and fear. It is using the full biblical model and then coming to "the turn." "But, we are trusting you Lord. We are going to continue to thank you and praise you." It is also important to expand our understanding of lament to include areas other than the loss associated with death. Pastors need to realize and respect the broad range of issues over which their people may need to lament. People need to lament broken relationships, barrenness, miscarriage, divorce, the loss of a pet, the declines associated with aging, the loss of a job, children who are away from God, addictions, the loss of a dream, and so on. Acknowledging this need to lament, giving people the freedom to lament, and helping them be able to express their lament is a tremendous pastoral gift. A second pastoral care focus on lament revolves around the funeral. The pastor who is serious about encouraging lament needs to be intentional about bringing lament into the funeral. While this might seem like something that would happen automatically, there is a tendency among many Christians to assume that true faith means portraying a form of spiritual stoicism that views tears and grief as inappropriate or something for which a person needs to apologize. This attitude may be manifested in a variety of ways. A person may say, "We don't want to have a funeral; this needs to be a celebration." Now certainly for the Christian we do not "sorrow as those who have no hope" (I Thessalonians 4:13), but neither do we hope as those who have no sorrow. We understand what it means to be able to celebrate a life well lived when death invades our ranks, but these are times we also need to truly grieve the loss that we have experienced. We may even hear someone say, as one pastor shared, "I don't want any tears at this funeral." The pastor may need to be the one to ensure that there is a place for lament when people are facing death and that the voice of lament is heard in the funeral service and message.
and fear. It is using the full biblical model and then coming to "the turn." "But, we are trusting you Lord. We are going to continue to thank you and praise you." It is also important to expand our understanding of lament to include areas other than the loss associated with death. Pastors need to realize and respect the broad range of issues over which their people may need to lament. People need to lament broken relationships, barrenness, miscarriage, divorce, the loss of a pet, the declines associated with aging, the loss of a job, children who are away from God, addictions, the loss of a dream, and so on. Acknowledging this need to lament, giving people the freedom to lament, and helping them be able to express their lament is a tremendous pastoral gift. A second pastoral care focus on lament revolves around the funeral. The pastor who is serious about encouraging lament needs to be intentional about bringing lament into the funeral. While this might seem like something that would happen automatically, there is a tendency among many Christians to assume that true faith means portraying a form of spiritual stoicism that views tears and grief as inappropriate or something for which a person needs to apologize. This attitude may be manifested in a variety of ways. A person may say, "We don't want to have a funeral; this needs to be a celebration." Now certainly for the Christian we do not "sorrow as those who have no hope" (I Thessalonians 4:13), but neither do we hope as those who have no sorrow. We understand what it means to be able to celebrate a life well lived when death invades our ranks, but these are times we also need to truly grieve the loss that we have experienced. We may even hear someone say, as one pastor shared, "I don't want any tears at this funeral." The pastor may need to be the one to ensure that there is a place for lament when people are facing death and that the voice of lament is heard in the funeral service and message.
EN_Nielson_PRP.docx