The need for incarnation

We are in the midst of Easter.  A celebration in which we remember the resurrection.  We hear in church "Christ is risen! Alleluia!" a lot during this part of the liturgical year.

But if Christ is risen, then I want to know where the hell he is.  Because right now, it certainly doesn't feel like he's here.  Not in the midst of massive earthquakes.  Not in the midst of systemic racism that plagues our society.  Not in the midst of a vast divide between the haves and the have-nots.  Not in the midst of corporations that control our entire political system.  Not in the midst of war and destruction, which only begets more war and destruction.

Christ is risen, and now we're all alone.  We are the ones who are left to fix this by ourselves.  The resurrection is supposed to give us hope, but in times like these the resurrection just makes us feel alone.  I need an incarnate God right now, not a risen one.

I need an incarnate God when black man after black man is killed in police custody.

I need an incarnate God when society tells us that black men are inherently more scary than white men.

I need an incarnate God when violent riots are the only way for society to hear the cries of the oppressed.

I need an incarnate God when society thinks property damage is more important than the loss of life.

I need an incarnate God when a city 40 miles away from me is burning.

I need an incarnate God when I'd rather bury my head in the sand than address these issues in a public forum.

I need an incarnate God in the wake of environmental and natural disasters.

I need an incarnate God when we think that the right to marry is the only way to ensure equality for the LGBTQ members of our family.

I need an incarnate God when people with privilege are blind to the privilege they possess.

I have hope in the resurrection, but what about the here and now?

It's times like these when we can turn to the witness of the laments in our scriptures to provide us with some comfort.  The laments validate the emotions we feel during these times of distress, and (as my Hebrew Bible professor says) they are some of the most faithful prayers found in the scriptures.  I don't have that much to say about any of the problems plaguing our world that hasn't already been said (by people far more eloquent than me, I might add).  What I do have to offer is a lament that I wrote for my Exploring Congregational Song class.  I initially hemmed and hawed about the best way to get it out there (thinking that maybe I could gain something from its publication or something).  But I've since decided that we all need this lament right now, and if that causes me to lose out on a few royalties, so be it.  Feel free to use it/spread it around as you see fit.  All I ask is that my name stays attached to it.  

Christ is risen...Christ is risen indeed...Alleluia.

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O God, our King, we're all alone.

There's no one left to hear our groans.

Pain, grief, and death are all around.

To sin, the world itself is bound.

Injustice looms 'round every bend.

The poor, their plight, it knows no end.

The guns are drawn, the swords unsheathed.

O Lord, our God, we cannot breathe.

Return to us, God on high.

Deliver us and hear our cry.

Restore the world to life anew

So we may live and worship you.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Praise God all creatures here below.

Praise God above ye heavenly hosts

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Alleluia, Amen.