Transition Sermon
• Grief is intense emotional suffering caused by a loss.
• Grieving is like entering the valley of shadows. Grief is not fun. It is painful. It is work. It is a lingering process. It is a healing journey that can last anywhere from one to three years, and for some a lifetime. Some people never get through the process of grieving.
• A sudden death can be more difficult to grieve because there is no warning and no chance to say good-bye and begin to prepare for the loss.
• Grief is not always just about death. It can also be faced in a divorce, life transition, disaster, or misfortune.
• Grief is actually a complex set of emotions, all of which are “normal.” People who are grieving may experience their loss psychologically through feelings, thoughts, and attitudes; socially as they interact with others; and physically as it affects their health.
• Often friends don’t know how to help someone who is grieving and may try to “cheer him up” or “get her mind off her loss.” This can actually add to the burden as the person who is grieving has to either avoid friends or “fake it” rather than have the chance to share his or her true feelings.
• Sometimes loss is cumulative and awakens memories of early losses that were never fully grieved.
• Someone who is grieving may experience intense feelings of guilt for aspects of the relationship with the person who has died or the grieving person may feel as if he or she is being punished.
• Sometimes the feelings of anger and sadness are projected onto God and the grieving person experiences God as distant and uncaring.
• Often sadness and loss can intensify during certain times of the year, such as the month that the person died, family holidays, and the person’s birthday or anniversary.