God has always chosen the most fragile of human moments to speak. Their greatest promises have been true in my grief. I believe this is because God knows how much we need to hear and believe such promises when we are hurting; God loves us too much to let us suffer alone. God surrounds us with Their presence, and very often through the presence of God’s people. The Holy One’s care bears witness that we are not alone, that this death is not the end, and that somehow there will be a way forward together. All of this is a blessing.
And as God told Abram, we are blessed to be a blessing (Genesis 12:2). The blessedness of grief extends beyond ourselves when we become storytellers, sharing how God met us when and where we needed it. We bless others when we bear witness to God’s willingness to come and suffer with us and lead us through that suffering toward resurrection and new life. When we speak aloud the ways we were met and comforted while mourning, we comfort others with the consolation we have received from God.
This message is excerpted from “Blessed are those who grieve” by Collette Broady Grund in the March 2023 Café online magazine. Today is the Sixth Sunday after Epiphany.
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