Originally published on The Oddball Bulletin Substack — reposted here with permission
Also a sort of pastoral letter from Vicar 7
Beloved Oddballs,
On Oct. 14, 2025, we’ll be releasing a podcast Prayer Service Lamenting Christian Nationalism for community members to pray along with. Multiple community members and co-conspirators have worked together to create a lament service that is as beautiful as it is meaningful. We are especially grateful to friends of Odd Grace Community, Rev. Albert Starr and Rev. Carla Christopher for offering their original poetry and voices. If you missed the last issue of the Oddball Bulletin, it’s worth going back to read Rev. Starr’s full poem, but here is an excerpt from For Those Monday Kind of Days 1:
Lamentation frees us to weep,
and we weep the hot, cleansing tears of anguish.
Lamentation turns our crying to crying out,
crying out to the Great One,
Creator and Giver of Life, Shaper of Justice, Maker of Mercy
Lamentation, like a shepherding wind, turning us toward God
and we resist hopelessness,
even our sorrow songs watch for the coming.
We defy the foul stench of misery.
We are bathed in the fragrance of hope.
Join our holy experiment in creating beloved community.
1 Used with permission from his book Late Night Offerings and Morning Prayers. You can purchase it from World Stage Press. (You should, it’s really good).