Aquainted with Grief

Today we celebrate all Saints. We celebrate the life Jesus gave his followers that empowered them to carry on in the way of Jesus bringing light and life in places of darkness and death.

The goal being not to focus on them, but of the life of Christ in them. and if he can do such a work in them, then maybe he can do such a work in us too

Jesus Grieves with us

My mom hates — she does not know what to say. She asked me the other day to produce a pamphlet of sayings people could say to the grieving. I thought it was hilarious — you can say the wrong thing — but the key thing is that you are there, sharing in the grief of your loved ones. It is meant to be hard, it is meant to be awkward. People are hurting, and they are disorientated. The worst thing is to keep away.

Mary: Where were you?

She believed that J could have healed L.

J is about to expand her faith to see what he is truly capable of.

Jesus Grieves with us

He does not address her statement though. He simply wants to be present at the site of grief.

In v. 33 It says that Jesus was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. Not just sadness

Anger - like a snorting horse

Indignation

Police shooting in F’ton. The gift of the Christian Faith to the world is that God grieves with us at the brokenness of this world.

He was not play acting. Grief calls to grief.

Jesus wept — over the separation of death? Grief? The Human condition? The pain of his friends.

Some were touch by his expression of sorrow. Others wondered why he did not come sooner to heal him?

Obedience - Faith in Action

In the BAS Funeral liturgy, during the commendation, there is an audacious statement: “Even at the grave we sing our song, “ alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.” Even in the finality of death we sing “Praise the Lord!” The tomb is empty! And this grave will be too. So We praise the God of life — who has conquered death.

At the grave Jesus commands that the stone be moved.

Practical Martha does not want to offend J with the smell of decay

Our concern is not what to be what we expose Jesus to, but that Jesus is revealed to all people

Obedience - Faith in Action

J wants to display his mastery over the grace. He wants to reveal who he truly is: The God of life.

When things feel overly complicated remember our role is to trust, and humbly obey the Lord and see what he will do.

This does not mean that we deny the bitterness of grief when we suffer the loss of a loved one. It does mean that we defy death which claims the last word and place our hope in the Resurrection and the Life: Jesus

In obedience they remove the stone.

The Prayer of Jesus

Praying thank you in the ICU with John

J’s prayer to the father is constant

Delay to pray that L’s body would be spared from decay, so that he might be preserved and ready to receive his spirit.

Here Jesus thanks God. And prays aloud for the benefit of those around them. That they may know who sent him

He is the author and perfecter of our faith — our calling to unceasing prayer

Leaving the Tomb

Being swept down river at Medley. Barking Orders at the boys to paddle.

Jesus speaks with authority here. Come out of your tomb

We are to come out of our tomb — to enter the life of Christ

We the witnesses (the church) are called to remove the grave clothes. We have a job to do to help one another leave the grave behind in order to enter life more fully.

// J’s resurrection. Difference: J had no cloths on him. Conqueror of death, while L was still related to death.

Let us leave the tomb, and help one another in entering life more fully.

Acquainted with Grief

We who love will grieve

We grieve with Jesus

Our hope is Jesus — who is the last word. So let us hope together, and help each other leave the tomb to enter more fully into the life of Christ.

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