Spiritual complaint : the theology and practice of lament

Every life, and every land and people, has reasons for lament and complaint. This collection of essays explores the biblical foundations and the contemporary resonances of lament literature. This new work presents a variety of responses to tragedy and a world out of joint are explored. These responses arise from Scripture, from within the liturgy of the church, and from beyond the church; in contemporary life (the racially conflicted land of Aotearoa- New Zealand, secular music concerts and cyber-space). The book thus reflects upon theological and pastoral handling of such experience, as it bridges these different worlds. It brings together in conversation specialists from different fields of academy and church to provide a resource for integrating faith and scholarship in dark places. Table of Contents Contributors Acknowledgments Abbreviations Introduction 1 A Lament for Christchurch -Colin Buchanan PART Foundations 2 Does Jeremiah Confess, Lament, or Complain? Three Attitudes Towards Wrong -Tim Bulkeley 3 The Unique Contribution of Lamentations 4 in the Book of Metaphor and the Transition from Individual to Communal -Miriam J. Bier 4 Lament Job in the Bedeutungsnetz of Psalm 22 -Will Kynes 5 The Enemy A Socio-Cognitive Approach to the Metaphors of Job 16:7-14 -Carlos Patrick Jimenez 6 Blurring the The Rhetoric of Lament and Penitence in Isaiah 63:7-64:11 -Elizabeth Boase 7 The Profit and Loss of Rethinking Aspects of the Relationship Between Lament and Penitential Prayer -Donald P. Moffat 8 The Doubtful Gain of The Fine Line between Lament and Penitential Prayer -Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer PART Reflections 9 Wrestling with Lamentations in Christian Worship -Robin Parry 10 Liturgy and Lament -Colin Buchanan PART Explorations 11 Learning to Lament in Aotearoa -Alistair McKenzie 12 Framing Providing a Context for the Expression oF Pain -Jeanette Mathews 13 Public Lament -Elizabeth Boase and Steve Taylor 14 Lament in an Age of New Media -Stephen Garner PART Refraction 15 In Search of the Shulamith in the State of A Lament -Yael Klangwisan Bibliography Front Cover Title Page Dedication and Copyright Contents Contributors Acknowledgments Abbreviations Introduction 1. A Lament for Christchurch PART ONE: Foundations 2. Does Jeremiah Confess, Lament,or Complain?: Three Attitudes towards Wrong 3. The Unique Contributionof Lamentations 4 in the Book of Lamentations: Metaphor and the Transition from Individual to Communal INTRODUCTION WHY LAMENTATIONS 4 IS OVERLOOKED: CONTRIBUTING FACTORS METAPHORS THAT BLUR THE BOUNDARIESOF INDIVIDUAL AND COMMUNAL Lamentations 4:1–2: Tarnished Gold and Sacred Stones Lamentations 4:13–16: Prophets, Priests, and Elders Lamentations 4:3, 6, 10: Daughter-my-People FURTHER FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE BLURRING OF INDIVIDUAL AND COMMUNAL The Grammatical Shift Naming Zion: “Daughter-my-People” CONCLUSION 4. Lament Personified: Job in the Bedeutungsnetz of Psalm 22 RELECTURE OF PSALM 22 PSALM 22 IN JOB HERMENEUTICAL CONCLUSIONS 5. The Enemy Lament: A Socio-Cognitive Approachto the Metaphors of Job 16:7–14 INTRODUCTION METAPHOR ACCORDING TO THE TRADITIONAL APPROACH: DEFINITION Job 16:7–14: A Challenge to the Traditional Approach TOWARDS A THEORY OF CONCEPTUAL METAPHOR IN JOB 16:7–14 JOB 16:7–14: TOWARDS A SOCIO-COGNITIVE APPROACH TO METAPHOR A Socio-Cognitive Approach: Definition and Assumptions THE ENEMY LAMENT CONCLUSION 6. Blurring the Boundaries: The Rhetoric of Lament and Penitence in Isaiah 63:7—64:11 FROM FORM CRITICISM TO GENRE THEORY THE RHETORICAL CONTEXT OF ISAIAH 63:7—64:11 ISAIAH AND THE ENGAGEMENT OF GENRE BLURRING THE BOUNDARIES 7. The Profit and Loss of Lament: Rethinking Aspects of the Relationship between Lament and Penitential Prayer TRANSITION AND IMPLICATIONS RELOCATED LAMENT CHANGE OF CONTEXT THEOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS 8. The Doubtful Gain of Penitence: The Fine Line between Lament and Penitential Prayer INTRODUCTION PART I 1. Lament or Penitential Prayer—Which One Is Preferable? 2. The Chronological Relationship between Lamentand Penitential Prayer 3. The Problem with Penitential Prayer PART II 4. Isaiah 40–55 5. Isaiah 56–66 6. Daughter Zion in Isaiah 40–55 and the Lament in Isaiah 56–66 7. The Penitential Prayer in Isaiah 59:9–16a 8. Lament and Penitential Prayer in Isaiah 40–66: Reflections PART III 9. Nehemiah 9 CONCLUSION PART TWO: Reflections 9. Wrestling with Lamentations in Christian Worship INTRODUCTION LAMENTATIONS IN LITURGICAL CONTEXT Lamentations in the Worship of Ancient Israel Lamentations in the Worship of the Synagogue Lamentations “Outside In”—In the Worship of the Church Lamentations “Inside Out”—In the Worship of the Church THE CANONICAL FORM AND CANONICAL CONTEXT OF LAMENTATIONS HEARING LAMENTATIONS AS CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURE Lamentations and the Rule of Faith Lamentations and Christ Lamentations and the Spirit LAMENTATIONS AND THE NARRATIVE DIMENSION OF CHRISTIAN WORSHIP A TIME TO WEEP? CHRISTIAN USE OF LAMENTATIONS IN WORSHIP: A FEW IDEAS 10. Liturgy and Lament SAMPLE 1: “A LITURGY FOR LAMENT” SAMPLE 2: “LAMENT” OF THE JAPANESE BISHOPS AT THE 1998 LAMBETH CONFERENCE SAMPLE 3: A SERVICE OF “LAMENT” IN JERSEY 2008 APPENDIX: RESPONDING TO THE CHRISTCHURCH TRAGEDY OF 22 FEBRUARY 2011 PART THREE: Explorations 11. Learning to Lament in Aotearoa INTRODUCTION THE PURPOSE OF LAMENTS THE CHURCH AND LAMENTS TRADITIONAL LAMENTS IN AOTEAROA MĀORI LAMENTS THE FORM OF MĀORI LAMENTS RECURRING IMAGES IN THE LAMENTS MĀORI LAMENTS AND THE PSALMS CONCLUSION 12. Framing Lament: Providing a Context for the Expression of Pain BRINGING THE FRAME INTO VIEW THE IMPORTANCE OF THE FRAME IN PERFORMANCE LAMENT AS A FRAME FRAMING PAIN IN ANCIENT AND CONTEMPORARYCONTEXTS FRAMING THE PAIN OF REFUGEES LAMENTING LOSS—RESONANCES AND CONTRASTS CONCLUSION: THE CONNECTION BETWEEN ANCIENT TEXTS AND CONTEMPORARY CRISES APPENDIX: KAREN LAMENT POEMS 13. Public Lament INTRODUCTION PERFORMING CONTEMPORARY LAMENT: U2 AND THE PIKE RIVER MINING TRAGEDY PERFORMING CONTEMPORARY LAMENT: PAUL KELLY AND AUSTRALIAN BUSHFIRES CONVERSATIONS 14. Lament in an Age of New Media INTRODUCTION COMPLAINT, LAMENT, AND IMPRECATION THE FUNCTION OF LAMENT THE LOSS OF LAMENT? VIOLENCE IN LAMENT AND COMPLAINT NEW MEDIA AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES NEW LOCATIONS FOR LAMENT THE DARKER SIDE OF LAMENT AND NEW MEDIA CONCLUSION PART FOUR: Refraction 15. In Search of the Shulamith in the State of Israel: A Lament CAPO A YOUNG MAN IS STOPPED SEDERS AND STATIONS DRAGONS IN THE NEGEV EIN GEDI BESIDE A BULLET RIDDLED MOSQUE CODA Bibliography Back Cover Personal and communal tragedies provoke intense emotions. In Scripture such emotions were given expression in complaints or laments. Such laments are the most frequent genre of psalm and are also found in the prophets and elsewhere in the Bible. The Book of Lamentations is even named for this human response to tragedy. Yet neither lament nor complaint seems to be widely practiced in churches today, except at times of extreme communal catastrophe. Bringing together biblical scholars, liturgists, and practical theologians, this book begins to provide bridges between these worlds in order to enrich our ability to respond appropriately to personal and communal tragedy and to understand those responses. (Publisher)