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Grieving Hopefully

And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died - so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. – 1 Thessalonians 4:13

Recently my family gathered at a memorial service for my forty-seven year old cousin who had died suddenly. As you might expect the songs we sung were… Christmas hymns.

Okay, perhaps you weren’t expecting that. But Christmas was her favorite time of year and she was known for her lavish celebrations of Christ’s birth. What joy was mixed with the sadness that day. There was certainly grief, intense grief as parents mourned the loss of a child and children mourned the loss of their mother.

Notice Paul doesn’t tell the Thessalonians not to grieve when loved ones die. No, grief is expected, healthy and necessary. What Paul wants us to know is that our grief is bathed in the hope of resurrection. Our grief is about being separated for a time from those who are dear to us. Our grief is informed by our certainty that this life is but a prelude to an eternity in God’s presence.

So when the time comes for you to attend a funeral for a loved one, grieve… filled with hope.

Prayer
Lord, in the face of the pain and loss that I inevitably experience in this life strengthen me to grieve well and with hope. Amen.