By The Rev. Susan Balfour

Beloved,

Sometimes, I’m at a loss for words. That’s happening a lot these days. So I will share with you a psalm that spoke to me today; I hope it blesses you as it blessed me.

Lament Psalm Thirty-two, Ann Weem

O God, explain to me

the cruelty of your world!

Make sense of those

who make no sense!

Tell me why the innocent die,

and evil people live

to kill again!

Tell me why the faithful are shunned,

and the self-righteous

point their fingers!

Tell me why the wounded

are wounded,

and sorrow falls

on the shoulder of sorrow!

Tell me why the abused

are abused,

and the victims

are victimized!

Tell me why the rains

come to the drowning,

and aftershocks

follow earthquakes.

O God, is this any way

to run a world?

O Merciful One, let us rest

between tragedies!

Speak to us

for we are your people.

Speak to us of hope

for the hopeless

and love for the unloved

and home for the homeless

and dignity for the dying

and respect for the disdained.

 

Speak to us, O God,

of the Resurrected One!

Speak to us of hope,

for in spite of

the tidal wave of tears,

we remember your story

of new life!

 

Tell the world again,

O God of creation!

Tell us that winter will fade,

and spring will wash us new,

and the world will green again,

and we will be new creations

in the garden of our God.

Free us from these tentacles

of sorrow,

and we will fall on our faces

and worship you,

O God of goodness,

O God of a new green world!