Prophetic Lament: A Call for Justice in Troubled Times

by Soong-Chan Rah

The church has the power to bring healing in a racially fragmented society. That power is not found in an emphasis on strength but in suffering and weakness. The difficult topic of racial reconciliation requires the intersection of celebration and suffering. The Lord’s Table provides the opportunity for the church to operate at the intersection of celebration and suffering. In 1 Corinthians 11:26, we are reminded that we have the opportunity to “proclaim the Lord’s death.” In remembering Jesus’ suffering on our behalf, we discover our mutual and common dependence on the body of Christ broken for us. It is not merely the symbolic act of the Lord’s Table that unites us, but the commitment to that broken body and the actual embodiment of unity. The suffering narrative that informs the Lord’s Table is essential for the unity found in the body of Christ. The necessary condition for the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, therefore, is lament. Lamentations recognizes that hope can arise in the midst of suffering because of God’s faithfulness. Celebration can arise out of suffering, but lament is a necessary expression of that suffering. In a triumphalistic world, Lamentations makes no sense. The theology of celebration will always be more attractive than the theology of suffering. But if lament were offered to a suffering world, the hope that is woven into lament offers the possibility of genuine reconciliation.