Two Small Coins
I am writing a series of laments. As a white evangelical Christian, I did not learn to lament in my religious or cultural background. This lack of lament is probably due to the fact that my ancestors and I, as part of the dominant culture, have not suffered the injustice, oppression or violence as have many of my neighbors of color. In the last few years, I have been introduced to this specific form of prayer. It is connected closely with confession and repentance. We are living in an extremely violent society, in an extremely violent world. We are reeling from one tragic event to another.
As a follower of Jesus, I have learned from his teachings the law of sowing and reaping. What is planted is what grows. With this principle in mind, I wonder what it will take to root out the violence in our society and in our world. Large trees with long roots started as small seeds. What seeds have been planted in our history that continue to bloom into violence? I believe a collective lament, confession, and repentance is necessary for lasting change to occur. The path to healing in our communities must go through this path of self-reflection and acknowledgment leading to lament, confession and repentance.
I invite you to join me in this journey of overturning the soil in our hearts in the hope of producing the good fruits of love and peace in our world.
Laments can be spoken, chanted or sung together in a group or alone. The bold letter words are for those who wish to pray together in a group.
This is the second lament in the series I am writing. These are not meant to shame anyone, but to help me and anyone else who is struggling with how to pray and how to respond to the challenges we face in the world we live in.
A Series of Laments by Julie Clark: #2, Two Small Coins
We watched from our screens
The worlds unfolding tragedies
Lord, have mercy
Cities crumbling and unlivable,
Ruined
Lord, have mercy
We saw men, women, children, the elderly
Fleeing with little or nothing
On foot, in trucks
Later in unstable, overcrowded boats
Looking for help, looking for hope
Lord, have mercy
Some came to meet them
To feed them and clothe them
To help them
Thanks be to God
Some opened their wallets and gave
What they could
Thanks be to God
Others of us felt hopeless
What could we do?
We looked at our two small coins
And put them back in our pocket
Lord, have mercy and forgive us
Every day more tragedies unfold
On our flashing screens
Lord, have mercy
Every day
Lonely people walk across our paths
Some hungry and homeless
Others in need of a friend
Lord, have mercy and forgive us
Forgive us God for when we do nothing
Oh Lord, let our hearts be open
Show us what we can do
Let not fear keep us from love
Show us how we can love
Let love grow in our hearts
To overcome fear
Show us what we can do
Let us take the two small coins
Out again and find a way
To use what we have
To help our neighbors in need
Thanks be to God
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