Sermons on Grief And Loss:

Joy In The Darkness

Contributed by Don Schultz on Dec 5, 2013

Where does one find real and lasting joy? What about when bad things happen?

Joy in the Darkness: 1 Peter 1:6-9 1 Peter 1:6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith-- of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-- may be proved genuine ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:6-9

Denomination: Lutheran

Bread, Water And Rest

Contributed by Steve Anderson on Dec 18, 2014

Funeral sermon for a 16-year old who took his life by suicide at 3 AM by gunshot. It is based on what God provided Elijah when he wanted to die. Its intent is to offer the equivalent of bread, water and rest to the grieving, especially peers and family.

Background (1 Kings 18): 450 idol prophets; 2 altars, 1 fire; Elijah stood up to 450 prophets of Baal but ran for his life when one woman threatened him (1 Kings 19:3-8). Elijah wanted to die, he had poured out his life for God and felt it had no impact. He was tired and in despair, depressed. ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 19:1-8

Denomination: Baptist

His Family Views His Death Series

Contributed by Rick Burdette on Mar 9, 2016

Death, Grief, Love, Compassion

4 Views from the Cross – His Family Views His Death John 19:25-27 (p. 756) March 13, 2016 Introduction: There’s an old hymn that says, “Jesus keep me near the cross. There a precious fountain, free to all a healing stream, flows from Calvary’s mountain...in the ...read more

Scripture: John 19:25-27

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Job 3

Contributed by Bruce Ball on Sep 16, 2019

Job had kept his hurt within himself because there was no one else with which to share it, but when three of his friends came to him, he finally began to vent. Chapter 3 shows us that when we are unable to understand God's reasons, we must still trust in His wisdom.

We have been talking about the book of JOB, which some scholars believe to be the oldest book of the bible, and written by Moses as he wandered the deserts. So far, in chapters 1 and 2, we see where Satan got permission from God to attack Job. The only stipulation was that Satan would not cause ...read more

Scripture: Job 3:1-26, Philippians 4:13, Acts 16:25

Denomination: *other

What Can I Say? A Graveside Service

Contributed by Perry Greene on Dec 6, 2021

What do we do or say when someone is taken from us unexpecrtedly?

There are times that we don’t know what to say. This is one of those times. ___ died unexpectedly and we are speechless. • We don’t understand why this happened. • We can speculate but we don’t know. • We are left frustrated, angry, and sorrowful. Words seem inadequate, even well-intentioned ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:26-27

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

"My Little Brother” Funeral Sermon ( Douglas Belger)

Contributed by Dr. Odell Belger on Jan 10, 2023

Intro: My mother gave birth to six children. Doug said when mom…

1. Gave birth to Martin she said I can do better than that! 2. Gave birth to Billy she I can do better than that! 3. Gave birth to Jack she said I can do better than that! 4. Gave birth to me she said I can do better than that! 5. Gave birth to Lois she said I can do better than that! ...read more

Scripture: 2 Samuel 12:15-23

Denomination: Baptist

Funeral For A Gardener

Contributed by James Jackson on Jan 11, 2022

This was a funeral sermon I preached for a dear woman who was known in the community for her beautiful garden

Lee Ann, thank you for helping us get to know your mama a little better. Both you and Gena shared so many stories about your mom. They say a good eulogy makes the people who knew the person glad they did, and the people who didn’t wish they had. Your family has done that so well. There are others ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Calm In The Storm

Contributed by Perry Greene on Mar 5, 2024

Funeral sermon for an elderly faithful Christian man.

Kenneth was intelligent, a family man who took his responsibilities seriously. He inherited a love for the outdoors. His grandfather homesteaded in OK before statehood, living in a dugout on the prairie for a time. Kenneth grew up at that farm. He enjoyed being outside farming, ranching, hunting, ...read more

Scripture: Mark 4:35-41

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Comfort For The hurting Series

Contributed by Brad Beaman on Mar 3, 2022

What do people want when they are hurting? They want God’s Word that gives comfort. Here in Isaiah is a chapter on comfort. This chapter is announcing the coming Christ. He is our source of comfort. We can certainly take comfort from God’s Word in Isaiah 40.

This may be a dark time for you because of…., you fill in the blank. Most people have great difficulties in their life. God knows you need comfort. Everyone has, is or will experience some hurt or some crises that causes them extreme pain and brings on grief. The problem with grief is that those ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 40:1-11

Denomination: Baptist

"hope And Renewal" 1 Thes 4:13-18

Contributed by John Huyser on Nov 1, 2022

How should Christians approach the death of a loved one? What are some bad assumptions Christians make around grief? How does the Gospel offer hope in the face of Death

Deadline Slide 1 Every once in awhile, the semantics for a word study intrigues me. A word peaking my interest this week was the word “deadline”. Today, we use deadline as a point in time which something must be completed. There is a deadline to mail my taxes. Or in the case, of submitting an ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Who Is Ready For The Meeting?

Contributed by Chris Swanson on Nov 30, 2022

What happens when we die physically? Do our bodies remain in the ground? What about our souls?

Prophetic truth has a utilitarian reason. It is to condemn the hearts of sinners. It is to empower Christians to holiness, and to provide hope and solace to Christians in the hour of death. This letter was composed to urge Christians to live purified lives while they await the return of ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Overcoming A Suicide

Contributed by Dennis Gard on Sep 22, 2024

To the family and all friends, God’s peace truly be with you this day. Today we do one of the most difficult of all things to do – we gather to grieve the passing of <Name>, who was much loved, respected, kind and caring, hardworking. We gather to commend him into God’s care.

I. Introduction: a. Grief is never an easy burden to bear – and never more so than when it comes to us in what we can only regard as an untimely fashion. It causes many questions to arise within us – questions about ourselves and what we might or might not have done to make things different – and ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:38-39, Isaiah 54:8-10

Sermon For A Funeral: The Heroes Of Life & Death

Contributed by William Meakin on Aug 16, 2024

A hero is defined in the dictionary as a person who is admired for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.

What is a hero? Joseph Campbell an American writer once remarked: “A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” Romans 15:1-2 reminds us: “We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us ...read more

Scripture: John 15:13, Philippians 4:8-9, Romans 12:6-8, Hebrews 4:10

Martha's Lament

Contributed by Denn Guptill on Sep 13, 2025

Martha felt free to speak the words of disappointment and anger that we sometimes feel but are hesitant to speak. This message examines Martha's words as a model for biblical lament.

She was frustrated, disappointed and angry. And she wasn’t holding it back. Her brother had been sick, and as his condition continued to deteriorate, Martha and her sister Mary had sent a message to their friend Jesus. In a situation, which seemed to have no hope, Jesus provided hope. They had ...read more

Scripture: John 11:21-22

Denomination: Wesleyan

The Battle Of The Brides Series

Contributed by Brian Williams on Feb 25, 2025

God is teaching us that it doesn’t have to be an occasion for fear and desperation but, rather, can be a time to lean into God and pour out our grief out to Him.

We are in our From Dust to Life series in the book of Genesis and last week in chapter 29 we saw how Jacob worked for his uncle Laban for seven years as a dowry payment for his daughter Rachel, the woman he loved. Laban agreed to this but did the bait and switch and gave Jacob his older daughter ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 30:1-24

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational