Paul had strong words for the Galatian church, who seemed to be abandoning the gospel and adding to it their own rules and ideas. He spoke of the perversion of the gospel and the dangers of adding to what they had been taught (Gal 1:6-9). It’s always dangerous when we try to emphasise one doctrine above all others; frequently, what becomes heresy starts out as truth, but is then pushed to extremes, or one doctrine is given undue emphasis to the point where it leads people astray.

The emotions expressed in the psalms of lament, particularly those which are also known as the ‘imprecatory’ or ‘cursing’ psalms, are far from the calls of Jesus and His followers to love our enemies and bless those who do us wrong (see Matt 5:43-44, Luke 6:27-31, Rom 12:14,17-21, for example.) The psalmists ask God to take revenge on their enemies: ‘Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked’ (Ps 3:7); ‘Break the arm of the wicked man; call the evildoer to account for his wickedness that would not otherwise be found out’ (Ps 10:15), for example. Such language may make us feel uncomfortable and we may feel that we cannot (or should not) pray such things ourselves. But all Scripture can teach us things, and these prayers show us we can bring every raw emotion to God. Hatred, violent thoughts and a desire to see our enemies brought low (see Ps 137:8-9 for perhaps the most violent of these imprecatory outbursts) may not be commendable, but they are real, and as such must be brought to God if they are to be dealt with appropriately.

If we pretend such emotions do not exist, wanting simply to give a sanitised view of the gospel to people, we will be guilty of preaching a diluted gospel. It is one thing to say these outbursts are right. Such a view would indeed contradict the rest of Scripture. But we have to admit that at one time or other, we have all felt righteous anger and have longed for God to deal with our enemies the way we would secretly like to deal with them! The psalmists are honest enough to speak to God from the heart, and we must too. God is well able to take our fury and our protestations and change our viewpoint, but He can do nothing if we live a life of pretence. Only as we are honest with God, putting aside our polite conventions, can we be changed by His Spirit. The psalms of lament show us a reality that balances with all the other psalms to give us a rounded perspective.

It is better, also, to bring our laments, complaints, fury and curses to God, rather than letting them loose on the world. So often, we ‘vent’ and rage to people, but it is far better, as the psalmists acknowledge, to bring their questions directly to God than to cause others to stumble. (Ps 73:15) The psalms lift the curtain on emotions we usually, for many laudable reasons, keep private. They encourage us, however, that even our most ignoble thoughts and dishonourable emotions, can be revealed to God without shocking Him or causing Him to lose faith in us. We wrestle with these things in prayer so that we can move from the place of anger and bitterness to a place of quiet confidence and trust.

None but a masochist enjoys pain; pain is something that is endured at best and is feared by most. Those who live with chronic pain due to different diseases or disabilities speak of its debilitating force, sapping energy and leaving individuals worn out and unable to enjoy even the simple pleasures of life. Physical pain can be excruciating to bear; emotional pain is no easier to endure.

Dr Paul Brand, who worked with the Leprosy Mission in India for many years, offers a different perspective on pain, however, for the deadliness of leprosy is that it destroys the pain receptors in our body which actually serve as a warning signal of danger. Lepers lose their limbs because they cannot feel the pain which would cause them to recoil as a safety measure, and so they continue to put themselves in situations of constant, though unintentional, abuse. Pain acts as a warning to us that all is not well, he affirms, and is, in that sense, helpful to us.

In this context, we see what is the best way to deal with pain, according to the psalms of lament, and this is to bring our pain directly to God. We cry to God out of the depths (Ps 130:1). We bring our physical pain to Him (Ps 38:7, 17). We bring the emotional pain to Him (Ps 88:8). We pour out our complaints directly to Him (Ps 142:2) So often, the problem of pain is not simply the pain itself, but the feelings this causes: feelings of isolation, abandonment, rejection and hurt, feelings that this pain will last for ever and God will never show mercy to us again (Ps 77:7-9). We are free, the Psalms teach us, to bring these directly to God and to allow Him to minister to us and to lift us out of the pit of peril. C. S. Lewis called pain ‘God’s megaphone to a deaf world.’ If we allow our pain to send us to God, then it can indeed serve a redemptive purpose.

65 of the 150 psalms in our Bible are designated in one way or other ‘psalms of lament.’ A lament is an expression of grief or sorrow or complaint, and synonyms include words like ‘bemoan’, ‘regret’, ‘bewail’ and ‘bawl’, not to mention ‘beat one’s breast’ or ‘eat one’s heart out.’ We may be surprised, and even a little afraid, of the fact that so many of the psalms seem to involve complaining and sorrowing. The upbeat psalms of thanksgiving are surely more inspirational than wading through verses like ‘Why, Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?’ (Ps 10:1) and tales of woe and enemies (e.g. Ps 44:15-16).

Many of us feel that we must be resolutely positive and upbeat on all occasions. We are called to give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thess 5:18) and rejoice in the Lord always (Phil 4:4), and so we reason that lament, grief, sorrow and regret are all emotions better suppressed than expressed.

The Psalmists wouldn’t agree with that interpretation at all. Every emotion, every situation, every grief and hurt are poured out before God in the Psalms, and if 43% of our prayer book consists of lament, we must not be afraid of expressing such emotions before God. The fact is that life is difficult and full of pain. Instead of fleeing from pain, seeking numbness in analgesia, we need to face up to the pain that comes from living in a fallen world, acknowledge the disappointment we feel when people let us down and when God seems strangely silent and far off and embrace true honesty, even if it stings. Far better to bring those feelings to God than to hide them away.

The Psalms of Lament often begin in despair and distress, but by a steadfast focussing on who God is and what He has done in the past tend to move towards hope and trust. Ps 22 begins with the plaintive ‘My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?’ (Ps 22:1, quoted by Jesus as He hung on the cross), but finds hope as the psalmist declares ‘those who seek the Lord will praise Him.’ (Ps 22:26) The raw honesty of these psalms not only give us permission to be brutally real and honest with God ourselves, but leads us into prayer that does not end in despair.

We’re really excited about being able to be part of the Goldthorpe Christmas Market which takes place on Market Street on Friday 24th November from 4-8 p.m. and especially about the chance to work with all the local churches at this event.

Inside the church hall, we will be…

• serving refreshments, including luxury hot chocolates (served with whipped cream, marshmallows or flake) for just £1
• having a variety of stalls, including home baking and craft items
• selling bicycles, thanks to the Salvation Army’s repair programme
• offering the chance to have professional family photographs taken against a Christmas backdrop – ideal for cards or presents (£5 for the digital image which can then be printed as many times as you want at any size)
• wrapping Christmas presents (50p per present – ideal for those of you who hate that particular job!)
• offering different activities for children (colouring & games etc.)

So don’t hestitate to come along and visit us and spread the word so people know what is happening! All proceeds taken inside the church go to the Salvation Army Christmas Appeal, administered by Alison Sykes from the Goldthorpe Salvation Army.

Don’t forget that we need quite a lot of items providing for our Christmas outreaches. So when you’re going shopping, if you could think about these things and get a few extra bits and pieces, that would be really helpful! We need:

• wrapped sweets/ chocolates/ lollipops for the 500 goody bags we are preparing to distribute at the ‘Winter Wonderland’ event in Thurnscoe (18 November) and the Goldthorpe Christmas Market (24 November)
• Poundland gift items to go in the goody bags (particularly for children)
• items for the tombola stall (e.g. toiletries, stationery, jewellery)
• food items for the food hamper (Christmas food, chocolates, biscuits etc.)

Please remember also to bring hats, gloves, scarves and coats for the Salvation Army ‘Winter Warmer’ day on 10 November.

Thank you so much!

The Director of Public Health in Barnsley is compiling information about the health of local residents in our area, information required by the Government which will provide the NHS with ‘an invaluable and unique insight into the daily challenges that affect our physical and mental health and a better understanding of what you think makes it better or worse’. If you want to be involved in this, they are looking for people to fill in a diary sheet on Tuesday 7 November which gives a snapshot of your health on that day (‘A Day In The Life Of…‘) The diary can be accessed online here.