My friend Rev. Timothy J. Hartner, a prince of a pastor who is now retired from his labors at St. Paul’s Weston, FL, shared his work on “lament” recently with me, what follows is my take on what he shared. 
We have much to lament over in 2020: deaths, illness, racial discord, political discord, loss of the ease in which we once lived life, and much more. As Christians, people often look to us as people of faith in order to find how we deal with those things that cause lament. In Bible study just this Sunday, we lamented that “bad things happen to good people,” and that often life doesn’t seem fair. As the outside world looks to us for our witness concerning these “lamentables”, we should remember a few things:
We are not necessarily called to explain the suffering we see in the world, but we are called to lament over it. Some things only God can explain, and we need to be ok with that mysterious truth.
Our lamentations are a form of praise. Our laments call out the dissonance between our experience and the God whom we know to be good and faithful. When we lament, we lament from a place that knows and proclaims God’s goodness, even in the midst of our being unable to understand our present suffering.
Our lamentations are a sign of relationship. Our laments grow out of our relationship with God. If we did not have a relationship with God, we would not bother Him with our lamentations.
Our lamentations are a practice of intimacy with God. When we lament, we lay open our emotions and experience with Him, bringing them before His throne.
Our lamentations are a prayer for God to act. Lament is not just an outlet for frustration, but it is an earnest seeking after God’s will and a call to Him to see, hear, and act in our world.
Our lamentations are a participation in the pain of others and in Christ. Lament is a practice of the communion of the saints, we lament because others in the Body are hurting. As Jesus cries, “my God, my God, why…?” He becomes the Lamenter, joined to all who lament. Likewise, we become more like Him in our lamentations.
Our lament is not the final prayer. Most of the lament psalms (13, 22, 35, 71, 74, 79, 130, 137, etc) end with a vow to praise God when He delivers. So too, we look to God to deliver in the midst of our laments with our own promises to give Him thanks for His deliverance.
So, University Lutheran, let us lament together knowing that our lamentations come from a faith that will be realized in our thanksgivings.