Weight Bearing

January 26, 2022
Midweek Study with Pastor Edith
Matthew 5:4, Hebrews 9:27-28

As I am preparing this meditation, I am also preparing for funerals for two wonderful father figures who impacted my life in many positive ways, especially when it comes to walking by faith. I found some inspiration from an old text book; All our losses All our Griefs, Resources for Pastoral Care by Kenneth Mitchell and Herbert Anderson. In the chapter entitled Toward a Theology of Grieving I discovered a very comforting insight Inspired by the above-mentioned scripture passages. Let’s start with the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus’ statement; “Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted”.

The author of my textbook writes: The original Greek translated here “those who mourn” implies active lamenting…The necessity for actively grieving losses is obvious. We may choose not to grieve, but inevitably we do so to our own detriment, if not to our emotional and spiritual peril. We take the beatitude at face value: Those who mourn can be blessed because they can be comforted [emphasis mine]. It is difficult if not impossible to comfort someone who does not mourn…The beatitude places sorrow-bearing at the center of Christian discipleship. On that matter, there are no options. Those who claim Jesus as Lord bear the grief of others because they belong to the Lord who suffers and who in his suffering reveals God as one who suffers” (pgs. 165-166).

The writer to the Hebrews tells us; “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him”.

The men that I referenced at the beginning of this writing both reached the ripe young age of 90 plus and have agreed that they have lived very full lives. Both inspire me to seek the Lord more and more so as to leave this world as confident as they. With the preaching of Jesus and the teaching of the writer to the Hebrews I can say how blessed are they who mourn in God’s care and with God’s people, because they will be comforted and most especially because Jesus bears our sin.

Is there someone in your sphere of influence who needs to be comforted? Maybe it’s due to a loss of a loved one, or loss of a relationship, or loss of a job, or loss of vibrant health, there are many ways we experience loss. Believers are called to be true disciples of Jesus Christ and be bearers of the weight people around us are carrying due to loss.

May God direct you to someone today and in the days ahead, and may you find comfort in His word to bring comfort to them.

AMEN!