Common Ground: Editorial Six

Welcome to this edition of Common Ground. Today marks a change in its frequency. With the move to Alert Level 3, Common Ground will now be delivered to your inbox every two weeks. Look out, then, for the next edition on Saturday, 16 May.

In this edition you’ll find words, art, and song centred on the theme of grief, lament, and hope. Over the last weeks, many of us will have experienced grief and sorrow, and wondered: how do I respond to what I’m thinking and feeling? In the lead article for this week, John Dennison speaks to this question, framing the experience of grief and inviting us to express the grief and sorrow we carry through the practice of lament. John also provides practical guidance on how to lament in this edition’s Weekly Practice. Once you’ve spent time reading the two articles by John, we suggest you listen to the song that Donald Goodhall has written (that arose from one of the illustrations that John uses in his lead article); and view the stunning pictures (and the accompanying article) created by Danielle Mitchell, who reminds us that in lament “we can hold each other” and “be held by the God who weeps.” And you might want to read Sam Bloore’s Staff Note as the outro to this theme of lament and hope.

In the the rest of this edition, you’ll be nourished by Janaya Goodhall’s article for Families in Lockdown, an interview with Residential Fellowship alumna Min-Jee Wilks, and a sermon by our cherished friend, Rod Thompson.

This edition of Common Ground is not one to be read in haste. So take your time with the words, art, and song—both today and in the weeks ahead.

Arohanui,

The Venn Team