Approaching Civic Holidays as Occasions of Both Thanksgiving and Lament
The Psalms form us as people of faith to express both thanks and lament to God. This offers us a perspective that is especially needed when we worship together on or near civil holidays, and face the temptation to promote a civic religion substitute for robust Christian vision.
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Lament forms us with the language we need to approach and resist systemic racism and dysfunctional theological conclusions that are based on the Doctrine of Discovery, which is buried throughout the history we celebrate (not only in North America, but in several countries around the world). Thanksgiving forms us with the language that helps us express our response to what God has done and is doing around the world, in places where freedom to resist racism and oppression has emerged.