Lament is the Bible’s most prevalent and poignant expression of grief and loss. Despite its common place in scripture, it is scarcely utilized in preaching. This project examines the place and use of lament in sermons. Homiletical expressions of communal loss and accompanying grief that a specific ministry setting inevitably experiences from time to time are explored and modeled. In openly preaching about and engaging in lamentation, permission can be given for listeners of sermons to give voice to their own individual feelings of loss and grief. Further, through the act of using lament in sermons, the preacher may appreciate the value of the genre in the homiletical toolbox, and may find voice for her/his own personal experienced losses.
