Saturday, December 7, 2024
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.
1 Thessalonians 4:13
No one ever really knows what to say to comfort someone whose loved one has died.
A lot of well-meaning statements often end up having the unintended opposite effect.
Oftentimes, the best response is to say nothing. One’s presence can frequently be more than enough.
However, for professional clergy, silence is hardly ever an option. So Paul’s words are a launching pad of sorts, for those of us who are expected to have answers at the ready when a person asks, “What will become of my loved one who has died?”
The early Christians struggled with the thought of what would happen to their loved ones who had died before the expected return of Christ, and Paul’s words to the Thessalonians were written to ease their fears and help them make sense of their grief.
Make no mistake, Paul isn’t attempting to minimize or dismiss their grief, but rather, to give them hope in the midst of their grief.
Those who have died in Christ are not lost, and nor will they in any way be denied entry into the coming life of God. We will be reunited with them, and together we will enjoy God and one another forever.
So, although it is normal to grieve being parted from them for now, the Apostle is reassuring them – and by extension, us – that there is no need to lose heart or lose our faith. All will be well.
The ultimate questions about life after death have not lessened through the years.
Whether a death is expected or whether it happens suddenly, we still grapple with the mystery of what happens to that person who was once our companion here on earth but is no longer with us.
When someone we love dies, there will always be a hole in our hearts. There’s an old saying that “the more we love, the more we grieve.”
Grief is a natural response to death.
At the same time, the grief of the believer is grounded in and defined by hope.
The ending of our second reading for this day tells us to “encourage one another with these words.”
We are encouraged with similar words each Sunday, following the sermon, when we recite together the Nicene Creed.
We end with the phrase, “We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.”
May it ever be so.
Let us pray.
Father of all, we pray to you for those we love, but see no longer: Grant them your peace; let light perpetual shine upon them; and, in your loving wisdom and almighty power, work in them the good purpose of your perfect will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(Book of Common Prayer, p. 504)
+ + +