Grief.  It is not just about the feelings we have over losing someone to death.  It’s about all the losses we experience through life.

Many of us are experiencing grief right now.  Grief due to being at home instead of school, or work, or even worship.  I felt an incredibly powerful wave of grief when I was at the church building last Thursday.  I was getting some more things to work on at home, and while carrying the box to my car it hit me.

I’m also grieving the loss of a vacation we had planned.  Last week we were supposed to be in South Carolina, but instead were still here.  Just like you.

And it’s easy to say “look at Italy, look at India, look at…” but that doesn’t help.  We still need to deal with our own grief.

So yes, it is okay to say you are feeling the impact of this crisis.  While some places have it worse, we still need to deal with our loss.

But we cannot stay there.  To overcome this crisis, we need to remember we are people of the resurrection, people of a God who takes the bad things and turns them into something far better.  Afterall, Psalm 30:5b says weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.

Brothers and sisters, we may be grieving a lot of losses right now.  And that is okay.  But remember, we will rejoice again.

Peace,

Pastor Bill