This Lament was written as an assignment for my Contextual Ministry class.
Lament for a Church that has Lost Its Way
O LORD, where have you gone?
It seems only a moment ago
That you were walking right here,
with us,
among us.
Now you seem to be gone.
Didn’t you say you would never leave us or forsake us?
What happened?
*****
When you were here,
our church was full.
Those were happy times,
times when we had few cares
because we knew that we were walking
in the same direction as you were.
At least,
we thought we knew.
*****
At some turning in the way,
we seem to have become separated,
each to his own way.
You walked away from us.
When you were with us we were confident
we were going in the right direction.
Our confidence left with you.
We feel lost,
alone.
Where have you gone?
Are you even listening to us now?
*****
Look at us,
our ministries are collapsing.
Our friends are deserting us,
looking for you in other places,
leaving us to wither,
prophesying our failure,
They’re making fun of us,
gossiping about our demise.
They say we just made you up!
That maybe you were never here.
*****
Did we really say “our ministries”?
They’re not ours at all.
Maybe this is where we’ve gone wrong,
why you seem to have abandoned us.
We thought all this was ours,
when it really all belongs to you.
We’ve been looking at ourselves rather than you.
We’ve been walking this direction on our own longer than we thought.
*****
Praise God!
Praise God!
Praise God!
*****
You never did
leave us at all!
In your love, you
Couldn’t do that.
You watched us leave, like a Shepherd watches lambs frolic carelessly.
You would even give yourself, die, nailed, keep us safe, bring us home.
You have not left us, but, are watching us, ready to catch us, protect us.
if we had stumbled,
if there was danger.
To come the moment
we realized our need
realized our weakness
realized we need You
Gently prodding us
to follow You again.
To come back into
Your open loving arms
*****
