Grief

The Lord is Near

/ pastorpete51 / 11 Comments

 The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:5b-7

In my lifetime there have been times that we prayed, and God miraculously answered, by healing my back so that I could return to work, blessing our children and grandchildren, so that nine out of ten are still serving the Lord and attending church regularly. But I have also begged for a daughter-in-law to be healed and yet she died, prayed for a son’s marriage, yet it still ended in divorce. At those moments, the promise of today’s Bible reading and God’s peace felt far away. But as I was listening to this chapter the other night, I noticed something which I had missed all these years. I missed it because I forgot that when Paul wrote his letter, he did not use chapters and verses. Now, usually those nifty divisions give us a great way to find a passage, but as I listened to the chapter being read, I realized that the end of verse five, gives us the reason we should have hope. He is at hand! (or in other translations, “He is near.”).

Paul urges us to pray with confidence, but not because we have great faith. Yes, faith was and always will be important, but not everyone that Jesus healed had a lot of faith. He raised a widow’s son from the dead, and we can be sure that fellow had zero faith because he was dead! But something else was at play even greater than our faith or our lack thereof. Jesus came so close to where they were that He could reach out and touch the funeral bier. Or, remember on the road to Emmaus, when two of the disciples were walking along, talking about the death of Jesus and strange reports they had heard about his resurrection. They had a lot of questions and doubts, but the Bible tells us, that Jesus came and walked along with them. We also see Mary standing outside the empty tomb weeping and asking the “gardener” where the body of Jesus was. Did Jesus show up and try to make her feel terrible about her doubts or ignore her tears? No! Jesus drew near. Do I understand all of what these passages mean? No! But they give me a peace that reaches far beyond anything that I understand. I remember that the Lord is near; He won’t allow hopes to be buried forever, he walks with us when we struggle with doubts, and he stands nearest when tears stream down our cheeks and He calls us by name!

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Outside the Tomb

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments 
But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb.” John 20:11 ESV

After everyone had left the tomb that morning, still Mary remained. First, the soldiers fled, after first passing out in fear when they saw an angel roll back the stone. Then the women who had come with Mary, returned home once they saw that Jesus was no longer there. Finally, even Peter and John came, but only stayed for a moment before walking away. But Mary, overwhelmed by confusion, grief, and something more that she just couldn’t put into words, stood outside the tomb.

Many of us stand with Mary this morning. A friend has lost his battle with cancer, a wife or husband has walked away, or a child has chosen things we prayed they would never happen. No explanation makes any sense, and most difficult of all is that no one stands with us. No one that is, until…

“And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet.”  John 20:12

When we stoop to look into the tomb, God gives something more. In Mary’s case, that something more began with angels, but for us it could be a phone call from a friend, a neighbor stopping by or even a Christian song heard on the radio. God has not abandoned us. He has not forgotten. Our weeping does come, but it comes to pass. It washes through us like tidal wave, but after it passes, there are angels, messengers of God, sent to ask us a question and calm our hearts.

 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.”  John 20:13

Notice, the angels didn’t say, “Stop it! Jesus is alive! Don’t worry be happy!” God understands the fragile nature of our heart, and He tenderly begins His work of restoration with a gentle question. Why are we weeping? Where is the source of our hope? Then as tears begin to dry and calm creeps into our hearts, Jesus Himself comes, though we may not yet recognize Him.

Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. John 20:14

Again, the message God brings, is not a loud, “Cheer up!” It comes with a question, asked this time from His very lips, “Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?…” God does not demand hope, command us to smile or require laughter. He comes with a hand to brush tears away and an ear to listen to our needs.

Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” John 20:15b-16a

He has come, calmed our hearts, and listened to our prayer. Now we are ready. He has gently prepared us to hear His message of hope, and that begins when we hear Him call our name. If you are struggling, in despair, grief or feeling hopeless, don’t give up. All you may have left is like that empty tomb, but don’t walk away. God knows your heart. He is listening, and He is coming, though we may not recognize Him at first. That’s okay! Jesus is standing near, though He might look like the gardener! He remembers you. He has come, and He is calling your name!

Seeing Over the Crowd

/ pastorpete51 / 6 Comments

When in 2023 I submitted an article to The Upper Room titled “This I Call to Mind”, I had no idea of what lay in store for our family in the following year. At the time our daughter-in-law, Melinda had just finished seven rounds of chemotherapy. After regaining enough strength to travel, she and our son came for their vacation to visit us. We joked with each other that week, because here in supposedly sunny Florida, it rained the whole time they were here. Though the weather put Melinda’s longing to spend time at the beach on hold, it gave us all the opportunity to spend more time together. Sitting inside while afternoon thunderstorms and morning showers dampened our enthusiasm, we did not realize how precious those few days were, until the following summer, when the disease which Melinda had battled so bravely took her earthly life.

And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. Luke 19:3 ESV

In my seventy-three years here on earth I have discovered that it is far too easy to take days, weeks, months and even years for granted. In the words of one old song, “We thought they’d never end,” and yet no matter how much we wish that they wouldn’t, they always do. Sometimes I have wondered how a loving God, who sees the beginning from the end, allows suffering like Melinda and so many others have experienced. If you are asking that this morning, you are not alone. We like Zaccheus, are so short that even when we stand on tiptoe, all we can see is the back of other people’s shoulders. We need to climb up on something higher, to see over the crowd and into the eyes of Jesus. It is only when we come face to face with Him, that He shows us that every heartbeat, each breath, and even every cup of coffee we share together is priceless. For us as a family, we are learning to climb up a little higher and put our hope in Him. In different ways and at different times every one of us passes through sorrow. Though we wish there were some easier way, it is always in our weakness that God gives His strength and in our darkness that we cling to the light of His mercy and know more than ever how steadfast and faithful is His love!


But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentation 3:21-23 ESV
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