Ground Zero: Unexpected Grief

Acts 7:55–60 NLT

But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand. And he told them, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand!” Then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They rushed at him and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. His accusers took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul. As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died.

A bomb has just dropped in the life of the people in this tight knit community we read about today in ACTS. -Stephen was a frontline kind of guy serving the widows and orphans

-Preaching wherever he went and in many ways a pillar in this group of people

One of the Rocks, mainstays of this community is dead.....this was supposed to be a time of great things! Jesus was alive and the Holy Spirit descended and the church was booming and it all seemed to stop in its tracks as the people watch one of their leaders die.

-Well you say what blessing or good came from that?

-At this point in the life of the people....nothing good came from it.

-In fact this was a time that great persecution started

-To add insult to injury a not only was their great mourning among this community, but now they were being hunted down for their faith, by a man named Saul.

BUT PASTOR....you say! Saul later becomes Paul.....this is a great thing.

-while that is true we only know that because we have the benefit of the complete account of scripture....

-the people in the time of Acts were there and living through it.

-Saul was gladly hunting people down and killing them for following Jesus

-there seemed to be no hope.....

Story #1

After almost giving up on getting pregnant, Shelly Schupbach and her husband, Todd, were blessed with a smiling baby boy, Nash. Their lives were filled with the joy of baby firsts. Then on June 19, 2014, Shelly dropped off her precious five-month-old son at the babysitter’s while she went to work. That was the last time she saw him alive.

Todd and Shelly received phone calls at work telling them that Nash had stopped breathing in his sleep. At the hospital, the nurses gave CPR until Shelly was willing to let go. “As a mother, you just want to hold him, and rock him, and tell him it’s going to be okay,” said Shelly. “It was the hardest day of my life.”

Later, the death certificate delivered another crushing blow. The cause of death was positional asphyxia. As Shelly wrote on her blog: “My worst nightmare confirmed. He suffered. It was preventable. I dropped him off at the place that would take his life. I smiled at him, and he smiled back, and I walked away not knowing that decision would change my life forever.”

Tragedy beyond tragedy......

a while ago we heard portions of Psalm 31

-David when he wrote this was in a pit.....his life was so chaotic that many days he didn’t know which way was up!

-the language he uses in this sections of scripture shows that he is in danger and that he is crying out for his life!

Story #2

On a sweltering day in his small Iowa town, Matt Gage dove into a pool. When he surfaced, his entire left side was useless.

Fortunately, the nine-year-old’s cousin was there to pull him from the water. At the hospital, the doctor diagnosed heat stroke. But after being transferred to the Mayo Clinic, Matt was whisked into emergency surgery with a different diagnosis, the kind usually reserved for the elderly. Matt had suffered not just heatstroke but an actual a stroke.

The prognosis was grim. The neurosurgeon didn’t expect Matt to wake up. If he did, he’d be a vegetable.

Its possible you are thinking or feeling....I don’t know that I can handle any more this year......

-global disasters

-fires

-floods

-tornadoes

-pandemic

-murder hornets

I have a family member or a friend that died from cancer and I don’t know how to deal with it in the midst of this pandemic when I cant see anyone or hug any one......how much longer God?!?!

What response is even right?

Enter into your grief

The psalmist admits his grief and does not apologize for it.

When we go through terrible life altering experiences we have to come to terms with the idea that our life has been changed

the family member who is ill, or died, the job you lost, it is not spiritual maturity to deny those things are happening or to quickly say God is good and Ill be ok.

Jesus was known as a man of sorrows and yet his life was not characterized by grief....so don’t be afraid to grieve loss in all of it’s forms. If you dont grieve you wont be able to move beyond the pit.

Seek Jesus in the midst of your loss

listen for his loving voice through scripture, during times that are quiet or if you can’t even pray listen for the voice of Jesus in other people. He is there and even though it may be hard to hear his voice through your grief know he is there.

trust in his character and even as the Psalmist does speak to God about what he said he will promise

AS we move through our grief we can surrender moment by moment the source of our grief and this can help us experience freedom in our surrender

lean into the comfort of your community

With people you can trust share your thoughts and ask for prayer

Don’t be afraid to ask for support of the church, meals, extra time together, or extra time alone

Dont be afraid to seek professional help in counseling......people who are trained to help you walk through your grief are a blessing from God and

Story #1 Redeemed ending

But Shelly and Todd didn’t want their son’s legacy to be one of sadness. Nash was the baby with the gigantic smile who spread joy to everyone who knew him.

As Nash’s six-month birthday approached on July 9, 2014, family members decided to honor him by doing random acts of kindness in his name. They agreed to do that on the ninth of every month at least until his first birthday. With each act of kindness, they would hand out a card with the baby’s picture and the words “Have a Nash day.”

The idea took off on social media, and soon people all over the US were participating in “Have a Nash day.” Then someone in Spain posted, and the Schupbachs realized it had gone international. Now, Shelly’s excited about Nash’s birthday again because of all the people who are honoring her son.

Story #2 Redeemed Ending

But Matt did wake up. The neurosurgeon told Matt he’d never be able to move his left side again. With the young boy’s dream of becoming the next Michael Jordan destroyed, he ignored his father’s urging to try to move his leg. “I can’t,” Matt would say.

Finally, his father confronted him. “Matt, what did ‘can’t’ ever do for you?” his father said. “If you say you can’t do it, you’re not gonna do it. If you don’t start believing in yourself and believing something can happen, that you can get better, then you’re gonna be in a wheelchair.”

He began to make progress. First, he moved his left leg. Then he moved his left arm. He started walking with a brace before leaving the hospital.

Although his left side had a limited range of motion, Matt eventually played basketball, ran a 5K, and even took up skiing. He became a professor and athletic trainer for various universities. He now gives hope to other young stroke victims and their families by showing them that they, too, can get married, have kids, and enjoy successful careers.

Matt believes God used his stroke to help others. If he could relive the moment that changed his life, he says, “Now, today, I would tell you that I wouldn’t want it any different.”

You may be still in the tragedy today and for months to come and maybe even years to come.

On the other side of our tragedy and grieving is Triumph and f freedom that we can have through our trust in Jesus!

Bottom Line: You may be at a place that is in between the tragedy and the triumph, but God is near and is the source of strength, and peace in the midst of the storm