Friday was a difficult day for this congregation when we learned that a person who often worshiped with us had suddenly passed away.
We all recognize that life can be cut short at any time, but when it happens without warning to a person so young, whose family we have come to appreciate, we struggle with our grief and wonder how we can find hope and comfort. Yalonda’s death affects not just family members and friends, but her absence affects this entire congregation. All of us will miss her. And I hope the message God has given me will strengthen all of us gathered here today.
As always, in times like these, we turn to God’s Word for insight and courage. And this morning, in addition to the scriptures, prayers, and hymns we have already heard, I invite you to consider the words we find in a short New Testament letter, written by the Apostle Paul, to a congregation that was facing similar circumstances. Some of their number had died and they were faced with the reality of that loss. So the question is, How can the community of faith keep its focus when death invades the congregation?
I want to highlight three words from this scripture as we consider what God might be saying to us today. Those words are grief, hope, and comfort, as you find them listed in the bulletin with the hymns we have sung. They form the outline for today’s message – death brings grief, God gives hope, and the congregation shares comfort.
We find these thoughts in the paragraph that I read from I Thessalonians 4. The church Paul was writing to was quite young. If you read Acts 17, you will see that this church was born in the midst of turmoil. You recall that Paul had traveled throughout the known world to spread the good news of Jesus. Many people accepted his message, but there were some who opposed Paul and insisted that he was a threat to the government because he talked about another king named Jesus. Some of these people formed a mob and set the city in an uproar. And Paul had to leave the city and the new church after just being there three weeks.
After he left, the church evidently continued, because later Paul sent one of his co-workers back to see how they were doing. And after that, Paul wrote this letter to the Thessalonians, in which we learn that all had not been well. The small church there had suffered some hard times because of their faith. The persecution that began when Paul was there had continued. And that reality sets the stage for our scripture today.
Evidently, some of their number had died - possibly because of the persecution. Members of the congregation may have been troubled by their death because they thought anyone who becomes a believer in Jesus should be spared that kind of trouble. Even today, some people seem to think that Christians should not have to go through hard times. Whatever happened, verse 13 tells us that the congregation was grieving. And Paul accepts that. He doesn’t scold them for grieving. He doesn’t say to get on with it or to get over it, because the reality is that death brings grief. Many of us have experienced it. We know how it feels.
Think about the shock and disbelief we all felt when we first heard the news last Friday. Maybe you said to yourself, “This can’t be.” More than one person called us to confirm that what they heard was really true. Denial is one of the first emotional responses we have when someone dies. It is one way we try to protect ourselves from the blow we feel so we can manage our feelings.
Another evidence of grief is the pain we feel. Everywhere we turn today we are reminded that something is wrong, a chair is empty. Someone isn’t here. We will miss Yalonda when we meet for worship. Her family will find it hard to gather without her. Counselors tell us, though, that when the numbness is over and you begin to feel the pain, you are coming to terms with the enormity of the loss. Pain really hurts. It is part of the grieving process and it is all right to experience that pain.
Eventually, after the emotional highs and lows, the grief and the pain, we begin to move through the valley of the shadow of death, and begin to heal.
I think one of the most important verses in the Bible is the one that describes the response of Jesus when he found out about the death of his dear friend Lazarus. That verse is only two words long. The Bible says “Jesus wept.” That says a lot about his friendship with Lazarus. It says a lot about Jesus. Death brings grief. It is OK to weep. We have permission to feel the pain. Let’s not scold ourselves for feeling bad.
But there is a second important word here- the word hope. In dark and troubled times, where do we find hope? The answer is that God gives hope.
In verse 13, Paul tells the congregation in Thessalonica that, yes, they can expect to grieve, but because they follow Jesus, they will do it in a different way than people who do not know God because they have hope. When Paul preached about the gospel, he often emphasized hope. Several times in his letters he underlines the hope that God’s people have.
For example, in Romans 5 he says that “we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.” What is this hope based on? It is based on the fact that Jesus not only died as a sacrifice for our sin, he arose from the dead. Those early Christians had a powerful awareness that God had reversed Jesus’ crucifixion through the resurrection. That means God has power over sin and death and evil. And because Jesus arose from the dead, those who have died will also rise when Jesus comes again. Verse 14 says, “For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died.”
The important thing to understand is that God is in control. That fact should dominate our entire perspective. This is the God who gave us life when he put us on this earth and the one who will receive it when we leave this earth. This is the God who broke into history to bring salvation to the world. This is the God who has shown us love through his son Jesus. This is the God who is able to break down the walls that separate people and forgives our sins and gives us the hope of being with him eternally. In this life, we may have to walk through the valley of the shadow of death, but God will walk with us and bring us through.
For some people who lose a loved one, life may seem hopeless. But the people of God live with hope. And it influences the core of their being. It is not a time to give up or give in. As Paul says in I Cor. 15, because of Jesus’ resurrection, “Death has been swallowed up in victory… Therefore,” he says, “be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” God gives hope. And because of that, life has meaning and direction.
Finally, there is yet one other thought we need to consider and we find it in the last words of this paragraph where it says “Therefore, comfort (or encourage) one another with these words.” Here Paul points out how important the members of this congregation are to each other. They bring comfort to one another.
There is no doubt that Paul expects the congregation to engage in the ministry of comforting and consoling each other. In a letter to another church, Paul used the words, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” You see, God brings comfort to us through the thoughts and prayers and actions of one another.
Comforting those who grieve isn’t just the job of the deacons or the pastors in the church. The whole congregation takes its part. In more than one place, Paul describes the church as a body. We know that when one part of the body hurts, the whole body hurts. I Corinthians 12:26 says, “If one part of the body suffers, all suffer together with it; if one part is honored, all rejoice together with it.” That is the way it is with the church and so we all take responsibility to bring consolation to those who hurt.
You may not be quite sure what to say in times like these. And that is OK. Your words may not be the most important thing. You can bring comfort with your smile, your handshake, your hug. Just being there is comforting. During these past three days, it has touched my heart to hear about the ways members of this congregation have engaged in the ministry of encouragement and comfort through phone calls and visits, offers of food, and generous acts of kindness. There is no doubt in my mind that the congregation wants to wrap its arms around the Johnson family so they experience comfort, healing, and love.
The coming days and weeks will be difficult for all of us and especially for Yalonda’s family. But, I pray that as we experience the grief of death, we will recognize anew that hope comes from God and comfort will abound because of the way the people in this congregation care for one another.
Resource: Jacob W. Elias. 1 & 2 Thessalonians. (Believers Church Bible Commentary) 1995
