Grief and Hope

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. (1 Th. 4:13)

The month of November always seems to be a time when there is plenty of grief to go around.  All Saints’ Sunday is always a bit of a double-edged sword, as we give thanks for those who have died, but at the same time mourn their loss.  Then, in the same month we have Remembrance Day, which has similar twin elements of both thanksgiving and sorrow.  Add to all that the fact that November is often a bit of a grey month with ever colder temperatures, and you have the recipe for a rather “down” time of the year.

However, as the apostle Paul reminded the Thessalonians, there is a difference between those who believe in Jesus Christ and those who have no hope.  Of course, as many of you can attest, this is not to say that we will not experience grief when we lose a loved one.  Their absence still hurts – but not as much as it would hurt if we thought that we would never see them again.

Instead, because of God’s promises to us in baptism and our faith in Jesus Christ, we believe that death is not the end.  Rather, it is a new beginning, and an entry-point into the life to come.  Thus, we live in the belief and hope that eventually we will be reunited with those we love in the presence of God.  However, what about in the meantime?

First off, God has the power to heal the broken-hearted.  The question is whether we will go to God seeking that healing and allow God to be active in our hearts and lives and to heal us.

At the same time, people have all sorts of different ideas about where to go in order to feel their loved one’s presence.  I remember reading a man’s reflections on the loss of his wife and how he wrote about going to the altar to meet her.  He knew that she wasn’t in the grave, so he didn’t go to the cemetery to meet her.  Instead, he believed that she was part of the communion of saints and that whenever he was at the Lord’s Supper, she was there at that same table with all the saints.

In a similar vein, one often hears people talk about how somebody has “gone to be with Jesus.”  Well, if they are, in fact, with Jesus, aren’t we closest to our loved ones when we draw near to Jesus?  After all, don’t we believe that Jesus is present here as well?  And so, when we draw near to Jesus in prayer, and in worship, and at the Lord’s Table, we also draw near to those who are with him.

There is good reason that Jesus is referred to as the light in the darkness and as the resurrection and the life.  He is the Light in this dark month and the one who gives us victory over death.  He is the One who has promised to come again and to gather all those who belong to him into his arms.  He is the one who weeps with us when we weep and who heals the broken-hearted.  And, he is the one who ultimately rules all things in heaven and on earth – in spite of how things may seem at times.  Look, then, to Jesus, and give your grief to him.

            In Christ,

            Pastor Lynne Hutchison