Comfort in the Midst of Mourning
On Sunday, legendary NBA All-Star Kobe Bryant tragically lost his life at the age of 41, along with 8 other souls, including his 13 year-old daughter, in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. Immediately, as the news broke, social media burst with emotion, disbelief and mourning at the news of his passing. Kobe Bryant not doubt had a huge reach and his death is affecting millions across the globe.
Death in any circumstance is tragic, but the tragic is only magnified when someone loses his or her life in such unforeseen and unfortunate circumstances. The wise King Solomon reminds us that there is "a time to be born and a time to die...a time to mourn and a time to dance." (Ecclesiastes 3:2,4 NIV)
Many of us are no strangers to mourning. It is an inevitability. But, what is is also an inevitability is the opportunity for us to receive comfort in times of mourning and trouble. The Lord Jesus said, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." (Matthew 5:4) If mourning is the experiencing of deep sorrow, comfort is the easing of that pain by the experiencing of love and embrace. Often, it is in the time of deep sorrow that many either question or embrace God's love and existence, or they find themselves experiencing a little bit of both. As a minister, I too have wrestled with that tension, but ultimately I find solace in finding that promised comfort in the midst of mourning.
The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4: "...the God of all comfort...comforts us in our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." (ESV)
They say that time heals all wounds, but the comfort the Scriptures promise isn't simply in the passage of time, but more so in the glorious hope for the future the Bible promises us.
Because of the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, mankind has a wonderful prospect ahead in a new creation free from all suffering, sickness and death. The often misunderstood book of Revelation comforts us with a glorious future in reach: "[God] will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." (Revelation 21:4, ESV)
In times of mourning, may you turn and depend upon the God of all comfort who will one day make all things new again!
Pastor Brian Garcia
Crossroads Church of Sturgeon Bay
Death in any circumstance is tragic, but the tragic is only magnified when someone loses his or her life in such unforeseen and unfortunate circumstances. The wise King Solomon reminds us that there is "a time to be born and a time to die...a time to mourn and a time to dance." (Ecclesiastes 3:2,4 NIV)
Many of us are no strangers to mourning. It is an inevitability. But, what is is also an inevitability is the opportunity for us to receive comfort in times of mourning and trouble. The Lord Jesus said, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." (Matthew 5:4) If mourning is the experiencing of deep sorrow, comfort is the easing of that pain by the experiencing of love and embrace. Often, it is in the time of deep sorrow that many either question or embrace God's love and existence, or they find themselves experiencing a little bit of both. As a minister, I too have wrestled with that tension, but ultimately I find solace in finding that promised comfort in the midst of mourning.
The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4: "...the God of all comfort...comforts us in our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." (ESV)
They say that time heals all wounds, but the comfort the Scriptures promise isn't simply in the passage of time, but more so in the glorious hope for the future the Bible promises us.
Because of the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, mankind has a wonderful prospect ahead in a new creation free from all suffering, sickness and death. The often misunderstood book of Revelation comforts us with a glorious future in reach: "[God] will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." (Revelation 21:4, ESV)
In times of mourning, may you turn and depend upon the God of all comfort who will one day make all things new again!
Pastor Brian Garcia
Crossroads Church of Sturgeon Bay
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