The Weekly Epistle 10/19/22

Hi Church Family,
It has been said, “Death is a wound to the living.”  As you likely know by now, my family and I felt that wound in watching my sister pass away after a two-month battle with cancer.  My sister wanted me to communicate to all those at her funeral that we should only have tears of joy for her as she was where she wanted to be- heaven.  
 
I do rejoice that my sister is in heaven.  I do rejoice that she is no longer suffering.  I do rejoice that her final years here on earth were a testimony to God’s grace and forgiveness.  
 
However, I still grieve.  I feel that at times in the Christian community we have not always grieved well.  Even in our funeral services, our focus can be on celebration, which is appropriate, yet minimizing the significance of the loss.  The Bible dignifies grief by presenting it as a God-given response to loss and suffering.
 
At my sister’s service, I shared some words from the book of Lamentations.  God saw fit to include an entire book of the Bible to a Lament.  Here is a part of what I shared.    
 
Lamentations plumbs the depths of our sorrows.  It addresses where we are to go with our grief and pain.  It speaks to where life is lived.  God gave us Lamentations because the Bible finds room for every element of human experience including overwhelming human sorrow.  God cares deeply about what you are going through right now.  That was true yesterday. And it is true again today.  It will be just as true tomorrow. 
 
Jeremiah works through this pain.  In the midst of his tears, we find an affirmation of faith.  Jeremiah says in 3:22-23- “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions (His mercies) never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
 
Jeremiah will anchor his soul in the truth that God’s love and compassions are unending.  You can bank on this.  Today’s mercies are for today’s troubles and tomorrow’s mercies are for tomorrow’s troubles. It is hard to trust Him in the darkness.  If you can cling to God and hold on to Him for that mercy, it will show itself sooner or later.  Work through your pain, not around it.  
 
Loss comes to us in various ways.  It isn’t only when we lose a loved one to death.  There is loss that comes through a break-up.  There is loss over a parent’s divorce.  Loss comes to us when we physically cannot do what we once could.  Moving from a house you lived in for years or your child leaving your home can feel like loss even if you are happy about the next stage.  We can feel the loss of a dream or a job or a pet or a miscarriage or a friendship or changes in society.
 
With every loss comes the potential for change, growth, new insights, understanding, and a deepening of our relationship with others and with God.  What I found true in my most recent loss is that it made me more alive to the present moment and to appreciate what I have.  
 
Church, I appreciate you.  I am thankful for your prayers, pouring out of love in tangible ways, checking in, and just caring!  
 
With love and appreciation, Pastor Brian