Grieving

As a community, we’re grieving this week, after losing two long-time members of our congregation. One lost a courageous fight with cancer at an age far too young, when all she really wanted was to play with her young grandchildren. The other had lived a long life of service, but suffered from a debilitating illness that rendered her bedridden and kept her from being a part of the church she loved.

As hard as these times are in the life of our church, it is also at these times when I feel most hopeful and blessed. I have watched the ways our congregation has cared for these families, and as always, I am inspired by incredible acts of generosity and care: people who have visited and prayed, cooked and cried.

Two weeks ago, when one of the women went into the hospital for the last time, a friend of the family stopped by the church. He wanted to make sure we had heard the news, but I also think he wanted to be somewhere where we understood his sadness. He wanted to know that we all felt as helpless as he did in the face of death. He wanted to find a home for his grief.

So we’ll grieve together in the next few days, as we celebrate these lives and the blessings they were to us. And then we’ll gather again on Sunday morning, to give thanks to our God, who promises the hope of everlasting life.