
fragile and tenuous. In fragile and tenuous times, they embraced lament psalms as a
sacred poetry with which they could complain to God in faith. When we lament the
profound losses in our lives, we can avoid tendencies of denial that distort our
understanding and corrupt our ability to move toward healing and wholeness.
During this Lenten season, we will embark on a journey toward the development
of our own personal lament psalms using symbols, metaphors, and images to facilitate
an honest spiritual dialogue. By writing our own lament, we build a bridge from the
painful grief of personal brokenness to a space imbued with grace for personal healing
and growth.
The series will conclude with at Service of Lament on March 27.
Sign up here for one or all of the sessions and to bring soup or bread or join the discussion via Zoom at 7:00 p.m.
Meeting ID: 894 7798 8351
Passcode: 928572
Email the Rev. Diana V. Gustafson for more information.