The reality of our hope in Christ colors the entirety of our lives. Recently, I was thinking about the way it affects our current grief. Several of you know that my dad is in the end stages of Huntington’s Disease. As our family watches his earthly life slip away, our grief persists. Even though we have joy that he will be with the Lord, we mourn the realities of living in a fallen world. Many of you know grief all too well. In fact, I’d venture to say that all of us do; loss is a regular occurrence in our world. It can seem like everywhere we turn, we are reminded that the world is not as it should be. We rightly mourn the devastating realities of sin and all its effects. We are free to bring our lament before the Lord, knowing there is comfort in His presence. We also weep with and for one another.
And yet we do not grieve as those who have no hope. We know the end of the story! We know the risen Jesus who rescues and makes hope a reality. In fact, I think it is only because we know Jesus and know the grander redemptive narrative of history that we can fully and deeply mourn all that is lost in this world. That’s also why we can fully and deeply rejoice in the goodness of God that remains so evident. Assured of our hope and strengthened by the Holy Spirit, we can compassionately walk alongside others in love and truth, and we can confidently declare the message of the gospel.
Each time you speak truth to questioners and each time you love them with the love of God, you are proclaiming hope and being a light in a world of darkness. Thank you for sharing in the life of Christ with us and for helping so many others do the same. It is a joy to serve with you!
In your grieving and your rejoicing this month, may you rest in the lavish love of the Lord and know His hope, peace, and joy in abundance. May you delight in the risen Savior, rest in the Father, and live in the power of the Spirit as you walk with Him in joyful obedience and faithful endurance.
