Climbing a hillside 6) B2 Facing bereavement

Many preachers will testify that a sermon series can be planned out weeks in advance only to find just how relevant it is on one Sunday. Last week several people in mourning contacted me, sometimes in tears, because of sudden bereavements. And all this grief was on top of passing the tragic milestone as the country exceeded 100,000 Covid19 deaths. Few of us do not know families in mourning. Our church fellowship certainly knows sorrow. . 

So, here was a sad, raw context for hearing the second Beatitude: Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted   What a jolt this is!  Coming hard on Happy are those who are humble-minded for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  How can those who mourn possibly be happy? It seems as though Jesus wants us to know from the outset that his new way of being is no escapism, no denial of reality. That Christianity does not somehow cushion us from sorrow.  Rather he wants us to face the grim facts of death and loss.  The word 'mourning' is strong - it means tears, grief and pain. One commentator says it's sorrow that pierces the heart.  Obviously it's grief at the loss of loved ones.

But bereavement can also mourning for loss in situations.  One reading was Isaiah 61:1-3:..To comfort those who mourn...to bestow the oil of joy instead of mourning. While this can relate to individual grief it is clear from the context that it addresses a whole people who grieve over Israel's and theirs exile. Who long for Israel to return to how it used to be before they were taken away in captivity. For the temple to be restored, for life to go back to living like it was in normal times. For the best of good times to return. And that sounds incredibly relevant in the pandemic now. Because alongside all the loss of life, so many grieve loss of jobs, homes, dreams and hopes, so many suffer depression and worse. This is mourning too.

To help us understand this beatitude I also chose the story of Lazarus in John 11:17-37. It reveals so much about mourning as well as the comfort that God gives.