Introduction

Kimberly Bracken Long

I did not need another reminder of the pace at which we receive news of violence in our communities, our cities, and around the world. Still, this latest report brings home how important it is for people of faith to respond. We offer aid, we advocate, we work for sensible laws, we urge our government to work for peace with justice. And we pray.

While it has become common to denigrate “thoughts and prayers” as code for inaction, it matters that we bring our responses to violent events or natural disasters into worship. The biblical witness allows us—even encourages us—to cry out in lament. We sing our sorrow and our hope; we pray for the sufferers and the helpers. We share gifts to assist in alleviating pain. We gather around a table to be nourished and strengthened for the facing of these days. And we are sent to join in the work God is already doing to bring about a new creation.

This issue of Call to Worship is a guide to worshiping in times of crisis. In these pages you will find counsel on preaching in difficult times and glean wisdom to help care for churches reeling from disasters. You will deepen your understanding of the needs of warriors returning home, people experiencing poverty and homelessness, and those living with mental health issues. You will also learn about the power of hymnody in a suffering world. These pages are also graced with art, poetry, and liturgy that will feed your soul.

Please note that the Hymn Society includes in its list of resources a collection of congregational songs for use in times of crisis. As the online publication indicates, “the publishers, authors, and composers have graciously granted permission for you to use any of the hymns in the collection at no royalty cost to you for 2 months following the crisis, and at any memorial or remembrance service held within 1 year of the event.” As a number of our readers and contributors are also members of the Hymn Society, it seems appropriate to lift up their resource as a companion to this issue. Visit https://thehymnsociety.org/resources/hymns-in-times-of-crisis/ for more information and to view the collection.

Editor Sally Ann McKinsey has curated an issue that I am confident you will find practically useful, intellectually compelling, and spiritually moving. It is a privilege to serve as interim editor while she and her family welcome a new child, and I am grateful to be able to share this volume with you.